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Closing Session, Jim Carleton

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

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The Return To The Past In Williams & Eliade, Gracia Fay Ellwood

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Compares the use of displacement in time in the plots of Charles Williams’s Descent Into Hell and Mircea Eliade’s novella Nights at Serampore. Both stories involve protagonists interacting with violent events taking place in the past of their presentday location. Williams’s principle of exchange makes Pauline’s experience a joyful and numinous one; Eliade’s story ends more ambiguously, with the participants deriving no spiritual meaning from their experience other than a sense of the illusory nature of what is experienced through the senses. Ellwood goes on to examine real -world stories of similar retrocognitive events and finds recorded examples of …

The Heroic In Middle-Earth, Robert Foster

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Gives examples of several types of heroism: the survival-hero, whose heroism is a reaction to a hostile environment; the destiny-hero, who has been chosen to fulfill a task beyond his normal capabilities; the honor-hero, motivated by a desire for reputation and fame; and the ethic-hero, whose self-respect demands he act when circumstances arise that require it. Describes the moral framework of Middle-earth as one that constantly presents opportunities for heroic action, which in turn influences and supports later heroic actions through providing examples to emulate, clues to effective action, or heirloom objects that assist later heroes. In this framework, all …

Considering The Great Divorce (Parts Iii, Iv, & V), J. R. Christopher

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

THIS IS A TWO-PART ARTICLE. IN ORDER TO READ OR DOWNLOAD THE OTHER PART, FOLLOW THE LINK AT THE END OF THIS ABSTRACT.

Part III is a close textual comparison of the English and American editions and the newspaper serialization. Part IV examines the underlying structure, comparing the encounters in Divorce with the organization of The Divine Comedy and concluding that Lewis’s book is not as tightly and hierarchically organized, either artistically or theologically. This section also attempts to categorize Divorce using Northrop Frye’s classification scheme laid out in The Anatomy of Criticism, and concludes with a debate about …

Anti-Babels: Images Of The Divine Center In That Hideous Strength, Nancy-Lou Patterson

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Examines the role, sources, and symbolism of the two walled gardens in That Hideous Strength: Bracton Wood and the garden at St. Anne’s. Discusses the psychological, mythical, and religious symbolism of the walled garden across a variety of sources, from Babylonian epic through Freudian psychology, and lists the source material Lewis references in his descriptions of these gardens. Also covers other gardens in Lewis’s works, including the biscuit-tin garden described in his autobiography as his first glimpse of beauty and the garden where Digory plucks the silver apple in The Magician’s Nephew.

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Transcending The Images: Archaisms And Alternatives, Glen Goodknight

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Discusses the medieval theological concepts of affirmation of images (romantic, seeking truth reflected in imagery) and rejection of images (mystical, seeking direct access to truth), building on Mary Schildeler’s book on Williams, The Theology of Romantic Love, and liberally quoting from Jung and Lewis. Concludes that Lewis advocated a hybrid concept of transparent images; that ideally one should simultaneously contemplate both the image and the truth behind it, transcending dualism.

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Mythcon Report, Bernie Zuber

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

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The White Tree, Glen Goodknight

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Revision of conference introductory address. Sees many of the problems of the modern world stemming from a deep distrust of the unconscious mind, and with it a distrust of mystical experience and fantasy. Draws primarily on Jung and on Tolkien’s “On Fairy-stories” to make his point that fantasy is necessary to the integration of the conscious and unconscious minds.

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Sindarin And Quenya Phonology, Robert Foster

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Attempts to classify the distinguishing phonemes of Quenya and Sindarin and use them to develop a framework for determining where on the scale of historical change a vocabulary word might fall.

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The "Hnau" Creatures Of C.S. Lewis, Ellen Rothberg

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Discusses various species in the Space Trilogy considered to be “hnau,” or rational beings: the eldila, sorns, hrossa, and pfifltriggi. Compares this treatment of rationality and self-awareness with the Talking Beasts of Narnia in The Magician’s Nephew and The Last Battle. Concludes that Lewis’s purpose is to show Man’s interconnectedness with, and responsibility for, the rest of creation.

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Considering The Great Divorce (Parts I And Ii), J. R. Christopher

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

THIS IS A TWO-PART ARTICLE. IN ORDER TO READ OR DOWNLOAD THE OTHER PART, FOLLOW THE LINK AT THE END OF THIS ABSTRACT.

The author takes two approaches in this discussion of The Great Divorce: enumerating the medieval sources and analogues for Lewis’s story, particularly The Divine Comedy but also other dream-visions such as The Romance of the Rose; and seeking out modern parallels and inspirations, such as Forster’s “The Celestial Omnibus” but more importantly Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle” and Williams’s All Hallows’ Eve.

Part 2: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythpro/vol1/iss3/3

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The Language Of J.R.R. Tolkien In The Lord Of The Rings, Judy Winn Bell

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Analyzes Tolkien’s use of language: instances of word-magic and name-magic, style to denote character and nationality, syntax to emphasize mood and the social level of characters, and the contrast of archaism and simplicity in some of the most powerful moments. Also looks more closely at the individualized speech patterns of Gollum, Tom Bombadil, and Treebeard, as well as speech markers used for hobbits, Elves, and the Rohirrim.

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The Two-Headed Beast: Notes Toward The Definition Of Allegory, Nan Braude

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

The author provides a literary history of the concept of allegory going back to Homer, describing “allegorism” and “typology” as the two divisions of allegory, distinguishing allegory from symbolism and conceit, exploring modern attitudes toward allegory, and briefly examining the use of allegory and symbol in Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams.

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Beyond The Fields We Know, Lois Newman

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Discussion of the career and writings of Lord Dunsany, precursor of Tolkien and a great influence on H.P. Lovecraft in particular. Emphasizes Dunsany’s unique literary style, inventive and opulent, and focuses primarily on Tales of Three Hemispheres and The King of Elfland’s Daughter.

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The Impact Of Charles Williams' Death On C.S. Lewis, Rolan M. Kawano

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Recounts the beginnings of the friendship of Lewis and Williams and Williams’s later association with the Inklings until his death following complications from surgery in May 1945. Discusses the effect of his death on C.S. Lewis’s thoughts about mortality and reprints his poem “On the Death of Charles Williams.”

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A High And Lonely Destiny, Gracia Fay Ellwood

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Examines the recurring motif of people, both real and fictional, who believe they possess magical powers and a destiny that places them above normal human moral concerns and connections. Beginning with the biblical Simon Magus and continuing through the many tales of Merlin, Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, and Adolf Hitler, and ending with Tolkien’s Saruman, Ellwood traces this complex to inner hunger and self-deception, and notes how some characters, such as Gandalf, escape this destiny through their sense of connection with others.

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Surprising Joy: C.S. Lewis' Deep Space Trilogy, Ethel Wallis

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Examines Lewis’s definitions of Joy in The Pilgrim’s Regress and Surprised by Joy, then shows how Joy is depicted and used throughout the Space Trilogy.

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The Lure Of The Ring, Alexis Levitin

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Discusses letters from a group of typical Lord of the Rings fans about why they enjoy the book. Concludes thoughtful readers respond to the timeless struggle of good and evil and the deeper moral messages of the work.

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Archetypes Of The Mother In The Fantasies Of George Macdonald, Nancy-Lou Patterson

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

A study of the Wise Woman, Mother, or Grandmother figure throughout George MacDonald’s fantasy. Discusses how MacDonald is better understood through Jungian rather than Freudian analysis. Places imagery associated with these figures in their mythological, symbolic, and religious contexts, and examines both the beneficial and deadly aspects of the anima as shown in their actions.

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Three Good Mothers: Galadriel, Psyche, And Sybil Coningsby, Laura A. Ruskin

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Examines the imagery and functions of the Mother archetype in world mythology and the characters of Tolkien’s Galadriel, Lewis’s Psyche, and Williams’s Sybil.

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