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05-21-2004, 11:51 PM

OK, here's a weird and wild one: I've been given the assignment to do a 6-week (6-session) "Tolkien Studies" class for my school's Summer Institute for a (hopefully fairly diverse) audience of mostly teenagers and adults as a kind of fun, informative course for all the local Tolkien-o-philes in my area. I've been studying Tolkien, his universe and his languages as an extra-curricular interest of mine for ages, but there are so many directions I can take this in. Any advice? 
 
Oh, and they also want me to do a secondary school (twice a week) elective in it next year in the second semester... 
 
Aaron

05-22-2004, 12:44 AM

You might want to visit an actual Tolkien web site or messageboard if you want to talk to a real Tolkien scholar, you'll probably have better luck there. 
 
www.theonering.net -- probably your best bet

JRSCline · 05-22-2004, 07:45 AM

Hi Aaron, 
 
I don't rate myself as a "scholar" on Tolkien but I have started moving past his actual works and reading some lit-crit and biographies. 
 
Your best bet is to take the students beyond a re-reading of The Lord of the Rings. Take them behind the scenes into his background, his inspirations, and his life experiences. He was a devout Catholic, a veteran of the Somme, a devoted father and husband, and an Oxford don. How did a man like this write the Western world's most beloved epic? 
 
Show them The Silmarillion. That, not LOTR, was what enchanted me about Tolkien, when I discovered it. 
 
Here are some source ideas: 
 
Tom Shippey, who holds Tolkien's former chair at Oxford, has done the best scholarly work IMO: excellent analysis, offering a favorable but not slavishly adoring perspective on Tolkien's work as literature. His two books, Tolkien: Author of the Century and The Road to Middle Earth (buy the "revised and expanded" version), do a great job of showing us why Tolkien wrote his epics and even better, show us how Tolkien's work in languages and Norse and Old English epics inspired him not to emulation but reinterpretation. Shippey supports the idea that Tolkien was trying to create a "myth for England" in the same style as the Old Norse legends he loved. 
 
The Shippey books are not really biography. For a biographical perspective, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Humphrey Carter, offer great insight but may be too much for the casual student to absorb right off. I found Carter's J.R.R. Tolkien: a Biography to be a bit shallow for an "official" biography, but it is the best available. Carter also wrote on Tolkien's literary circle, The Inklings, which included C.S. Lewis of "Narnia" fame. 
 
Another advanced option is the massive two-volume J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull. 
 
John Garth relates the effect of Tolkien's terrible losses and hardship as a soldier in WWI in Tolkien and the Great War : The Threshold of Middle-earth. 
 
If you do wish to stick to Tolkien's actual texts, a couple of helpful aids are Karen Wynn Fonstad's Atlas of Middle Earth, as well as the ever-useful glossary by Robert Foster, A Companion to Middle Earth. You MUST introduce your students to The Silmarillion, which IMO is to LOTR what the Old Testament is to the New. 
 
Other Tolkien lit analyses I have not read, so caveat emptor: 
 
From a religious perspective that elevates Tolkien's Catholicism as a principal inspiration: 
 
Tolkien in Perspective: Sifting the Gold from the Glitter by Greg Wright 
Tolkien: A Celebration: Collected Writings on a Literary Legacy edited by Joseph Pearce 
J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality, and Religion, by Richard L. Purtill, Joseph Pearce 
The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth by Ralph C. Wood 
J. R. R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-Earth by Bradley J. Birzer, Joseph Pearce 
Celebrating Middle-Earth: The Lord of the Rings As a Defense of Western Civilization edited by John G. West 
Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues : Exploring the Spiritual Themes of the Lord of the Rings by Mark Eddy Smith 
 
Tolkien lit-crit of various paradigms: 
 
The Individuated Hobbit: Jung, Tolkien, and the Archetypes of Middle-Earth by Timothy O'Neill 
Tolkien's Art: A Mythology for England by Jane Chance 
Tolkien's Legendarium : Essays on The History of Middle-earth by Verlyn Flieger 
A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien's Road to Faerie by Verlyn Flieger 
Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World by Verlyn Flieger 
Tolkien and the Invention of Myth by Jane Chance 
Tolkien in the Land of Heroes : Discovering the Human Spirit by Anne C. Petty 
One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien's Mythology by Anne C. Petty 
Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in the Lord of the Rings by Matthew T. Dickerson 
 
And a new journal, it seems: 
Tolkien Studies, Volume 1 (2004) Michael Drout (Editor), Douglas A. Anderson (Editor), Verlyn Flieger (Editor) 
 
Hope this helps, 
Jenny

05-22-2004, 10:51 AM

Thanks for the tip on the Tolkien ring, Hottoq; I most likely will tune into some other web forums particularly dedicated to Tolkien to get some advice. 
 
I did think, though, that since this forum seemed to be filled with so many intelligent and well-read people with diverse interests, and since I'd been tuning in here pretty regularly anyway, why not see if anyone here has some good ideas in the OT section? 
 
And wouldn't you know? Thanks, Jenny, for such a long and helpful response! I did think almost right away, that getting them past a re-reading was a good idea. In fact, I think that both the short Summer and the more-in-depth Spring class will assume that everyone has read at least the trilogy and the Hobbit as a prerequisite. But there are still so many directions to go in that it can be a bit overwhelming. 
 
For the summer course, I'm thinking that I'm not sure that I want to require students to get a copy of too many additional books, but I do want to focus on different topics. Day 1 will definitely be focused on biography and background. Then, I think I want to focus each of the next five sessions giving an introduction to different specific topics; I just need to narrow down the options and come up with the right 5. (Once I do, I'll create a syllabus of sorts, so the students know what's coming and what sorts of things to brush up on for each session.) 
 
For the Spring course, The Silmarillion will probably be required reading, along with maybe one or two secondary sources. (Maybe one of the Shippey books and/or one of the Carter books? I like the OT/ NT analogy, btw; that's good, and I think I'll use it.) 
 
I'm familiar with Shippey's J.R.R. Tolkien, Author of the Century, (actually I've read it, re-read it and loved it!) It's title is a bit unfortunate, because it makes him sound a bit more like a "fawning fan" than he is, though on the plus side, it is guaranteed to get a reaction out of the "literary snobs" who look down their noses at Tolkien. I'd been thinking about picking up that other one by Shippey, but never got around to it, and now I think that I definitely will. I've got a collection of his Tolkien's letters (perhaps an abridged version?) and the Carter bio, but not Carter's work on the Inklings, so thanks for the tip! My school's headmaster's wife did a college lit class focused on the Inklings (and we've had some good conversations about it) so I'll definitely check w/ her for ideas, too. 
 
Fonstad's atlas is an awesome resource, so I will definitely make use of it in some capacity. (It's so helpful to get a clear visual representation of some of the things that Tolkien either doesn't map, or doesn't map well enough, like Beleriand; Fonstad helped me keep from getting lost as I worked through the Silmarillion, and is also very helpful at helping understand the transition periods and history.) 
 
Hammond and Scull, Garth and a good many others that you've mentioned I'd not encountered yet, so again, thanks for the tip! 
 
Aaron

JRSCline · 05-22-2004, 11:45 AM

Aaron, 
If it were a college seminar or course I would definitely say go with the hardcore stuff, but as it's for the general public and high-schoolers, here'd be my choices: 
 
- One of the Shippey books (perhaps both for your longer session) 
- The Carter official bio 
- And a spiral-bound collection of exerpts from other books that support your 5 themed sessions 
 
There is so much attention these days on Tolkien analogues to Christianity, which he never wanted (IMO) but you must address this as it's so prevalent, whether you debunk it or embrace it. That might form the basis for a session -- the image of "God" and divinity in Tolkien's work. 
 
Another session could revolve around Tolkien's depiction of Evil: as a corporeal manifestation, as corruption of the spirit that morphs into corruption of the body. I always found myself wondering why the Southron and Easterling men followed Sauron. Orcs, one could dismiss as inhuman. And why did Tolkien consistently depict them as swarthy and slant-eyed? The simplistic explanation of Anglo-Saxon racism does not suffice. 
 
Another session might deal with the pervading theme of cultural decay and devolution -- the mournful fading of a more noble past, to be replaced by harsh modernity, the hustle and bustle of technology and "Progress." One theme of the LOTR is its panegyric of old virtues of individual valor and honor, not the deeds of armies but the deeds of heroes. People often malign the "Scouring of the Shire" as a needless digression, but in fact it is very important to the story as it too represents a restoration, however temporary, of the Shire's rustic pastorality that kept weary Gandalf coming back for refreshment. 
 
You might use another session to show how Tolkien's real-life work with languages and Old Norse/Old English literature can be seen and felt in analogues throughout LOTR. 
 
Tolkien vigorously rejected the idea of allegory in his work. He clearly would not agree that his work was supposed to "represent" anything, such as WWII or the atomic arms race, or anything modern at all. Nevertheless, however much he denied it as part of the creative motive, can allegories be assigned by the reader, unintended by Tolkien but evident to us today? That might make a good session. 
 
You might dedicate a session to LOTR's basis in The Silmarillion, although that work is really another level entirely, and may just be too much for a short course. 
 
Just a few ideas. 
 
Jenny

05-22-2004, 03:38 PM

AGLarsen, 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Ginny did an excellent job of catagorizing sources for your course, and hottoq's suggestion can be very useful too. I and one of my colleagues are working on similar courses for my university (with different reading lists and requirements for undergraduate and graduate courses). I 've also been dealing with some interesting issues in my World Literature courses, ever since the films were released. My undergraduates, though the course focuses on classics, inevitably are drawn to both cinematic and literary versions and beg to be allowed to work Tolkien into their essays. This had led me and my colleague to do some searches in academic databases for some alternatives and choices. 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp While I wholeheartedly agree with Ginny about making the course more than just a rereading, one might might to avoid too stuffy an approach for a summer, non-specialist course. In my region I have to address students' and parents' concerns about why LOTR and Harry Potter really are not Satanic, so I have some recommendations that I can use for the most belligerent of opponents (Lewis's "Screwtape" is my favorite). There are some new articles on Tolkien and Christianity, and Tolkiens presentation of virtue (covered in Shippey, but there's a whole new spate of articles spawned from the film's success). 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp I might advise not ignoring the films, even though their cultural effects haven't really started to be all that visible yet. I recommend, for instance: 
Title: From Christianity to Paganism: The New Middle Ages and the 
Values of 'Medieval' Masculinity. 
Authors: Richards, Jeffrey 
Source: Cultural Values; Apr99, Vol. 3 Issue 2, p213, 22p 
Document Type: Article 
Subject Terms: *POPULAR culture 
 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp This was published before the films, but it sets up types of courage and masculinity which start with Victorian and run up through Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Rambo and Mad Max. Tolkien in covered in print form, but this could spawn some interesting assignments. One of the surprises to the Conventional Wisdom that expected the films to fail was the supposition that there was nothing for females to like in the films. As evidenced by this forum alone, that was just plain wrong. Those of my students who really really go out of their way to request the Ring's inclusion in our courses are mostly female, thanks to the films. 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Another article I found was on Gay Architypes in the film: that was such news to me, but I read it and will include it in our syllabus for contrast to the above mentioned article. One of our focuses will be on mythic construction, how different generations and nationalities internalize and interpret the plot to parallel their won values and issues like warfare: i.e. as WWI veteran writes a massive saga during WWII, which is embraced as anti-war by the Vietnam generation and as prowar by the post 9-11 generation. There is a good deal of recent publication on this as well. 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Just a few thoughts, since we seem to be working on similar tracks. 
 
Wade Heaton 
[email protected] 
www.togaman.com

JRSCline · 05-23-2004, 03:09 AM

Who's Ginny? 
 
Jenny "The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they are realities, and are often even more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are." - NiccolÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â³ Machiavelli, The Discourses, 1517.

Muzzaguchi · 05-23-2004, 04:19 AM

Hi, 
 
There are many Old English Poems which Tolkien worked on and which have similarities to the whole ethos of Middle Earth - My favorites would be The Battle of Maldon (for which Tolkien wrote a fictional 'sequel', Byrhtnoth's return) and The Wanderer. Also many of the songs in LOTR use the Old English verse scheme of alliteration rather than rhyme. 
 
I also heard a rumor that a Tolkien Boewulf translation and commentary was discovered in Oxford and was to be published but I have heard nothing more. 
 
Just my two cents. 
 
Cheers 
 
Muzzaguchi 
 
'I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend ...' The Two Towers chapter 5. 
 
It is an unscrupulous intellect that does not pay Antiquity its due reverence - Erasmus of Rotterdam 
 
'Modern history, like a deaf man, answers questions no one asks' - Tolstoy War and Peace Ep. ii.1

05-23-2004, 01:59 PM

Jenny, 
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Uh, duuh! I'm very sorry. Won't happen again. 
 
Wade

JRSCline · 05-23-2004, 03:32 PM

No problem, Wade! 
 
Here's the jacket blurb on Tolkien's scholarly opus referred to above: 
 
"The most important essay in the history of Beowulf scholarship, J.R.R. Tolkien's "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" has, rightly, been much studied and discussed. But scholars of both Beowulf and Tolkien have to this point unaware that Tolkien's essay was a redaction of a much longer and more substantial work, Beowulf and the Critics, which Tolkien wrote in the 1930's and probably delivered as a series of Oxford lectures. 
 
This critical edition of Beowulf and Critics presents both unpublished versions of Tolkien's lecture ('A' and 'B'), each substantially different from the other and from the final, published essay. The edition includes a description of the manuscript, complete textual and explanatory notes, and a detailed critical introduction that explains the place of Tolkien's Anglo-Saxon scholarship both in the history of Beowulf scholarship and in literary history. 
 
In Beowulf and the Critics Tolkien's complex and convoluted argument is made more straightforwardly than it is in the published essay. Many of the veiled literary references and allegorical allusions of "The Monsters and the Critics" are here spelled out, and Tolkien also provides a capsule history of Beowulf-criticism from the re-discovery of the poem until the '30's. Readers can see what Tolkien really thought about previous Beowulf critics but was too circumspect to publish, and they can also follow the development of Tolkien's thought about Beowulf from rather inchoate impressions to the logical and rhetorical brilliance of the published lecture. 
 
Beowulf and the Critics is of interest not only to Anglo-Saxonists, but to scholars of Tolkien's work and general readers. Those interested in Tolkien's fictional works will find intriguing hints about Tolkien's method of composition and see how even before (or immediately after) the composition of The Hobbit Tolkien was using his fiction and poetry in his scholarship and his scholarship in his fiction and poetry. 
 
Beowulf and the Critics includes a version of Tolkien's poem on a dragon hoard ("IÃƒÆ’Ã‚Âºmonna Gold Galdre Bewunden") and a copy of a C.S. Lewis poem about a dragon The many layers of writing and revision which are documented in the textual notes provide a window into Tolkien's method of composition, which includes many intriguing false starts and changes of direction. The explanatory notes collect together all the sources Tolkien used for his work and detail the influences that shaped his critical understanding. 
 
Beowulf and the Critics is therefore valuable not only in its intrinsic sense as part of literary history, but also as an illustration of the development of the thought of one of the most influential authors and scholars of the twentieth century." 
 
Jenny 
-------------------- "The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they are realities, and are often even more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are." - NiccolÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â³ Machiavelli, The Discourses, 1517.

Muzzaguchi · 05-24-2004, 03:27 AM

Oohhhh me want !!!! I didn't realise it was 2002 though - I thought it was only found in 2003

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