English Language and Literature Commons^™

Disparaging Narnia: Reconsidering Tolkien's View Of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, Josh B. Long

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Addresses the perennial question of J.R.R. Tolkien’s dislike for C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, carefully analyzing numerous first- and second-hand accounts from biographies, interviews, and letters. A previously unpublished letter from Tolkien to Eileen Elgar adds a new and more nuanced element to our understanding of this issue.

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.

Letters: A Narnian Clarification, Michael Ward

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Responds to a critique that his Planet Narnia thesis does not take into account Lewis’s letter to Laurence Kreig; explains his “incremental plan” hypothesis.

Reviews, Emily E. Auger, Carl Badgley, Nicholas Birns, Joe R. Christopher, Janet Brennan Croft, Troels Forchhammer, Scott Mclaren, Holly Ordway, Harley Sims

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

C.S. Lewis, Poetry, and the Great War 1914-1918. John Bremer. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher.

Collected Poems. Hope Mirrlees. Ed. and intro. Sandeep Parmar. Reviewed by Nicholas Birns.

Fantasy, Art and Life: Essays on George MacDonald, Robert Louis Stevenson and Other Fantasy Writers. William Gray. Reviewed by Scott McLaren.

C. S. Lewis and the Middle Ages. Robert Boenig. Reviewed by Holly Ordway.

Sherlock Holmes for the 21st Century: Essays on New Adaptations. Edited by Lynnette Porter. Reviewed by Janet Brennan Croft.

Dancing the Tao: Le Guin and Moral Development. Sandra J. Lindow. Reviewed by Carl Badgley.

Hobbit Place-names: A Linguistic …

"But Grace Is Not Infinite": Tolkien's Explorations Of Nature And Grace In His Catholic Context, Phillip Irving Mitchell

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Adds to our understanding of Tolkien’s created theology and the place of Faerie in his sub-creation by examining contemporary real world theological debates which might have influenced his thinking, including discussions of the supernatural like Pius XII’s 1950 encyclical Humani Generis.

Godly Heretics: Essays On Alternative Christianity In Literature And Popular Culture, Marc Dipaolo

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

"When computers freeze, they are "rebooted" and soon working properly again. Similarly, legendary thinkers throughout history have argued that Christianity should start fresh by recapturing the humanitarian spirit of Jesus' original message. These include such disparate individuals as Thomas Jefferson, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Walt Whitman, Friedrich Nietzsche, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, and the religious leaders of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Surprisingly enough, even classic television shows and films meant to be entertaining--Lost, Battlestar Galactica, It's a Wonderful Life, Groundhog Day, Decalogue, and A Charlie Brown Christmas--are attempts to apply the basic principles of Christianity to modern times. …

The Steward, The King, And The Queen: Fealty And Love In Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings And In Sir Orfeo, Sue Bridgwater

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Finds connections between The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s long professional engagement with the medieval romance Sir Orfeo. Orfeo’s plot elements of a king’s separation from his queen and his testing of his steward are echoed (albeit in a somewhat fragmented way) and re–examined in the relationships of Aragorn, Arwen, and the house of the Stewards of Gondor.

Reciprocal Colonization In The Irish Fairy Tales Of Lord Dunsany, Erin L. Sheley

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Sheley’s interest is in how Dunsany’s inside–out Orientalist tales demonstrate or challenge theories of colonialism, anti–colonialism, and post–colonialism, delving into Dunsany’s history with W.B. Yeats and comparing his tales to Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.

Editorial, Janet Brennan Croft

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

The Inklings Remembered: A Conversation With Colin Havard, Justin T. Noetzel, Matthew R. Bardowell

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

In late 2011, the authors met with Colin Havard, son of Inkling Dr. Robert E. “Humphrey” Havard and recorded his reminiscences about his father, his Catholic faith, his friendships with J.R.R. Tolkien and the Lewis brothers in particular, and the Inklings and practicing medicine in Oxford in general. As the lone Inkling from a scientific background, he brought a unique perspective to the group’s discussions.

Charles Williams's Anti-Modernist Descent Into Hell, Lydia R. Browning

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Focuses on the theme of community versus isolation. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance” is used as a key to understanding Lawrence Wentworth’s increasing withdrawal from reality and “the city” of his fellow human beings, in contrast with the workings of coinherence personified in the interactions of other characters.

The Wondrous Orientalism Of Lord Dunsany: Traditional And Non-Traditional Orientalist Narratives In The Book Of Wonder And Tales Of Wonder, Alyssa House-Thomas

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

In this study of Lord Dunsany’s “Oriental” fairy tales, House-Thomas divides Dunsany’s technique and aims into “traditional” Oriental tales, of the sort Edward Said describes in his theories of Western Orientalist art and literature, and non-traditional, post-modern tales in which Orientalism is turned upside-down and the West is turned into the Other. This paper won the Alexei Kondratiev Student Paper Award at the 2012 Mythcon in Berkeley.

Changing The Story: Transformations Of Myth In Yeat's Poem "Cuchulain's Fight With The Sea", Roxanne Bodsworth

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Examines not just how but why Yeats deviated from the original tales he mined for this material, shifting the focus and using the archetypal characters to demonstrate new themes and reinterpret traditional values.

Grief Poignant As Joy: Dyscatastrophe And Eucatastrophe In A Song Of Ice And Fire, Susan Johnston

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Argues that though the series is incomplete at present, J.R.R. Tolkien’s concept of eucatastrophe and its dark twin, dyscatastrophe, can illuminate what Martin may be trying to accomplish in this bleak and bloody series and provide the reader with a way to understand its value and potential.

Reviews, Emily E. Auger, Nicholas Birns, Sara Brown, Joe R. Christopher, Janet Brennan Croft, Holly Ordway, Harley Sims, Lizzy Walker, Kayla Mckinney Wiggins, Donald T. Williams, Joseph Young

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Peter Pan's Shadows in the Literary Imagination. Kirsten Stirling. Reviewed by Kayla McKinney Wiggins.

C.S. Lewis and the Church: Essays in Honour of Walter Hooper. Ed. Judith Wolfe and B.N. Wolfe. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher.

Deadly Powers: Animal Predators and the Mythic Imagination. Paul A. Trout. Reviewed by Lizzy Walker.

The Mythological Dimensions of Neil Gaiman. Anthony S. Burdge, Jessica Burke, and Kristine Larsen, eds. Reviewed by Nicholas Birns.

Animals and Humans: Recurrent Symbiosis in Archaeology and Old Norse Religion. Kristina Jennbert. Reviewed by Emily E. Auger.

Tolkien in Translation. Edited by Thomas Honegger. Reviewed by Harley J. Sims. …

Yggdrasil And The Stave Church, G. Ronald Murphy

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

In this excerpt from his book, Tree of Salvation, Murphy explores how those who introduced Christianity to Scandinavia deliberately adapted and “translated” Norse religious motifs and practices in two parallel ways—through literary works, especially as seen in the Heliand, but also through church art and architecture. In this illustrated essay, we can see how beliefs about Yggdrasil and Ragnarok are incorporated and transformed in the design and ornamentation of the unusual stave churches of Norway. Scholar GOH speech, Mythcon 2012.

Mythcon 43 - Across The Continents: Myths And Legends From Europe And Asia Meet And Mingle, The Mythopoeic Society

Mythcon Programs

Elements from non-Western/nonsEuropean fantasy traditions have a growing presence in modern fantasy literature, either intact or blended with Western themes and images. Mythcon 43 will explore the roots of this cross-pollination, and how it continues to unfold and enrich mythopoeic literature.

Editorial, Gwenyth E. Hood

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

The King Of The Forest, Dag Rossman

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

The March Of The Trolls, Dag Rossman

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Sister Coulsey's Furnace, C. R. Wiley

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Costumes, Ryder W. Miller

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Francis And The Mouse King, John Mabry

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Shadowing, David Sparenberg

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Radiance, Robert Franz

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

It Came To Me In A Dream, A Humanitarian One, L. C. Atencio

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

The Golem Of Bidosz, Mark Mellon

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

The Big Bad Wolf Versus Hogzilla, Raymond G. Falgui

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Mythic Circle #34, Gwenyth E. Hood

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

The Eye Of The Sky / One Is Still Left, L. C. Atencio, David Sparenberg

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.