Richards: can we really accept that the early Middle-earth is the same as the later one? Themes may be the same, but the socio-cultural context is different. Focus on one version of Middle-earth in this paper: the earliest #LordoftheRings drafts. #s849 #IMC2018 @IMC_Leeds
Richards: earlier stages of #LordoftheRings - use of agrarianism by #Tolkien to test its boundaries, especially in the Shire. The hobbits are creatures of an agrarian society, well-ordered and well-farmed. #s849 #imc2018 @IMC_Leeds
Richards: Bingo (early version of Frodo) contemplates a career as a gardener or carpenter - spiritual resonances. Agrarianism and spiritual links also apparent in Chesterton and Eliot. #s849 #IMC2018 @IMC_Leeds
Richards: links between Chesterton and Tolkien - e.g. #Tolkien reading The Ballad of the White Horse. #s849 #IMC2018 @IMC_Leeds
Richards: in both Chesterton and #Tolkien: connection of land and literature, against industrialisation. The cohesive aspects of society dissolve in industry. #s849 #imc2018 @IMC_Leeds
