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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
The 'Wyrdwrīteras' Of Elvish History: Northern Courage, Historical Bias, And Literary Artifact As Illustrative Narrative, Richard Z. Gallant
The 'Wyrdwrīteras' Of Elvish History: Northern Courage, Historical Bias, And Literary Artifact As Illustrative Narrative, Richard Z. Gallant
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Tolkien’s legendarium writings display a subtle command of the perspectives and aims of different storytellers, as this examination of the many “chroniclers of Elvish history” and their various motivations demonstrates. At the meta-level, the paper discusses Tolkien’s own historiographical aims in using these different voices to advance sometimes opposing views of military motive and courage.
"It Had Been His Virtue, And Therefore Also The Cause Of His Fall": Seduction As A Mythopoeic Accounting For Evil In Tolkien's Work, Maria Alberto
"It Had Been His Virtue, And Therefore Also The Cause Of His Fall": Seduction As A Mythopoeic Accounting For Evil In Tolkien's Work, Maria Alberto
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Seduction is often connected to eros, but Tolkien generally uses the term in a broader fashion. A theoretical underpinning based on medieval sources, Baudrillard, and Catholic thought provides a basis for understanding how characters may be led astray from their proper paths, and how Tolkien’s critique of the domination of other wills is demonstrated in these cases.
J.R.R. Tolkien, Sub-Creation, And Theories Of Authorship, Benjamin Saxton
J.R.R. Tolkien, Sub-Creation, And Theories Of Authorship, Benjamin Saxton
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Tolkien is unfortunately underrated as a theorist in literary studies—in fact, alas, generally invisible to the mainstream. This essay draws attention to his ideas about sub-creation and allegorical “dominion” of the reader, contrasting Tolkien’s stated and implied theories with those of Roland Barthes, and elucidating Tolkien’s concern with “the delicate balance between authors, authority, and interpretive freedom.” Saxton draws on “Leaf by Niggle,” The Silmarillion, and The Lord of the Rings for examples of Tolkien’s theories in action.
Corrupting Beauty: Rape Narrative In The Silmarillion, Lynn Whitaker
Corrupting Beauty: Rape Narrative In The Silmarillion, Lynn Whitaker
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Describes the themes and traditions Tolkien was drawing on as a storyteller in the tales of Aredhel and Lúthien, but more importantly, examines the theological implications suggested by his depictions of the women in these stories and how these “rape narratives” serve to underscore the sacredness of the created world in Tolkien’s legendarium.
Reconstructing Arda: Of Fëanor And The Unchaining Of Melkor, Douglas C. Kane
Reconstructing Arda: Of Fëanor And The Unchaining Of Melkor, Douglas C. Kane
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Discusses Tolkien’s Silmarillion and how it was constructed from the materials later published in the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth, in particular the version of “Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor” in the published Silmarillion compared with the source material given in Morgoth’s Ring. The author finds intriguing patterns in what Christopher Tolkien used and did not use from the original material.
“Deep Lies The Sea-Longing": Inklings Of Home, Charles A. Huttar
“Deep Lies The Sea-Longing": Inklings Of Home, Charles A. Huttar
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Scholar Guest of Honor speech from Mythcon 35. Insightful study of the pattern of references to sea-voyages and the earthly paradise in Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams traces the influence of Arthurian, Celtic, and Greek legends in their writing.
Applicability And Truth In The Hobbit, The Lord Of The Rings, And The Silmarillion: Readers, Fantasy, And Canonicity, Sara Upstone
Applicability And Truth In The Hobbit, The Lord Of The Rings, And The Silmarillion: Readers, Fantasy, And Canonicity, Sara Upstone
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Questions the exclusion of Tolkien’s works from “the canon,” examining various reasons why critics may exclude them and what critical theory might be more suitable for studying them.
Making And Unmaking In Middle-Earth And Elsewhere, Edith L. Crowe
Making And Unmaking In Middle-Earth And Elsewhere, Edith L. Crowe
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Study of the concepts of making (creation) and unmaking (destruction), the opposing forces of Order and Chaos, in worlds created by Tolkien and Orson Scott Card.
Nature And Technology: Angelic And Sacrificial Strategies In Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, Gwyneth Hood
Nature And Technology: Angelic And Sacrificial Strategies In Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, Gwyneth Hood
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Responds to critics who call Tolkien anti-science and anti-technology by showing that creatures of Middle-earth manipulate their environments, but in less obvious ways. Contrasts the “angelic” methods of elves with the “sacrificial” strategy of mortals.
Fire And Ice: The Traditional Heroine In The Silmarillion, Sarah Beach
Fire And Ice: The Traditional Heroine In The Silmarillion, Sarah Beach
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Defines the Light and Dark heroine, each of which may have a positive or negative aspect. Sees Finduilas and Nienor Níniel as negative, non-active, acted upon; Lúthien and Idril participate “in the course of their heroes’ actions.”
Essë And Narn: Name, Identity, And Narrative In The Tale Of Túrin Turambar, Elizabeth Broadwell
Essë And Narn: Name, Identity, And Narrative In The Tale Of Túrin Turambar, Elizabeth Broadwell
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Examines the importance and significance of character names in Tolkien’s First Age narratives, especially those of Túrin Turambar. Names are “capsule narratives” of character and background. Names also demonstrate social connections, and have a magical component.
The Silmarillion As Aristotelian Epic-Tragedy, David Greenman
The Silmarillion As Aristotelian Epic-Tragedy, David Greenman
Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature
Illustrates how the First Age narratives in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales implement key ideas from Aristotle’s Poetics. Identifies the history of the first age as Aristotelian epic-tragedy.