Tolkien''s Material Culture : (Extra)ordinary Objects in Middle-earth and Beyond

The first full-length study examining Tolkien’s major narrative works through the lens of material culture studies, exploring the treatment of objects in Tolkien’s works and their multi-media adaptations.

The first full-length study examining Tolkien’s major narrative works through the lens of material culture studies, this book explores the treatment of objects in Tolkien’s works and their adaptations. From Galadriel’s mirror and Bilbo’s mithril coat to Aragorn’s sword Andúril and the One Ring itself, Tolkien’s Material Cultures looks at the creation, gifting, retention, collection, display, and destruction of Middle-earth’s articles and how they constitute a meditation on the role of things in human experience and community. Tolkien’s textual works and their multi-media adaptations are infused with people’s sentimental bonds with precious and everyday objects, which embody particular histories, values, and identities. Examining Middle-earth’s 20th- and 21st-century contexts, Marie H. Loughlin looks at post-war monuments and public commemoration; the birth of the museum; the advent of anthropology; film and televisual adaptation; digital games; licensed/unlicensed object replicas and extensions; LEGO’s Middle-earth building sets and communities in the texts from The Hobbit to The Silmarillion to Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogies and Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power.