Abstract
One of the novels Tolkien admits to liking (according to his published letters) was Samuel Youd’s thriller The Death of Grass (1956), published under the pen name John Christopher. Among the novel’s aspects that might have particularly resonated with Tolkien included environmental concerns, analogs with Tolkien’s World War II experience (especially rationing), and an emphasis on fairy-story Consolation and Recovery, among others. But in addition, parallels with “The Scouring of the Shire” and other late episodes in The Lord of the Rings clearly deserve further analysis. This paper therefore engages with Youd’s novel through that specific lens.
Recommended Citation
Larsen, Kristine
(2025)
"“A field beaten bare of grass”: Samuel Youd’s The Death of Grass (1956) and the Scouring of the Shire,"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 22:
Iss.
2, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol22/iss2/5
Comments
An abridged version of this paper was presented at the Tolkien Society’s Oxonmoot on September 5, 2025, at St. Anne’s College, Oxford University.