Desert Power: Decolonization Of The Fremen Narrative In Dune: Part Two,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Desert Power: Decolonization Of The Fremen Narrative In Dune: Part Two, Tim Lenz
Mythcon
In Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 2 (2024), being the middle part of a planned film trilogy, the audience receives extensive exposure to the indigenous people of the planet Arrakis, the desert-dwelling Fremen. Compared to the source material, Frank Herbert’s science fiction masterwork Dune (1965), the portrayal of the Fremen people deviates significantly in the film adaptation. This paper will contrast depictions of Fremen belief, culture, and characters between the original novel and the 2024 film, and will argue that the recent adaptation portrays a partially-decolonized narrative of the Fremen people which affords them additional agency and nuance. The primary focus …
Middle West And The Pastoral Ideal In The American Artistic Landscape,
2024
University of Nebraska, Kearney
Middle West And The Pastoral Ideal In The American Artistic Landscape, Rebecca Umland
Mythcon
The complex and sometimes contradictory origin and use of the term Middle West—an evolving concept especially during the later American Expansionism period (primarily 1880 and after)—impacted the imagination of its writers. Their works view the Middle West as an idyllic place that occupies a central part of their personal and cultural pasts, and as a mediator between East (aged, urban and jaded) and West (wild, youthful, untamed). Middle West rests on yeomanry, an Old-World concept which Jefferson especially admired, embodying the virtues of maturity, wisdom, and kindness: “The pastoral ideal, a haven midway between the corruptions of urban civilization and …
Rivendell & Second Foundation Discussion Of The Works Of Eleanor Arnason,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Rivendell & Second Foundation Discussion Of The Works Of Eleanor Arnason, Eleanor Arnason, Eric M. Heidman, David Lenander
Mythcon
Eleanor Arnason, Eric M. Heideman, & David Lenander These two local discussion groups, one chartered by the Mythopoeic Society, come together to discuss with Eleanor Arnason her fiction, particularly her Minnesota set book, Daughter of the Bear King, and the Attebery praised classic novel, Ring of Swords.
The Year In Star Trek,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
The Year In Star Trek, Scott Lohman, Joan Marie Verba
Mythcon
The panelists will talk about this year’s developments and will be open to discussion and questions.
The 500th Mythprint,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
The 500th Mythprint, Megan Abrahamson, David Bratman, Janet Brennan Croft, Eleanor M. Farrell
Mythcon
After over 50 years of the Mythopoeic Society and through its many changes, Mythprint’s 500th—that’s right, five hundred—issue will be coming out at the end of this year (61:4 #411). The current editor Megan Abrahamson will chair a panel of former Mythprint editors talking about the newsletter’s past and future. If you’re interested in learning about Mythsoc history, being a contributor to (or future editor of!) Mythprint, or if you have suggestions for the future of Mythprint, join us for conversation and questions.
In Harmony With Nature: Beorn As An Ecological Ideal,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
In Harmony With Nature: Beorn As An Ecological Ideal, Kaelyn Harris
Mythcon
This paper will explore Beorn’s role in the ecological welfare of his corner of Middle-earth and his relationships with the rest of Middle-earth based on his unique identity. I posit that Beorn acts as a positive representative of the ideal relationship between man and nature, primarily due to his dual identity, which allows for him to experience the world as the other races are unable to do so, in connection with his bear form and bear nature. Beorn is uniquely placed at the middle of civilization and wilderness; he cultivates his own space, growing plants and looking after animals much …
The Sub-Creator And The Secondary World: Positioning The Hobbit In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Legendarium,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
The Sub-Creator And The Secondary World: Positioning The Hobbit In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Legendarium, William Thompson
Mythcon
Coming between his tales of the First Age and Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit occupies a curious middle position in his legendarium. The Hobbit is a children’s text, noteworthy for its lucky main character and its use of an often intrusive narrative voice, but the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and his thirteen companions allowed Tolkien to begin mapping his stories of the First Age onto a new narrative. Elrond, for example, the Master of the Last Homely House, and “one of those people whose fathers came into the strange stories before the beginning of History” …
Ursula Le Guin’S Universes,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Ursula Le Guin’S Universes, David Emerson, Brian Attebery, Eleanor Arnason, David Bratman
Mythcon
This panel will be discussing the relationships of the panelists to Le Guin’s work and to Le Guin herself. Is there an intersection between their work and hers? Did they meet her? If so, what it was like working with her? What is their best Le Guin story? What do they see as their most “Le Guinian” work and why. What are their favorite Le Guin works? What do they see as her most underrated work we should all go read?
Mythcon History Panel,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Mythcon History Panel, Megan Abrahamson, Eleanor Farrell, Lisa Harrigan, Gary Hunnewell, Sylvia Hunnewell
Mythcon
“Mythcon Memories.” At this panel, Mythopoeic Society veterans will share their stories about Mythcons past. Attendees can learn about some of our more bizarre traditions, and who started them. We will discuss how Mythcon has changed over time and where it might be headed in the future.
Fantasist Of Middle America: L Frank Baum And His Works,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Fantasist Of Middle America: L Frank Baum And His Works, L. Frank Baum
Mythcon
The panelists will talk about this centrally important midwestern Fantasy writer, who is named one of Diversicon’s “Posthumous guests of honor” this year. He would be remembered as greatly influential if he had only written The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but come and learn about more of his legacy.
From Page To Screen: Invented Language In George R.R. Martin’S And J.R.R. Tolkien’S Writings, And How They Are Used In Adaptations,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
From Page To Screen: Invented Language In George R.R. Martin’S And J.R.R. Tolkien’S Writings, And How They Are Used In Adaptations, Mareike Huber
Mythcon
In 2010, only a year before the adaptation of his fantasy novels would air, George R.R. Martin admitted that unlike J.R.R. Tolkien, whom he called a “linguist of rare talent” whose “astonishing feat of linguistic worldbuilding […] is never likely to be duplicated”, Martin himself only invents the words that he needs and does not “have a whole imaginary language” or languages “the way Tolkien did” (Martin 2010). In particular, when it comes to one of his ‘languages’, Dothraki, Martin said that he “did pepper the text with a few […] words” but generally relied on phrases like “[t]hey were …
The Second Golden Age Of Children’S Fantasy, 1950-1980,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
The Second Golden Age Of Children’S Fantasy, 1950-1980, Brian Attebery, H. M. Bouwman, David Lenander, Laura Krentz
Mythcon
The Rivendell Discussion with Brian Attebery this past January focused on chapter two of his Mythopoeic Scholarship Awarded book last year, Fantasy: How It Works, in which he discussed the parallels between Edward Eager’s fantasy story, Half Magic and Elizabeth Enright’s family story, The Saturdays. Attebery’s discussion raises all sorts of interesting questions about these literary forms and overlap, and we wandered into discussion of how too much of this great literature for children has already been forgotten, though it was formational for so many of our current Fantasy writers (along with that of the earlier First Golden Age). Books …
Fanning The Flames Of Fanfiction: Examining The Usage Of Fanfiction Tropes In Rainbow Rowell’S Carry On,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Fanning The Flames Of Fanfiction: Examining The Usage Of Fanfiction Tropes In Rainbow Rowell’S Carry On, Declan Roberts
Mythcon
It was not so long ago, in literary history terms, that fanfiction was left to the periphery of methods of fan interaction with their favourite properties. Fanfiction’s status ranged from something to be derided to a crime punishable by lawsuits. However, this is no longer the case, and readers of fanfiction now have a plethora of websites where they can search through works for any tropes that they may want. Nothing highlights this new liminal space between accepted and unaccepted forms of fiction than the publication of Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On. Rowell’s text is an expansion on the fanfiction …
Our Dear Charles Williams: Tolkien’S Feelings About The Oddest Inkling,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Our Dear Charles Williams: Tolkien’S Feelings About The Oddest Inkling, Sørina Higgins
Mythcon
At the zenith of the Inklings’s social and creative energy, Tolkien wrote a poem about “Our Dear Charles Williams.” It is a long poem—over three pages—full of praise, gentle teasing, and inside jokes. Many references may escape the casual reader or the Tolkien scholar who is less familiar with Williams’s works. Furthermore, the exact nature of the friendship between Tolkien and Williams has been frequently debated. In every friendship, loss is inevitable, whether through time, distance, conflict, or finally death. This is one such story. J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Williams were friends for about six years–from 1939 until Williams’s sudden …
Boromir’S Smile And Other Expressions Of Wartime Joy In Tolkien,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Boromir’S Smile And Other Expressions Of Wartime Joy In Tolkien, Chip Crane
Mythcon
Boromir’s last words to Aragorn are, “I have failed.” But his final gesture as he dies a few seconds later is a smile. Between the two moments, generating this final expression, are Aragorn’s words reassuring Boromir that he has gained a victory and that Minas Tirith shall stand. What emotions are we to infer from this smile? Tolkien’s choice of this ending for one of his most complex characters touches on a larger theme of joy in the midst of the horrors of war in The Lord of the Rings and the legendarium of the Silmarillion. In this paper I …
Fantasy In The Anthropocene,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Fantasy In The Anthropocene, Brian Attebery, Marek Oziewicz, Jack Zipes
Mythcon
“Fantasy in the Anthropocene” was inspired by the Fantasy Scholarship finalist from last year, edited by U of MN Prof. Marek Oziewicz, Prof. Brian Attebery and Prof. Teresa Dédinova, a unique collection of mini essays, stories, poetry and artwork. As its description puts it, “Fantasy and myth have long been humanity’s most advanced technologies for collective dreaming. Today they are helping us adopt a biocentric lens, re-kin us with other forms of life, and assist us in the transition to an ecological civilization.” With both Brian and Marek available for this discussion, joined by Prof. Jack Zipes, we want to …
Our Flag Means Romance…Middle English Romance, That Is,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Our Flag Means Romance…Middle English Romance, That Is, Megan Abrahamson
Mythcon
Our Flag Means Death, a pirate romantic comedy released on HBO Max, has been discussed in terms of its mythopoesis by Sara Brown at OMS #3 (“Our Flag…Means Queer: Monstering the Majority Culture”), and has been studied as referencing Shakespearean motifs by Melissa Rohrer (“Sometimes the old tropes are the best tropes: Shakespeare and Our Flag Means Death”). In this talk, I showcase the Middle English and mostly Arthurian Romance elements we find in OFMD, particularly its episodic quest format, focus on homosocial bonds, and engagement with courtly love. Other minor motifs—such as a hero’s humble beginnings and …
Charles Williams Poetry Workshop,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Charles Williams Poetry Workshop, Eric Rauscher
Mythcon
This will be a group “close” reading of a couple of Charles Williams’s Arthurian poems. I will bring copies of the poems to pass out, and as a group (participation is encouraged but not required) we will read them in detail, parsing out meanings and sharing insights. What may seem obvious to one may be a revelation to another. We will also just enjoy the beauty of the poems by reading them out loud, the way they are meant to be heard. For those of you who have never been introduced to these poems, here is your chance. For those …
Tolkien’S "The Homecoming Of Beorhtnoth": Manuscript Revisions And Faërian Dramas,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Tolkien’S "The Homecoming Of Beorhtnoth": Manuscript Revisions And Faërian Dramas, Anna Smol
Mythcon
Although Tolkien’s biographer Humphrey Carpenter downplayed Tolkien’s interest in drama, a closer look at “On Fairy-stories” and at the manuscript drafts of the historical drama, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth” suggests that this verse play should be more widely recognized as a drama with the potential for stage production. The recent edition by Peter Grybauskas, which includes one of the earlier drafts of the play and Tolkien’s own recording of the drama, gives readers some new insight into the play’s development and suitability for performance. A closer examination of further manuscript drafts, particularly a recently acquired version now in the Brotherton …
The Year In Astronomy,
2024
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
The Year In Astronomy, Michael Kauper
Mythcon
This is a slide presentation by Michael Kauper about the developments in Astronomy over the past year, and suggestions of what to watch for in the sky over the next few months, a tradition at Diversicon.
