Seminar für Englische Philologie
Universität Göttingen

HAUPTSEMINAR:
MITTELALTERLICHE SPRACHE, LITERATUR UND KULTUR IN DEN WERKEN J. R. R. TOLKIENS

WS 08/09
Th 10-12, Medienraum
Oliver M. Traxel


SCHEDULE

Here you find the suggested course schedule for this semester (some minor variation may occur). If not indicated otherwise you should start your research at the respective entries in M. D. C. Drout, ed., J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment (New York and Abingdon, 2007) [publication in the Präsenzbestand (LS I) of the SUB [IA 600 Tol:b = 2006 B 2472]. The texts are taken from S. Lee and E. Solopova, ed., The Keys of Middle-Earth: Discovering Medieval Literature through the Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien (Houndmills and New York, 2005) [publication in my semester apparatus in the SUB; please do not take out!].


Session Date Topic Starting Entries in Drout
       
1. 16.10. Homepage, Schedule, Distribution of Presentations.  
2. 23.10. Video, Discussion. everyone please read the Introduction in Lee and Solopova (2005).
3. 30.10. Philology.
Finnish. 		book by Shippey (2003), ch. 1.
Finland: Literary Sources; Finland: Reception of Tolkien; Finnish Language.
4. 6.11. Old Norse (Text 4.1).
Celtic. 		Mythology, Germanic; Old Norse Language; Old Norse Literature; Old Norse Translations; book by Burns (2005).
"English and Welsh"; Ireland; Mythology, Celtic; Welsh Language; book by Burns (2005).
5. 13.11. Races Ia: Dwarves.
Races Ib: Elves. 		Dwarves.
Elves; Elves: Kindreds and Migrations; book by Hall (2007).
6. 20.11. Races IIa: Dragons.
Races IIb: Monsters. 		Dragons.
Monsters.
7. 27.11. Old English Literature Ia: Beowulf (Texts 4.3, 4.8).
Old English Literature Ib: Other Heroic Poetry (Text 4.6, 4.11). 		"Beowulf: The Monster and the Critics"; Beowulf: Tolkien's Scholarship; see also Stud IP.
Battle of Maldon; Deor; Finn and Hengest; Heroes and Heroism.
8. 4.12. Old English Literature IIa: Religion.
Old English Literature IIb: Elegy (Texts 4.5, 4.10, 4.13). 		Bible; Catholicism, Roman; Christianity; Theology.
Seafarer; Wanderer.
9. 11.12. Old English Literature IIIa: Magic and Medicine.
Old English Literature IIIb: Riddles (Text 4.2) and Maxims (Text 4.9). 		Charms; Enchantment; Health and Medicine; Leechbook and Herbarium; Magic: Middle-Earth.
Riddles; Riddles: Sources; Solomon and Saturn.
10. 18.12. Middle English Literature a: The AB-Language and Sir Orfeo (Text 4.4).
Middle English Literature b: The Gawain Poet (Texts 4.7, 4.12). 		AB-Language; Ancrene Wisse; Katherine Group; Sir Orfeo, ed. C. Tolkien; Orfeo, Sir.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Pearl.
11. 8.1. Names.
Invented Languages. 		"Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings"; see also Stud IP; book by Lee and Solopova (2005), pp. 50-3; article by Tinkler (1969).
Languages Invented by Tolkien.
12. 15.1. Interpretations and Adaptations I: Peter Jackson's Film Trilogy. Jackson, Peter.
13. 22.1. Interpretations and Adaptations IIa: Games.
Interpretations and Adaptations IIb: Modern Fantasy. 		Gaming; see also Stud IP.
Literature, Twentieth Century: Influence of Tolkien.
14. 29.1. Discussion of Course Work  


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