Course Description

Vastly popular, immensely learned, and profoundly spiritual, J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy The Lord of Rings has spawned a 1970s cult following as well as a 21st-century blockbuster film trilogy. Nevertheless, Tolkien’s books have remained literary classics as well as foundational texts in the genre of modern fantasy. In recent years, national and international surveys even identified Tolkien as the most popular or influential writer of the 20th century. Yet, while millions have enjoyed and treasured The Lord of Rings and its precursor The Hobbit, few readers seriously study the art, myths, historical and literary sources that form the background for Tolkien’s Middle-earth fiction. In this course, we will survey not only Tolkien’s own works of art and literature, but also the mythic constructs that underlie his epic vision. While hard-working newbies to Tolkien are very welcome in this class, newcomers should be advised that this course expects at least a strong, basic knowledge of Tolkien’s primary literary works. All students are strongly advised to read Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of Rings in their entirety (read the books, don’t just watch the films!) before the first day of class.

Texts

Beowulf

Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit 

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien, A Tolkien Reader

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion

J.R.R. Tolkien, trans. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo

Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda. Trans. Jesse Byock

Requirements

1 multimedia research project, weekly online discussion (2 postings each week); 1 analytic paper; 1 creative research project; 1 final portfolio (10-15 new pages); attendance and active class participation.

About the Instructor(s): Leslie Donovan

Leslie Donovan earned her B.A. in Creative Writing and completed the Honors Program at UNM. She went on to earn her M.A. in English literature, also from UNM, and then her Ph.D. in Medieval English Literature from the University of Washington. Her publications include studies of J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf, Anglo-Saxon women saints, and Honors teaching. She has earned multiple awards for outstanding teaching, including UNM’s Presidential Teaching Fellow award.