I first read The Lord of the Rings when I was 12 (long, long before the movies came out), and for a few years in my 20s I was One Of Those People who read it every year. It’s safe to say that when I first read it, I was completely ignorant of any sort of politics, both in our world and in Tolkien’s superbly realised Middle-earth. Reading Abby Roberts’ essay on how two of the nations in Middle-earth talk about themselves, and their history, was a reminder of the depth of Tolkien’s world-building, as well as a useful reminder of the power of such myth in our own lived experiences of politics and history and identity (looking at you, Australia, and the way you talk about 1788 and “Australia Day”). Even if you know nothing about The Lord of the Rings, I suspect you will nonetheless still find points that resonate in Roberts’ work.