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| author | Willow DiPasquale |
| title | Myth-Making and Sacred Nature: J.R.R. Tolkien's and Frank Herbert's Mythopoeic Fiction |
| abstract | The purpose of this dissertation is to compare how the mythopoeic fiction of J.R.R Tolkien and science fiction author Frank
Herbert portray the environment. It explores the premise that the environments depicted in The Lord of the Rings (1954-55) and the Dune saga
(1965-85) are not only for the purpose of world-building; rather, these imagined worlds' environments are as fundamental to understanding these authors' mythic
and perhaps even moral visions as the novels' characters, plots, and themes. While there is an ever-growing body of academic criticism surrounding both Tolkien
and Herbert, most comparisons between the two authors' works have been general rather than specific, and none have examined the eco-critical issues in both bodies
of fiction at once. By putting these texts in conversation with one another, I hope to bridge this "gap." As an analytical framework, this dissertation applies
Tolkien's three functions of fantasy (recovery, escape, and consolation) to show how both authors' works are intrinsically connected to the author's eco-critical
message; it also defines ecocriticism as a literary theory and eco-critical activities, as well as how the authors present natural spaces as numinous, inherently
spiritual places. Descriptions of the natural landscapes in these texts are scrutinized, as well as the relationships characters have with their landscapes and
the various environmental models they offer readers. Further, this dissertation examines how the authors' linguistic choices reinforce their mythopoeic fantasies'
environmental themes. Finally, Tolkien's and Herbert's religious beliefs and biographical, historical, and cultural influences are explored as further evidence
of nature's significance in their lives and their literary outputs. Overall, these texts offer a consequential interpretation for all readers: that a healthy,
satisfying existence is only possible with a profound and selfless appreciation and preservation of nature. The dissertation emphasizes this message of
environmental value and stewardship, and its resonance for Tolkien's and Herbert's readers.
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| school | The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University |
| degree | D.Litt. (2018) |
| advisor | Robert Peirano |
| committee | Liana Piehler |
| full text | WDiPasquale.pdf |
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