Modern Fantasy Literature in Its Historical Context 3301-LB2051
The course concerns the most significant aspects relating to the position of modern fantasy literature in the literary heritage of European culture. The course is designed as a continuation and extension of many issues discussed in the course Introduction to Modern Fantasy Literature, and, consequently, it enlarges upon various aspects signaled in that course.
In particular the course focuses on:
- the place and role of myth in modern fantasy literature and its relation to the cultural specificity of the traditional societies in which the mythical mode of cultural expression constituted a living tradition,
- the appearance in high fantasy of literary conventions of the heroic epic and courtly romance (in particular: interlacement, oral-derived poetic decorum, formulaic diction),
- interactions of various subgenres of modern fantasy with other contemporary genres and conventions (satire, social comedy, science fiction, documentary realism, alternative history novel, postmodernist novel),
- reception of fantasy fiction in the context of contemporary trends in criticism (ecocriticism, cultural anthropology),
The underlying idea for the course is to familiarize students with longer, more complex and sophisticated works which frequently exist in a larger context, by consistent and in-depth close reading analysis.
Additionally, a vital aspect of the course is the discussion of film adaptations of the literary works discussed.
Reading list:
Introductory critical reading:
1. Brian Attebery: from Stories about Stories: Fantasy and the Remaking of Myth, chapter 2
2. Thomas Honegger - (Heroic) Fantasy and the Middle Ages
3. Susan Jeffers – from Arda Inhabited: Introduction
4. Verlyn Flieger – The Forests and the Trees
Reading list:
1. Terry Pratchett - Going Postal + film adaptation;
2. Jack Mitchell - The Odyssey of Star Wars
3. J. R. R. Tolkien: from the Legendarium: The Children of Hurin (prose and alliterative version)
4. George R. R. Martin – A Song of Ice and Fire: The Game of Thrones, The Clash of Kings + film adaptation
5. Susanna Clarke – Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell + film adaptation
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Students will be able to:
-K_W01, Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place and status of the genre of fantasy within literary studies
K_W02, Describe on an advanced level the current trends in literary studies research in the context of fantasy literature
K_W04, Characterize on an advanced level the principles of research design in literary studies with special focus on the application of methods and tools in formulating research problems
K_W05, Identify the notions and principles pertinent to intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
Students will be able to:
- K_U01- Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to literary studies
K_U02 - Apply advanced research methodology within literary studies, respecting ethical norms and copyright law
K_U03 - Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research task related to the discipline of literary studies
K_U04 - Analyze literary and cultural phenomena and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level
K_U05 - Discern alternative methodological paradigms within literary studies
K_U06, Find information in various sources and critically assess its usefulness for research related to the topic of the MA project
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K02 - Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development
K_K03 - Take responsibility for performing one’s professional duties, with due respect for the work of others, obey and develop the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to the disciplines included on the curriculum of English studies
K_K04 - Assess critically one’s own knowledge and skills related to the studies
K_K06 - Value cultural heritage and cultural diversity as well as individual opinions
Education at language level B2+.
Assessment criteria
Work on individual projects, preparation for the classes, participation in discussions, presentation.
Bibliography
ALEXANDER, Lloyd Chudley. "High Fantasy and Heroic Romance." The Horn Book Magazine.
ATTEBERY, Brian. Strategies of Fantasy. Bloomington/Indianapolis. 1992.
BASNEY, L.: “Myth, Time and History in The Lord of the Rings.” Understanding The Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism. Eds. Rose A. ZIMBARDO/Neil D. ISAACS. Boston-New York: 2004, 183-194.
BROWN, Devin. The Christian World of The Hobbit. Nashville, 2012.
CAMPBELL, Liam. The Ecological Augury in the Work of J. R. R. Tolkien. Zurich and Jena, 2011.
CARROLL, Shiloh. Medievalism in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. Cambridge, 2018.
CHANCE, Jane. The Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power, Lexington, Kentucky, 2001.
CHANCE, J. Tolkien and the Invention of Myth: A Reader, red. Jane Chance, Lexington, Kentucky, 2004.
CHANCE, Jane. The Lord of the Rings: The Mythology of Power. Lexington, 2001.
CHANCE, Jane. Tolkien’s Art: A Mythology for England, Lexington, 2001.
CHANCE, Jane. “The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien’s Epic.” Understanding The Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism. Eds. Rose A. Neil/D. ISAACS. Boston-New York, 2004. 195-232.
CHANCE, Jane (ed.). Tolkien the Medievalist. London/New York, 2003.
CLARK, George/TIMMONS, Daniel (eds). J. R. R. Tolkien and his Literary Resonances” Views of Middle-earth. Westport, Connecticut/ London, 2000.
CONRAD-O’BRIAN/Helen/HYNES, Gerard (eds.). Tolkien: The Forest and the City. Dublin, 2013.
CURRY, Patrick. Defending Middle-earth: Tolkien, Myth and Modernity. London, 1998.
DICKERSON, Mathew. Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings. Grand Rapids, 2003.
DICKERSON, Mathew/ EVANS, Jonathan. Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental vision of J. R. R. Tolkien. Lexington, 2006.
FIMI, Dimitra/HONEGGER, Thomas (eds.) Subcreating Arda: World-building in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Work, its Precursors, and its Legacies. Zurich and Jena, 2019.
FLIEGER, Verlyn. A Question of Time: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Road to Faёrie. Kent and London, 1997.
FLIEGER, Verlyn. Interrupted Music” The Making of Tolkien's Mythology, Kent and London, 2005.
FLIEGER, Verlyn. There Will Always Be A Fairy Tale: More Essays on Tolkien. Kent, Ohio, 2017.
HAET, Trevor/KHOVACS, Ivan (eds.). Tree of Tales: Tolkien, Literature and Theology. Waco, 2007.
HONEGGER, Thomas. “(Heroic) Fantasy and the Middle Ages – Strange Bedfellows or an Ideal Cast? “, Itinéraires, 2010-3 | 2010.
Edward JAMES/Farah MENDELSOHN (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature. Cambridge, 2012
JAMISON, Carol Parrish. Chivalry in Westeros: The Knightly Code of A Song of Ice and Fire. Jefferson, North Carolina, 2018.
JEFFERS, Susan. Arda Inhabited: Environmental Relationships in The Lord of the Rings. Kent, Ohio, 2014.
KREEFT, Peter J.. The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings. San Francisco, 2005.
Larrington, Carolyne. All Men Must Die. London, 2021.
LARRINGTON, C., Winter is Coming: The Medieval World of Game of Thrones, London, New York, 2016.
LEE, Stuart D./SOLOPOVA, Elizabeth. The Keys to Middle-earth: Discovering Medieval Literature Through the Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien. Houndsmills and New York, 2005.
LOWDER, James (ed.). Behind the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Dallas, 2015.
MENDLESOHN, Farah: The Rhetorics of Fantasy. Middletown, Connecticut, 2008.
MENDLESOHN, Farah/JAMES, Edward (eds.). A Short History of Fantasy. Faringdon, 2012.
MERKELBACH, Rebecca. “Deeper and Deeper into the Woods: Forests as places of Transformation in The Lord of the Rings”. J. R. R. Tolkien: The Forest and the City. Eds. Helen CONRAD-O'BRIAIN/Gerard HYNES. Portland, 2013.
PETTY, Anne C. One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien’s Mythology. Alabama, 1979.
RORABECK, Robert. Tolkien's Heroic Quest. Maidstone,2008.
SENIOR, W.A. “Quest Fantasies.” The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature. Eds. Edward JAMES/ Farah MENDELSOHN. Cambridge, 2012, 190-199.
SIMONSON, Martin. The Lord of the Rings and the Western Narrative Tradition. Zürich and Jena, 2008.
SWINFEN, Ann. In Defence of Fantasy: A Study of the Genre in English and American Literature since 1945. London, 1984.
WOLFE, Gary K. Critical Terms for Science Fiction and Fantasy: A Glossary and Guide to Scholarship. New York/Westport/London, 1986.
WOLF, M. J. P. Building Imaginary Worlds: The Theory and History of Subcreation, New York and London, 2012.
WOOD, Ralph C. The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-earth. Louisville/London, 2003.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: