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Introduction
The Seminar will focus on the Oxford literary group known as the Inklings: with J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis at the centre of the circle, it included scholars, authors, and thinkers such as Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and Dorothy Sayers, and attracted many other brilliant and eccentric minds.
The life and writings of Tolkien and Lewis are naturally at the centre of attention, with the city and University of Oxford providing a backdrop for class discussions and excursions. We look at the role of the University in the life of authors and scholars who eventually came to be counted among the greatest literary and religious influences of the 20th century. The routine of college life that became instrumental in shaping their existence will be experienced by the students and illustrated by trips to Oxford colleges where the Inklings worked.
Tolkien and Lewis’ medievalist background and the key medieval texts which occupied them throughout their careers and inspired their own creativity will be explored (extracts from Beowulf, Ancrene Wisse, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Faerie Queen, and Pilgrim’s Progress will be cited among others).
Other topics will include the gradual shaping of Tolkien’s mythological world and its deep grounding in the 20th century, and the versatility of C.S. Lewis’ mind applied to literary criticism, fantasy, and religious apologetics. We will look at the way in which the writings of these two men are still extremely relevant to the lives of millions of people all over the world, not least in Oxford. Other members of the wider Inklings circle (Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, Dorothy Sayers) will also be a focus of one of the seminars.
Week 1: University Men
The first seminar of the series will look at the University of Oxford, its structure and routine as it underwent important changes over the course of the 20th century. Most of the men associated with The Inklings were in one way or another connected with the University, and in many cases their lives and careers were entirely shaped by this connection. We will follow the biographies of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis from their undergraduate years at Oxford through the trauma of the First World War to the struggle to find an academic position. The life of an Oxford don with its many charms, troubles, and idiosyncrasies will be explored and explained. Trips to colleges such as Merton and Magdalen will provide a close-up view of a don’s life. The first week also features a “taster” lecture on medieval literature which allows students to gain a better understanding of the background of the two men’s work.
Week 2: Middle-earth and the Middle Ages
This seminar will look at Tolkien and Lewis as medievalists and explore the importance of medieval literature and languages for their work. We will explore the term “Fantasy” and discuss the medieval roots and evolution of the Fantasy genre, as well as Tolkien’s and Lewis’ Victorian antecedents. Echoes of medieval literature in The Lord of the Rings, the Narnia series and other works by Tolkien and Lewis will be explored, as will Lewis’ interest in (and Tolkien’s dislike of) allegory. Once again, Oxford’s medieval buildings and academic resources will provide a backdrop for the seminar.
Week 3: J.R.R. Tolkien’s life-work
This week’s study will focus on Tolkien’s Magnum Opus, the world of Middle Earth which he spent most of his life creating. It places Tolkien in the context of his own time, the 20th century, and outline his world building within the context of modern literature. We will trace the early sketches and glimpses of this world and trace its development through a plethora of tales, poems, manuscripts, versions, and languages, focussing especially on the three greatest and most famous works in the cycle: The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. We will consider Tolkien’s status as a war author and explore the worldwide response his works have provoked – from scholarly books and theses to fandoms, role-playing games, and award-winning films. Tolkien’s influence on the later Fantasy genre will also be discussed.
Week 4 : C.S. Lewis
A counterpart to the trilogy of Tolkien’s Opus, Lewis’ best-known example of adult fiction, ‘The Cosmic Trilogy’ (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength) was written at the same time (late 1930s-40s) exploring similar themes as LOTR within a different – mostly extraterrestrial – setting. We look at Lewis’ life and career and focus on the final book of the series, set in Oxford and inspired by fellow Inklings Tolkien and Charles Williams, and featuring Arthurian motifs. A shorter specimen of Lewis’ writing, a parable The Great Divorce depicts his views of the other world and offers a solution to the complicated question of co-existence of free will and predestination.
Week 5: The wider circle: other Inklings and Associates
In the final week of the course we will discuss the figure of the other prominent Inklings, Charles Williams, as well as of Dorothy Sayers, who is often considered an ‘associate’ of this otherwise purely male circle. We will focus on one of the most famous ‘spiritual thrillers’ by Williams, All Hallows’ Eve, written while in Oxford in consultation with Lewis and other Inklings. Finally, we will look at some passages from Gaudy Night, ‘the first feminist mystery novel’ by the Oxford-born and educated Dorothy Sayers, describing her experiences of academic life at the University, and compare them with Lewis’ bitter satire found in the previous week’s material. Finally, we will discuss the recent adaptations of Tolkien’s and Lewis’s works in films.
Some reading before attending the programme is recommended strongly.
Dorothy Sayers’ Gaudy Night (1935) OR Charles Williams, All Hallows’ Eve (1945)
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