The Mythgard Institute have announced four new online courses for Spring 2016. In addition to classes on Latin and modern fantasy, two will focus on Tolkien specifically.
The Inklings and Science Fiction
Taught by Douglas A. Anderson, author of The Annotated Hobbit and co-founder of Tolkien Studies.
Two members of the writer’s group the Inklings, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, achieved world renown with their writings, and both had an abiding interest in the developing field of science fiction, in addition to their taste for fantasy. Lewis published more of what could be called science fiction than any other member, including his famous Space Trilogy, while Tolkien’s efforts were mostly published posthumously. In the 1950s and 1960s both Lewis and Tolkien interacted with other now well-known writers of science fiction like Arthur C. Clarke, John Christopher, Brian Aldiss, and others. This course covers the Inklings creative and personal encounters with science fiction.
Language Invention through Tolkien: Exploring a Shared “Secret Vice”
Taught by Andrew Higgins, with guest lectures from Dimitra Fimi and Carl Hostetter. Higgins recently completed his PhD on “The Genesis of Tolkien’s Mythology” and is now working with Fimi on a new expanded edition of Tolkien’s talk on language invention “A Secret Vice”.
Have you ever wondered exactly where the phrase that Frodo uses to greet Gildor Inglorion in The Fellowship of the Ringactually comes from? Have Appendices E and F of The Lord of the Rings alluded you? Have you ever wanted to write in ‘Elvish’? – Well eglerio! This course is for you! This course will explore language invention through the works of the greatest and most prolific inventor of language for fictional works and world building – J.R.R. Tolkien. In his lifelong work on his legendarium, Tolkien put language invention at the core of his mythology. Tolkien narrative and para-textual work is infused with his invented names for people, places and items, as well as the use of these invented languages in dialogue, prose and poetry. The interdependence of invented languages and mythological narrative permeates the entire legendarium Tolkien would work on for over sixty years and is a crucial and consistent element of his world-building.
Register for classes now on the Mythgard Institute website.
