D’effondrements en renaissances ? Une histoire de l’univers tolkienien

Abstract

Tolkien’s Legendarium and the long history it relates are punctuated by a series of civilizational collapses that are significantly different from each other, but that share common characteristics. This article examines two of them: the Downfall of Númenor and the collapse of the Shire at the end of The Lord of the Rings. It analyses their manifestations, then endeavours to show that they do not come by surprise, but can be deduced either from omens or from the characters’ actions. The article presents in particular the role of political, economic and above all technical transformations in collapsing societies. Finally, it studies the consequences of these collapses, and the subsequent rebirths.

Keywords

• religion
• economy
• politics
• power
• Tolkien
• collapse