The Book of Lost Tales Part 2 will be the focus of the next free-to-attend Mythgard Academy online class hosted by Corey Olsen of the Mythgard Institute.
It follows on from the class which looked at The Book of Lost Tales Part 1 back in May. The Book of Lost Tales was Tolkien’s earliest concerted attempt to create a cycle of epic tales set within a world that would later be referred to as “Middle-earth”. It was the beginning of the framework within which The Lord of the Rings and later versions of the ‘Silmarillion’ would be set.
From the Mythgard Academy page (where you’ll find links to register your attendance each week):
In The Book of Lost Tales Part 2, the Mythgard Academy returns to Tolkien’s earliest work. In the Book of Lost Tales Part 1, we discussed Tolkien’s mythology and the framework that he developed for his mythic Tales. In the second part of the Lost Tales, we will discuss Tolkien’s first attempt to develop and integrate his great tales, the stories that would serve as the cornerstones of Middle-earth for Tolkien’s entire creative career: the stories of Tinúviel, Turambar, Tuor, and Eärendel. Finally, we will look at the radical shift in Tolkien’s thought that began to take place around the time when he abandoned the Lost Tales, and we will discuss its implications for the future direction of Tolkien’s stories. As part of the Mythgard Academy series, the class is tuition-free and open to the public. The first 100 participants for each session are able to participate in the discussion live, and both video and audio recordings of the classes will be available on this web page, through the Mythgard podcast feed, and on our iTunes U course.
The Mythgard Institute also offers a range of online courses, often Tolkien-based or related, which can be taken purely for pleasure, to develop your understanding and knowledge of language and literature, and can even contribute towards a Master’s level degree.
