{"product_id":"9780544106567","title":"Defending Middle-Earth: Tolkien: Myth and Modernity","description":"\u003cb\u003eA scholar explores the ideas within \u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eLord of the Rings\u003c\/i\u003e and the world created by J. R. R. Tolkien: “A most valuable and timely book” (Ursula K. Le Guin, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e–bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eChanging Planes\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e What are millions of readers all over the world getting out of reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy? \u003ci\u003eDefending Middle-earth\u003c\/i\u003e argues, in part, that the appeal for fans goes far deeper than just quests and magic rings and hobbits. In fact, through this epic, Tolkien found a way to provide something close to spirit in a secular age.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e This thoughtful book focuses on three main aspects of Tolkien’s fiction: the social and political structure of Middle-earth and how the varying cultures within it find common cause in the face of a shared threat; the nature and ecology of Middle-earth and how what we think of as the natural world joins the battle against mindless, mechanized destruction; and the spirituality and ethics of Middle-earth—for which the author provides a particularly insightful and resonant examination.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIncludes a new afterword\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47106925691120,"sku":"9780544106567","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780544106567_p0.jpg?v=1769916535","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780544106567","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}