<p>This episode is all about how the Victorian era&#39;s culture and politics shaped J. R. R. Tolkien and, by extension, the world of Middle Earth.</p><p>We start with a look at the Grotesque vs. the Romantic Middle Ages as defined by medievalist David Matthews, and how each approach was at play in the late 19th century Medieval Revival. We use Matthews&#39; work as a framework for analyzing the medievalism of The Lord of the Rings, and then take a closer look at the society and politics of the Shire in particular in light of this context.</p><p>Next episode we&#39;ll move into the 1960s and talk about how much hippies loved The Hobbit, and there will probably be some Creature Talk.</p><p>Further Reading:</p><p><a href="https://medievalism.hcommons.org/medievalism-and-film/setting-and-medievalism-in-jacksons-lord-of-the-rings-films/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Setting and Medievalism in Jackson&#39;s Lord of the Rings</strong></a></p><p><a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Medievalism.html?id=YUA9vgAACAAJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Medievalism: a Critical History</strong></a> by David Matthews</p><p><a href="https://victorianweb.org/art/design/gothic/akim10.html " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>The Victorian Medieval Revival</strong></a></p><p><a href="https://victorianweb.org/authors/morris/tolkien1.html " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>William Morris&#39; influence on Tolkien</strong></a></p><p><a href="https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2018/08/25/cracking-the-social-code-class-in-tolkiens-shire/ " target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Social hierarchies in Hobbiton</strong></a></p><p><a href="https://middle-earth.xenite.org/advanced-societies-middle-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Social advancement in Middle Earth societies</strong></a></p><p><br></p>