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Fantasy Literature has emerged as one of the most important genres over the past few decades and now enjoys extraordinary levels of popularity. The impact of Tolkien’s Middle-earth works and the serialisation of George Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones’ books has moved these and their contemporaries into mainstream culture. As the popularity grows so does interest in the roots of fantasy, the main writers and themes, and how to approach these texts.
Oxford is a natural home to fantasy literature with those who worked or studied here having written so many famous and influential texts (e.g. Lewis Carroll (C. L. Dodgson), C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Susan Cooper, Diana Wynne Jones, Alan Garner, and Philip Pullman to name but a few) – leading to the notion of an ‘Oxford School of Fantasy’. These lectures, short talks, and interviews seek to take listeners into these works and these writers and beyond.
All material released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ .
[Artwork by Minjie Su.]
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| # | Episode Title | Description | People | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Philologist | A talk by Professor Simon Horobin on Tolkien's long-standing career and interest in philology as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. | Simon Horobin | 11 Dec 2023 | |
| 46 | Tolkien and Beowulf | A talk by Dr Laura Varnam on Tolkien's long engagement with the Old English poem 'Beowulf' as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. | Laura Varnam | 11 Dec 2023 | |
| 45 | A Heroic History of the Elves: Tolkien’s “lost” Mythology of England? | A talk by PhD candidate Grace Khuri, University of Oxford, on Tolkien's Elvish history and English 'mythology', as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. | Grace Khuri | 11 Dec 2023 | |
| 44 | Tolkien and the Classics | A talk by Professor Giuseppe Pezzini on the influences of Classical Literature on Tolkien. [Audio only] | Giuseppe Pezzini | 11 Dec 2023 | |
| 43 | Peak Middle-earth: Why Mount Doom is not the climax of 'The Lord of the Rings' | Audio only recording by Dr Michael Ward, Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford, as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. [Audio only] | Michael Ward | 08 Dec 2023 | |
| 42 | How to write 'The Lord of the Rings' | A lecture by Dr S Lee as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. | Stuart Lee | 08 Dec 2023 | |
| 41 | Fantasy Creatures | Dr Caroline Batten and Dr Megan Cavell discuss fantastic animals in fantasy text | Caroline Batten, Megan Cavell | 29 Sep 2021 | |
| 40 | Is Jin Yong 'China's Tolkien'? | A comparison of the Hong Kong author Jin Yong and J. R. R. Tolkien | Jonathan Hui | 06 Sep 2021 | |
| 39 | A Conversation with Katherine Langrish | Dr Caroline Batten chats with author Katherine Langrish about her book 'From Spare Oom to War Drobe' | Caroline Batten, Katherine Langrish | 31 Aug 2021 | |
| 38 | Faith in fantasy literature | A short discussion of the role of faith in fantasy literature | Katherine Olley | 30 Jul 2021 | |
| 37 | Brian McClellan | A discussion of the writer Brian McClellan. | Katherine Olley | 30 Jul 2021 | |
| 36 | Arthur Rackham at Trinity College | Emma Sillett, Trinity College Librarian, and Dr Caroline Batten explore the Danson Library's collection of rare Arthur Rackham fantasy illustrations. | Emma Sillett, Caroline Batten | 30 Jul 2021 | |
| 35 | C. S. Lewis and 'The Wind in the Willows' | A discussion of the influence of 'The Wind in the Willows' on fantasy writers - notably C. S. Lewis | Simon Horobin | 29 Jul 2021 | |
| 34 | The Last of the Titans | This talk explores the myth underlying the action in John Wyndham's `The Kraken Wakes'. | Jane Bliss | 27 Jul 2021 | |
| 33 | Creative Commons | A Walk around C. S. Lewis's Oxford | A biographical tour of C. S. Lewis's Oxford | Simon Horobin | 23 Jul 2021 |
| 32 | Creative Commons | William Morris and E. R. Eddison Collections at the Bodleian | An interview with Rachael Marsay about the William Morris and E. R. Eddison collections at the Bodleian Library | Rchael Marsay, Stuart Lee | 23 Jul 2021 |
| 31 | Creative Commons | Elizabeth Knox | A discussion of the writer Elizabeth Knox | Alicia Smith | 22 Jul 2021 |
| 30 | The Saga of Eric the Unlucky | The Saga of Eric the Unlucky examines Rider Haggard's use of medieval narrative techniques in his novel Eric Brighteyes. | Jane Bliss | 20 Jul 2021 | |
| 29 | Edward Lear and Fantasy | Jasmine Jagger provides a short introduction to Edward Lear. | Jasmine Jagger | 18 Jul 2021 | |
| 28 | An Interview with Elizabeth Knox | An Interview with Elizabeth Knox, author of 'The Absolute Book' | Carolyne Larrington, Elizabeth Knox | 13 Jul 2021 | |
| 27 | A Conversation With R. F. Kuang | Carolyne Larrington and Caroline Batten interview Rebecca F. Kuang. | R. F. Kuang, Carolyne Larrington, Caroline Batten | 08 Jul 2021 | |
| 26 | Werewolves in Medieval Literature vs Modern TV | A discussion of werewolves in medieval and modern representations. | Minjie Su | 06 Jul 2021 | |
| 25 | Desiring Dragons: Creative and Critical Responses to the Dragon in Beowulf | Laura Varnam discusses dragons in fantasy literature. | Laura Varnam | 06 Jul 2021 | |
| 24 | Morte D'Arthur Murals in the Oxford Union | A visual discussion of the Morte D'Arthur murals in the library of the Oxford Union. | Tom Corrick, Caroline Batten | 28 Jun 2021 | |
| 23 | Maria Dahvana Headley on Beowulf | Author Maria Dahvana Headley reads from her 2018 novel The Mere Wife, is interviewed by Prof. Carolyne Larrington, and shares drafts from her 2020 translation of Beowulf. This lecture was recorded live at St John’s College, Oxford in November 2018. | Carolyne Larrington, Maria Dahvana Headley, David Clark | 25 Jun 2021 | |
| 22 | George MacDonald | An introduction to the Victorian fantasist and fairy tale author George MacDonald, who convinced Lewis Carroll to publish Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, inspired C. S. Lewis' Christian writings, and may even have influenced Tolkien's Elves. | Caroline Batten, Clare Mulley | 25 Jun 2021 | |
| 21 | Old Norse in the New World: The Mythology and Politics of Immigration and Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' | A talk on Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods'. | Heather O'Donoghue | 23 Jun 2021 | |
| 20 | Discworld - and the Modern University | A short talk introducing Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and how they reflect the modern University. | Andrew Shamel | 22 Jun 2021 | |
| 19 | Susan Cooper | A short talk on Susan Cooper. | Tom Morcom | 22 Jun 2021 | |
| 18 | Violet Needham | Jane Bliss introduces listeners to the work of Violet Needham, a prolific but little-remembered children’s fantasy author, whose book 'The Woods of Windri' draws on the tropes of medieval romances in fascinating ways.ays. | Jane Bliss | 22 Jun 2021 | |
| 17 | Daoxuan and Chinese Fantasy Literature | A short talk on Daoxuan and medieval Chinese fantasy. | Nelson Landry | 18 Jun 2021 | |
| 16 | Tolkien Archive and Exhibition at Bodleian (Part 2) | An interview with Catherine McIlwaine on the Tolkien archive at Bodley and the exhibition of 2018 - Part 2 | Catherine McIlwaine, Stuart Lee | 18 Jun 2021 | |
| 15 | Tolkien Archive and Exhibition at Bodleian (Part 1) | An interview with Catherine McIlwaine on the Tolkien archive at Bodley and the exhibition of 2018 - Part 1. | Catherine McIlwaine, Stuart Lee | 17 Jun 2021 | |
| 14 | What is the 'Silmarillion'? | This lecture is an introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien's third major work, 'The Silmarillion' (1977), and considers its lengthy development in numerous prose and verse texts over fifty years. | Grace Khuri | 19 Apr 2021 | |
| 13 | Verse and Prose in Fantasy Literature | An analysis of two forms that dominate fantasy literature. | Katherine Olley | 24 Nov 2020 | |
| 12 | Guy Gavriel Kay | A short introduction to the writer Guy Gavriel Kay. | Katherine Olley | 24 Nov 2020 | |
| 11 | What Tolkien learnt from 'Beowulf': Representations of Evil | Monsters and evil in Tolkien | Rafael J. Pascual | 16 Jul 2020 | |
| 10 | Sylvia Townsend Warner | Carolyne Larrington introduces the writing of Sylvia Townsend Warner. | Carolyne Larrington | 26 May 2020 | |
| 9 | Ursula K. Le Guin | A brief introduction to the writer Ursula K. Le Guin. | Caroline Batten | 13 May 2020 | |
| 8 | T. H. White | A brief introduction to the writer T. H. White. | Gabriel Schenk | 12 May 2020 | |
| 7 | Diana Wynne Jones | A brief introduction to the writer Diana Wynne Jones. | Gabriel Schenk | 12 May 2020 | |
| 6 | Why 'Game of Thrones' Matters | 'Game of Thrones' and storytelling. | Carolyne Larrington | 12 May 2020 | |
| 5 | Re-Enchanted: The Rise of Children’s Fantasy Literature in the Twentieth Century | A guest lecture by Dr Maria Cecire (Bard College) discussing children's fantasy literature. | Maria Cecire | 12 May 2020 | |
| 4 | Interview: Catherine Butler | An Interview with Dr Catherine Butler, author of the book 'Four British Fantasists'. | Catherine Butler, Will Brockbank | 12 May 2020 | |
| 3 | Alan Garner | A brief introduction to the British fantasy writer, Alan Garner. | Felix Taylor | 12 May 2020 | |
| 2 | H. P. Lovecraft | A brief introduction to the writer, H. P. Lovecraft. | Stuart Lee | 12 May 2020 | |
| 1 | Approaching Fantasy Literature | A short introduction to reading and studying fantasy literature. | Stuart Lee | 12 May 2020 |