Course Description
The theory and practice of fantasy literature writers including, but not limited to, William Morris, George MacDonald, Mervyn Peake, E.R. Eddison, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Ursula LeGuin, Madeline L'Engle, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Suzanne Collins, and J.K. Rowling.
Athena Title
Fantasy Literature
Prerequisite
Two 2000-level ENGL courses or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 3000-level ENGL course) or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 2000-level CMLT course)
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The course is intended to: 1. Convey an understanding of specific elements of the genre, distinguishing fantasy writing from science fiction and from general fiction in English Literature. 2. Explore the connection between the themes of fantasy novels (and/or drama, short stories, films, and graphic novels) and the cultural/social/historical contexts in which they are written. 3. Consider relationships between the main events in a fantasy writer's biography, their psychological make-up, philosophical orientation, and real-world experiences as factors in their aesthetic/literary formation. 4. Exemplify ways the fantasy genre has influenced modern popular cinema through film adaptations of key novels and novelistic series, including, e.g., those of Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien. Conversely, the course may consider ways in which such film adaptations have sent some viewers "back" to the novels, with a resulting increase in "literacy" among movie- and film-going audiences-entertaining the question of how many people have become readers as a result of their movie-going; further, how many English Majors have emerged from this process?
Topical Outline
The course can be taught focusing on any one of a number of themes, including the Victorian backgrounds of 20th-century fantasy, pre- and post-Tolkienian developments of the genre, mimetic vs. non-mimetic literary modes, fantasy theory and modern literature, and fantasy literature and film. Whatever approach is taken, any of the following historical- critical or critical-theoretical bibliography could form the substrate for discussion of specific works: Armitt, Lucie. Fantasy Fiction: An Introduction (2005) Attebery, Brian. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature (1980) Attebery, Brian. Strategies of Fantasy (1992) Baron, Neil. Fantasy Literature (1990) Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (1976) Donald, James. Fantasy and the Cinema (1994) Fredericks, Casey. The Future of Eternity: Mythologies of Science Fiction and Fantasy (1982) Hume, Kathryn. Fantasy and Mimesis (1985) Irwin, W.R. The Game of the Impossible: A Rhetoric of Fantasy (1976) Jackson, Rosemary. Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion. (1981) LeGuin, Ursula. The Language of the Night: Essays on Science Fiction and Fantasy (1979) Lobdell, Jared C. The Rise of Tolkienian Fantasy (2005) Mathews, Richard. Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination (2002) Mendlesohn, Farah, and Edward James. A Short History of Fantasy (2009) Mendlesohn, Farah. Rhetorics of Fantasy (2008) O’Keefe, Deborah. Readers in Wonderland: The Liberating Worlds of Fantasy Fiction (2003) Olsen, Lance. Ellipse of Uncertainty: An Introduction to Postmodern Fantasy (1987) Prickett, Stephen. Victorian Fantasy (2005) Rabkin, Eric S. The Fantastic in Literature (1976) Reginald, Robert. Xenograffiti: Essays on Fantastic Literature (2005). Richard, Thelma J.Y. Worlds within Women: Myth and Mythmaking in Fantastic Literature by Women (1986) Scholes, Robert. Structural Fabulation: An Essay on Fiction of the Future (1975) Stableford, Brian. Space, Time, and Infinity: Essays on Fantastic Literature (2006) Stratyner, Leslie, and James R. Keller. Fantasy Fiction into Film: Essays (2007) Sullivan, C.W. Welsh Celtic Myth in Modern Fantasy (1989) Swinfen, Ann. In Defense of Fantasy: A Study of the Genre in English and American Literature since 1945 (1984) Thomsen, Brian M. The American Fantasy Tradition (2002) Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A Structural approach to Literary Genre (1970) Worley, Alec, and Brian Sibley. Empires of the Imagination: A Critical Survey of Fantasy Cinema from Georges Melies to the Lord of the Rings (2005) SAMPLE SYLLABUS #1: Tolkien. This instantiation of ENGL 4876 focuses on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" not only as a representative example but also as a benchmark defining the fantasy genre and inviting scores of imitations in the late-20th & early-21st century. The primary "work" of the course is reading and discussion of the 1,086-page main narrative, which is divided into 6 books-the famous "trilogy" was intended originally to be published in one volume along with "The Silmarillion" but first appeared in the 3-volume edition by which it has become known popularly simply as "the trilogy." Preliminary discussion in the opening weeks is informed by reading and assessing Tolkien's theory of fantasy as outlined in his essay "On Fairy Stories" and in a poem entitled "Mythopoeia." Discussion in subsequent weeks will return to the themes articulated in these two shorter works to evaluate how well (or not) Tolkien's actual practice matches up with his theory. Week 1. Backgrounds. The relationship between literary fiction and "fantasy" as a genre. Students will be asked to consult scholarly works and extracts by fantasy theorists including Tzvetan Todorov, Kathryn Hume, and Eric Rabkin, Tolkien scholars Tom Shippey and Verlyn Flieger, and Tolkien's biographer Humphrey Carpenter for background insight into the genre and Tolkien's writing and scholarly career. Week 2. Tolkien's theory of fantasy outlined in "On Fairy Stories." Students will read Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories," examining his analysis of the relationship between folklore, fairy-tales, beast-fables, children's literature, world myths, and legends contributing to his sense of the essentials of the fantasy genre. Class discussion is broken down into the sub- topics outlined in the essay, concluding with his meta- reflection on "Escape," "Recovery," and "Consolation" afforded by the genre. Week 3. Tolkien's theory of fantasy outlined in his poem "Mythopoeia." Discussion of Tolkien's theory of "sub- creation" as outlined in "On Fairy Stories" with respect to his view of "man the myth-maker." Discussion of the poem is followed by reading and discussion of his short-story "Leaf by Niggle," Tolkien's most autobiographical work of fiction, as exemplifying the ideas found in the previous essay and poem. Week 4. "The Fellowship of the Ring" (film). The class will view the first movie in Peter Jackson's cinematic trilogy in preparation for reading and discussion of Books I and II of the novel. Week 5. The Lord of the Rings, Bk. I: Transition from "The Hobbit." Discussion of editorial difficulties as discussed by Tolkien himself in the "Letters" and the "Preface" to the LOTR, as uncovered by recent scholarship, and as discussed by Christopher Tolkien in "The History of Middle-earth." Week 6. The Lord of the Rings, Bk. II: transition to heroic epic. Discussion of the evolution of the novel from a serio- comic continuation of the appeal to juvenile tastes towards heroic themes familiar to Tolkien from Old English literature. Week 7. "The Two Towers" (film). The class will view the second movie in Peter Jackson's cinematic trilogy in preparation for reading Books III and IV of the novel. Week 8. The Lord of the Rings, Bk. III: Rohan and Anglo-Saxon culture. Continuing discussion of elements Anglo-Saxon heroic themes with emphasis on the Old English etymologies of many words and names in the section of the novel centering on the kingdom of Rohan and LOTR character-types originating in such Old English poems as "Beowulf" and "The Battle of Maldon." Week 9. The Lord of the Rings, Bk. IV: Sméagol/Gollum. The mixed nature of evil and the good; psychological and physical distortions of the "human" in the character of Gollum. Discussion of the Foundation myths and the genesis of the race and culture of the Hobbits drawn from "The Council of Elrond" chapter in Book I and in the Appendices. Subtopic: Hobbits as a branch of the (human) race of "Men"; the "anthropology" of Middle-earth. Week 10. "The Return of the King" (film). The class will view the 3rd and final movie in Peter Jackson's cinematic trilogy in preparation for reading and discussion of Books V and VI of the novel. Topic: Frodo's "failed" heroism. Week 11. The Lord of the Rings, Bk. V: Failed heroism and proto- romance in Rohan and Gondor. Elements of medieval Romance in Gondor and in the character of Éowyn of Rohan. Discussion of the relative paucity of female characters in Tolkien's works: discussion of some critics' charge that there are overtones of misogyny in the novel. Week 12. The Lord of the Rings, Bk. VI: Heroic failure and sacrifice; return to the "real world" of The Shire. Post-war reconstruction in England as background inspiration for the chapter "The Scouring of the Shire"; environmental themes implied in the ruination of Hobbiton and exemplified elsewhere in the novel. Week 13. Fantasy and realism: J.R.R. Tolkien as a reflection of the impact of war on the psychological and aesthetic development of a writer; discussion of T.A. Shippey's situating JRRT alongside other post-WWII "traumatized authors," including William Golding and Kurt Vonnegut. Week 14. The Appendices. Expansion of non-narrative material and supplemental narrative material sketching the background history leading up to the War of the Ring; subsequent history after the departure of key characters from Middle-earth; hints, references to, and adumbrations of "The Silmarillion." Invented and real languages. Bibliography of required or supplemental texts: Anderson, Douglas. Tales before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy (2003) Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography (1979) Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. (1981) Flieger, Verlyn. Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World. (2002) Flieger, Verlyn, and Douglas A. Anderson, eds. Tolkien on Fairy Stories: Expanded Edition, with Commentary and Notes. (2014) Shippey, T.A. The Road to Middle-earth. (1982) Shippey, T.A. J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. (1999) Tolkien, J.R.R. "Leaf by Niggle." (1989) Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. (1954-55) Tolkien, J.R.R. "Mythopoeia" (1989) Tolkien, J.R.R. "On Fairy Stories" (1980) Tolkien, J.R.R. Tree and Leaf. (contains "Leaf by Niggle," "On Fairy Stories," and "Mythopoeia") (2nd ed. 1989) *** SAMPLE SYLLABUS #2: Tolkien and Recent Fantasy Writers. This instance of the course contextualizes Tolkienian themes in the broader genre as developed by other fantasy writers, including Suzanne Collins, Ursula LeGuin, and Philip Pullman. A sketch of reading assignments follows: Week 1 History of Fantasy Rhetoric of fantasy Mirrlees, Lud-in-the-Mist Week 2 The world of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR, Prologue and Appendices) Tolkien, LOTR Book I Week 3 Tolkien, LOTR Book II Tolkien, LOTR Books III and IV Week 4 Tolkien, LOTR Books V and VI LeGuin: Science Fiction and Fantasy Week 5 LeGuin, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan LeGuin, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore Week 6 LeGuin, Tehanu LeGuin, Tehanu; Tales from Earthsea Take-home exam distributed Week 7 LeGuin, Tales from Earthsea LeGuin, The Other Wind Take-home exam/essay due Week 8 Leguin, The Other Wind Week 9 Philip Pullman Introduction Pullman, The Golden Compass 1 Pullman, The Golden Compass 2 Week 10 Pullman, The Subtle Knife 1 Pullman, The Subtle Knife 2 Week 11 Pullman, The Amber Spyglass 1 Pullman, The Amber Spyglass 2 Week 12 The Hunger Games 1 Golding, The Lord of the Flies Takami, Battle Royale Discussion: Fantasy and/vs. Science Fiction Week 13 Collins, The Hunger Games 2 Collins, Catching Fire Week 14 Film and fantasy Collins, Mockingjay Student presentations Week 15 Student presentations Take-home final exam distributed Final: Take home exam/essay due Supplemental list: read one, give a presentation to the class in weeks 14 and 15, and write an essay due during finals week. Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell John Crowley, John. Little, Big China Miéville, China. Perdido Street Station Neal Stephenson, Neal. The Diamond Age Texts: Mirrlees, Hope. Lud-in-the-Mist Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings; any 1-volume or 3-volume edition -----. The Fellowship of the Ring -----. The Two Towers -----. The Return of the King LeGuin, Ursula. A Wizard of Earthsea -----. The Tombs of Atuan -----. The Farthest Shore -----. Tehanu -----. Tales from Earthsea -----. The Other Wind Pullman, Phillip. His Dark Materials -----. The Golden Compass -----. The Subtle Knife -----. The Amber Spyglass Collins, Suzanne -----. The Hunger Games -----. Catching Fire -----. Mockingjay. Golding, William. The Lord of the Flies Takami, Koshun. Battle Royale *** OTHER SYLLABUS OPTIONS. Besides the writers already cited in the two syllabus options above, the following writers and their works could serve as the basis for courses on individual authors, on the history and development of the genre, or on particular themes exemplified throughout the genre. The list below is representative but not exhaustive: Macdonald, George. Phantasies (1858) -----. The Princess and the Goblin (1872) -----. The Wise Woman: A Parable (1875) -----. The Gifts of the Child Christ and Other Tales (1882) -----. The Day Boy and the Night Girl (1882) -----. The Princess and Curdie (1883) -----. Lilith (1895) Morris, William. A Tale of the House of the Wolfings (1889) -----. The Roots of the Mountains (1890) -----. The Story of the Glittering Plain (1891) -----. The Wood Beyond the World (1894) -----. Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair (1895) -----. The Well at the World's End (1896) Eddison, E.R. The Worm Ouroboros (1922) -----. Mistress of Mistresses (1935) -----. A Fish dinner in Memison (1941) -----. Zimiamvia: A Trilogy (1992) -----. The Mezentian Gate (1958) Peake, Mervyn. Titus Groan (1946) -----. Gormenghast (1950) -----. Titus Alone (1959) Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) -----. Prince Caspian (1951) -----. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) -----. The Silver Chair (1953) -----. The Horse and His Boy (1954) -----. The Magician's Nephew (1955) -----. The Last Battle (1956) Brooks, Terry. The Sword of Shannara (1977) -----. The Elfstones of Shannara (1982) -----. The Wishsong of Shannara (1985) -----. Running with the Demon (1997) -----. A Knight of the Word (1998) -----. Angel Fire East (1999) Paolini, Christopher. Eragon (2005) -----. Eldest (2007) -----. Brisingr (2010) -----. Inheritance (2012) Martin, George R.R. A Game of Thrones (1996) -----. A Clash of Kings (1998) -----. A Storm of Swords (2000) -----. A Feast for Crows (2005) -----. A Dance with Dragons (2011) Gaiman, Neil. Neverwhere (1996) -----. Stardust (1999) -----. American Gods (2001) -----. Coraline (2002) -----. Anansi Boys (2005) -----. InterWorld (2007) -----. The Silver Dream (2013) -----. The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013) Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) -----. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998) -----. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999) -----. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000) -----. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003) -----. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005) -----. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
Syllabus