School of English

Sophister 5 ECTS Module Description 2021-22

Full Name: J.R.R. Tolkien: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Short Name: J.R.R. Tolkien

Lecturer Name and Email Address: Alice Jorgensen [email protected]

ECTS Weighting: 5

Semester Taught: HT

Year: JS

Module Content:

J.R.R. Tolkien’s impact on literature in English has been profound. Although he certainly did not invent the fantasy genre, his major works, The Hobbit (1937) and, especially, The Lord of the Rings (1954-55), were pivotal to establishing its tropes and also revealing a large market for this type of literature. That market has tended to be divided from the market for literary fiction, and critical reception of Tolkien’s work has often been dismissive or actively hostile. In recent decades, however, with the questioning of literary canons and the hierarchies they underpin, a body of scholarship on Tolkien and his successors has emerged, even as the same cultural currents have prompted critiques of the structures of race and gender in Tolkien’s books.

This module will centre on Tolkien’s major works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. We will consider the background against which Tolkien wrote, including his expertise as a scholar of medieval languages and literatures. We’ll look at the development of his legendarium; we’ll also read the lecture ‘On Fairy Stories’ and the allegory ‘Leaf By Niggle’, which are important for his concept of ‘sub-creation’. We’ll discuss how he uses his invented world to address large moral questions, including the nature of evil and our relationship to the natural world, but we’ll also assess criticisms of his approach to gender and race. The module will conclude with discussion of Tolkien’s legacy.

Provisional schedule:

1. Introduction: Tolkien’s life and the literary background 2. The developing legendarium 3. The Hobbit I: medievalism 4. The Hobbit II: message 5. ‘On Fairy-Tales’ and ‘Leaf by Niggle’ 6. The Lord of the Rings I: archives and maps 7. Reading week 8. The Lord of the Rings II: cities and forests 9. The Lord of the Rings III: good and evil 10. Debates: gender and race 11. Tolkien’s legacy: the fantasy genre 12. Tolkien’s legacy: Tolkien on film

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Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to

- discuss the themes, structure, and techniques of Tolkien’s major works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings - set them in the context of his deep engagement with medieval language and literature - make use of the concept of ‘sub-creation’ - analyse selected minor works - assess Tolkien’s impact and legacy

Learning Aims:

The aim of this module is to pursue a broad, informed understanding of Tolkien’s two most important works taking account both of his own theorizations of what he was doing and his wider context.

Assessment Details:

• Number of Components: 1 • Name/Type of Component(s): Essay 3,000 words • Percentage Value of Component(s): 100%

Preliminary Reading List:

Students are strongly advised to make sure that they have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings before the module commences, as the latter in particular is very long.

Works by Tolkien (*core reading):

*The Hobbit (1937)

*The Lord of the Rings (1954-55)

*Tree and Leaf (1964) [contains ‘On Fairy-Stories’, originally delivered as the Andrew Lang Lecture in 1939, and ‘Leaf by Niggle’, written in 1938-9 and first published in The Dublin Review in 1945. More recent editions add ‘Mythopoeia’ and ‘The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth’]

Farmer Giles of Ham (1949)

The Silmarillion (1977)

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Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth (1980)

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: A Selection, ed. Humphrey Carpenter (1981)

The Book of Lost Tales (1984-85)

The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays, ed. Christopher Tolkien (2006) [contains ‘On Fairy-Stories’]

For a full list of Tolkien’s publications see https://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/books-by- tolkien/

Secondary Literature:

Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography (1992)

Helen Conrad O’Briain and Gerard Hynes (eds), J.R.R. Tolkien: The Forest and the City (2013)

Patrick Curry, Defending Middle Earth (1997)

Dmitra Fimi, Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits (2009)

Stuart E. Lee (ed), A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien (2014)

T.A. Shippey, The Road to Middle Earth, rev. edn (2005)

Please note:

• Curricular information is subject to change. • Information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current academic year only and is subject to change.

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