English 90tk. Tolkien’s Library

Instructor: Daniel Donoghue
Tuesday, 12:45-2:45pm | Location: TBD
Enrollment: Limited to 15 students

J. R. R. Tolkien's day job at Oxford was professor of medieval English literature. Throughout his career he cultivated a deep acquaintance with early English and other literatures from the cultures of northwestern Europe, which informed the fantasy worlds he created. We will read broad selections from translations of works that he drew from: Old English poems, Norse sagas, Celtic literature, and the Finnish Kalevala. Although Tolkien’s fiction will not be an integral part of the syllabus, we will make occasional connections to passages from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and/or Silmarillion. The readings of medieval literature will be supplemented by relevant criticism.

This course satisfies the “Pre-1700 Guided Elective" requirement for English concentrators and Secondary Field students.