English Language and Literature Commons^™

Eating, Devouring, Sacrifice, And Ultimate Just Desserts, Marjorie Burns

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

Bilbo’s fear of being eaten is expanded in The Lord of the Rings to include the Dark Lord’s “devouring”. In both the nursery sense of being “eaten up” and in the more sophisticated sense of enslavement, Tolkien uses this theme to discuss selfhood and free will, and to separate those who serve from those who consume and possess.

The Moral Epiphanies In The Lord Of The Rings, Joe R. Christopher

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

The topic of this study is not entirely new - other critics have written about the visionary moments in The Lord of the Rings that show various types of insights - but the author is interested in a modem context for those which are most psychologically orientated, suggested by Ashton Nichols’ Poetics of Epiphany, and also in their use in the genre of the prose romance.

Tolkien As Reviser: A Case Study, Gloriana St. Clair

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

The publication of drafts of The Lord of the Rings allows scholars to assess Tolkien as a reviser. A comparison of the early presentations of Gondor in The History of “The Lord of the Rings”, with the finished scenes indicates the nature and direction of Tolkien’s changes. This paper will discuss how the process of revision contributed to the overall effect of the work.

Open Minds, Closed Minds In The Lord Of The Rings, Christina Scull

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

A study of prejudice and tolerance, from the insularity of the Hobbits of the Shire to the mistrust between the Elves and Dwarves and the very nationalistic outlook of Denethor. This paper will show how some characters grew and became more tolerant, and that Tolkien was sensible enough to realize that only small steps can be taken at a time. It will also consider the unwillingness of some to believe in anything not witnessed with their own senses, thus leading them to discard as legendary much of the wonder of Middle-earth.

The Growth Of Grammar In The Elven Tongues, Christopher Gilson, Patrick Wynne

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

While some features of Elven grammar go back to the earliest records, such as the “Qenya Lexicon”, others are unique to later works such as the “Secret Vice” poems and the Etymologies, and some do not emerge until after The Lord of the Rings. The Elven languages form an expanding canvas (like Niggle’s), and many of the individual poems and sentences can be examined in terms of how they elaborate or enhance the overall grammar of Elvish.

Tolkien And The Gawain-Poet, Tom Shippey

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

One of Tolkien’s major academic works was the edition he prepared, with E.V. Gordon, of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Yet this poem is only one of four in identical dialect (an important point to Tolkien) and in the same manuscript. This paper considers the philological issues these poems raise, and shows how the theories, eccentricities and linguistics of the Gawain-poet were read and used by Tolkien.

The Realm Of Faërie, Christine Barkley

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

Middle-earth is not the only glimpse we get of Tolkien’s view of Faërie. This paper examines his definition of Faërie and how it applies to Niggle’s Parish and to the forest in Smith of Wootton Major. Once we are aware of certain aspects of Faërie (for example the double vision possible), we can appreciate them in Middle-earth.

Point Of View In Tolkien, Christine Barkley

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

Many stories are told by more than one teller in Tolkien's works. This paper compares different versions to see what areas of interest or emphasis arise, and what differences might be explained by the specific interests or culture of the teller. The paper also evaluates which kinds of stories are told most often by which tellers.

Tolkien And Englishness, Chris Hopkins

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

This paper discusses ways in which Tolkien draws upon various ideas of Englishness in order to construct his epic fictional world. In particular, Tolkien's combinations of different periods and traditions of Englishness - Anglo-Saxon, nineteenth-century - are explored.

A Mythology? For England?, Anders Stenström

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

It is well known that J.R.R. Tolkien said that he wanted to make “a mythology for England”. Well known, but not true. This paper investigates how Tolkien really used the word mythology, and also looks at the relation with England.

Tolkien, Sayers, Sex And Gender, David Doughan

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

Tolkien’s expressed “loathing” for Dorothy Sayers and her novels Gaudy Night and Busman’s Honeymoon is remarkable considering that Sayers is generally considered to belong to the same milieu as the Inklings. Possible reasons for this are the contrast between the orthodox Catholic Tolkien’s view of male sexuality as inherently sinful, requiring “great mortification”, and Sayers’s frankly hedonistic approach. Another reason may be Sayers’s depiction of an independent Oxford women’s college getting by successfully without men, and her representation of marriage as a source of intellectual frustration for creative women.

"A Pattern Which Our Nature Cries Out For": The Medieval Tradition Of The Ordered Four In The Fiction Of J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen Yandell

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

This paper considers the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien and the other Inklings (specifically C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams) as being influenced by a set of shared ideas. First, Tolkien and the Inklings believed in a divine creator whose creation displays order. Every individual, they claimed, has been divinely called to be a “sub-creator” to create art so that this universal order might be reflected. And the Inklings’ writings testify to the importance of this order in their lives (as displayed by six Medieval analogies: God as composer, choreographer, author, painter, player and guide). Secondly, Tolkien and the Inklings were familiar …

Cetacean Consciousness In Katz's Whalesinger And L'Engle's A Ring Of Endless Light, J. R. Wytenbroek

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

Both Canadian fantasist Welwyn Wilton Katz and American fantasist Madeleine L’Engle have written novels in which humans, in communicating with whales or dolphins, have been exposed to wholeness, harmony, unity, and pattern in the universe at large as perceived by cetaceans. While writing quite independently, these works show a remarkable similarity in their perception of cetacean consciousness. An exploration of these similarities shows the united mystical vision that writers from different backgrounds and beliefs can attain.

Mythcon 27 - The Inklings And Nature: Magic In The Mountains, Wonder In The Woods, The Mythopoeic Society

Mythcon Programs

Welcome to the Twenty-Seventh Annual Conference of the Mythopoeic Society. Doris Myers' Plenary Presentation and Ted Nasmith's Special Exhibit will set the tone for our Conference.

The Language Of Myth, Verlyn Flieger

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

Guest of Honor address, Mythcon 25. Discusses the uses of language among contemporary fantasists, both invented and native, and reminds us of the mythic underpinnings of our own everyday language.

Breaking Free: The Closed Universe Theme In E.M. Forster, Owen Barfield, And C.S. Lewis, Doris Meyers

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

Reviews “the role of the Enlightenment in gaining acceptance for the model of the closed universe and how that model contrasts with the medieval [...] model.” Examines the use of the theme of the closed universe and breaking out of it in Forster, Barfield, and Lewis.

King Arthur In The Marketplace, King Arthur In The Myth, Cath Filmer-Davies

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

Recounts and criticizes various contemporary examples of the use of the Arthurian mythos for commercial or political purposes. Applauds the rehabilitation of the myths by Stephen Lawhead.

Time Travel, Rhona Beare

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

Relates various examples of time travel and time distortion in literature. Asks why no travel stories (excepting fantasies) were written before the 19th century if the desire for such stories is as “primordial” as Tolkien says.

Orson Scott Card: An Approach To Mythopoeic Fiction, Michael R. Collings

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

Guest of Honor speech, Mythcon 26. Discusses Card’s fiction in the context of his own essay, “Fantasy and the Believing Reader” (reprinted in full as an appendix).

In This Issue, Glen Goodknight

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

No abstract provided.

An Inklings Bibliography (56), Joe R. Christopher, Wayne G. Hammond

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

Entries 42–59 in this series are written by Hammond (Tolkien material) and Christopher (Lewis and other material). See Hammond, Wayne G., for one later entry in this series.

A Mythcon Farewell, Cary Hoagland, John Stolzenbach

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

Founders note: "This song was first sung at the 1994 Conference, and has been sung again at the 1995 and 1996 Conferences. It seems it is now part of the Society's colletion of songs sung at the closing session, along with "The Baby and the Bird" and "The Chorea Magna."

Reviews, Glen Goodknight, Paula Disante, Nancy-Lou Patterson

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

J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator. Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. Reviewed by Glen GoodKnight.

The 1996 J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar. Art by Ted Nasmith. Reviewed by Paula DiSante.

Charles Williams: A Celebration. Brian Home, editor. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson.

The Letters of Dorothy L. Sayers, 1899-1936: The Making of a Detective Novelist. Barbara Reynolds. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson.

Finding the Landlord: A Guidebook to C.S. Lewis' Pilgrim's Regess. Kathryn Lindskoog. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson.

The Night In Her Own Country: The Heroine’S Quest For Self In Ursula K. Le Guin’S The Tombs Of Atuan, Gail Sidonie Sobat

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

Examines The Tombs of Atuan and Tehanu in contrast to the “journey of the hero” as defined by Campbell and Pratt, and also Jungian concepts of the Self. Notes ways in which the journey of the heroine is different from that of the hero.

Breastplates Of Silk: Homeric Women In The Lord Of The Rings, Mac Fenwick

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

Notes parallels between women characters in Homer’s Odyssey and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, especially Circe, Calypso, and Galadriel. All assist the hero and give gifts which allow him to defeat female monsters such as the Sirens and Shelob.

Moon Marks, Sue Nevill

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Used Furniture, Bill Embly

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Live-In Help, Margaret L. Carter

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Letters Of Comment, Thomas M. Egan, Katharine Carey, Erin Lale

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Moving On, Tom Liberman

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.