Category Archives: Uncategorized

Texts: J. R. R. Tolkien, “Quenta Silmarillion 21-24” in The Silmarillion Discussion Leaders: Louis Renard, Jameson Thomas Discussion Questions: 1. To get us into the mood to discuss this week’s themes of death, doom and decline today’s ice breaker question … Continue reading →

Primary Texts: J. R. R. Tolkien, “Quenta Simarillion 17-20” in The Silmarillion Secondary Texts: Richard C. West, “Real-World Myth in a Secondary World: Mythological Aspects in the Story of Beren and Lúthien,” in Tolkien the Medievalist, edited by Jane Chance … Continue reading →

Texts: Tolkien, “Quenta Silmarillion 11-16,” in The Silmarillion Discussion Leaders: Louis Renard, Jameson Thomas Discussion Questions: So far in the Silmarillion we have been introduced to a large cast of interesting and unique characters. To start off our discussion for … Continue reading →

Texts: Tolkien, “Quenta Silmarillion 5-10,” in The Silmarillion Discussion Leaders: Kienan Burrage, Marcy Nelson Discussion Questions: Jewels/jewelry and gems with magical or sacred properties are quite commonplace in the fantasy genre and mythologies. Can the Silmarils be characterized as simply … Continue reading →

Primary Texts: Tolkien’s Ainulindalë, Valaquenta and the Quenta Silmarillion 1-4 in The Silmarillion; selections from the Bible (New Revised Standard Version), Milton’s Paradise Lost and Ovid’s Metamorphosis; selections from C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia (not included, see Jadis in … Continue reading →

Texts: Tolkien, “Farmer Giles of Ham,” in Tales from the Perilous Realm; also, check out this excellent audiobook version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAYE4rwcoo4/ Discussion Leaders: Valen Tam, Daphne de Grandpre Discussion Questions:  How does the story of Farmer Giles of Ham fit into Tolkien’s definition … Continue reading →

Texts for this week: Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories,” “Monsters and the Critics,” and “Forward to the Second Edition” of The Lord of the Rings; Verlyn Flieger’s “There Would Always be a Fairy-Tale: J. R. R. Tolkien and the Folklore Controversy” in Tolkien and … Continue reading →