In this essay, J.R.R. Tolkien´s novel The Hobbit is analysed from an Ecocritical perspective. How environments/places are described, and what meaning can be attributed to these places is analysed using second wave ecocritical theory. This means that the relationship between what is seen as human and what is seen as non-human isdiscussed in relation to meaning and agency. The main theme of the novel is a journey, and there is a reoccurring motif of longing which forms a framework of safety against which the dangerous journey through the Wild is contrasted. This framework has been used to decide which scenes to analyse. Further, Buell´s theory of place-connectednessis used to describe the relationship between the characters and the places. The placeconnectedness affects how meaning is created in the interaction between the human and the non-human. Lastly, a previous essay using an ecocritical framework is LoboJansson´s Master´s thesis “Lord of the Rings, Lord of Nature: A PostcolonialEcocritical Study of J.R.R Tolkien´s The Lord of the Rings and Its Implications in the EFL Classroom.”. One suggestion for further research in the thesis is to apply an ecocritical framework to other books by Tolkien, such as Silmarillion or The Hobbit(47-48). One aim of this essay is therefore to answer the question whether the environmental descriptions in The Hobbit can indicate the environmental concerns described in Lobo Jansson´s study.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hig-44782 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Sjöstedt, Emil |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för humaniora |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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