There are [many] explanations for the popularity of [The Lord of the Rings] as anyone who has taught it knows. It's a great story. It has wildly original and interesting characters. It takes place in a delightful world of fantasy. And, finally, it communicates an extraordinary reverence for natural life. Long before ecology became fashionable, the trilogy celebrated the natural wonders of our world: the earth, the water, the trees, the flowers, the other living things that Tolkien lets us commune with…. To me, all of these are good reasons why any young person could enjoy The Lord of the Rings. In fact, so anesthetizing are they that a great many young people have not only willingly suspended their disbelief when reading the trilogy but their critical judgment as well. For, as I intend to show, read critically, The Lord of the Rings is really an Establishment book.
The first of the six crimes against the counter-culture state that the trilogy makes is genocide: it glorifies age and it disparages youth. Not only are the great figures in the book aged, their age is their greatness. (pp. 48-9)
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Read the rest of this Criticism with our Tolkien, J(ohn) R(onald) R(euel) 1892–1973: Critical Essay by Gerald O'connor Access Pass.
