J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Collaboration

Featuring

Diana Glyer, author of The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community and Professor of English Literature at Azusa Pacific University.

Douglas Anderson, Tolkien Scholar and editor of Tales Before Tolkien and The Annotated Hobbit.

Session One

"J.R.R. Tolkien and the Roots of Fantasy Literature"

Doug Anderson

Before the explosion of J.R.R. Tolkien's popularity which began in the 1960s, there was no "fantasy" genre. Now, thanks to Tolkien, there is a distinct type of literature known as "fantasy" which is marketed as such to readers. But there were writers before Tolkien who wrote what can now be called fantasy literature, and Tolkien read a number of these authors, ranging from George MacDonald to H. Rider Haggard, David Lindsay to E. R. Eddison. This session explores these predecessors to Tolkien, their influence upon him, and how their works and Tolkien's have shaped what is fantasy across the twentieth century.

Session Two

“The Unique Place of The Hobbit in the Literary Imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien"

Doug Anderson

The Hobbit occupies a special place in the oeuvre of J. R. R. Tolkien. It marks the coming together for the first time of several strands of Tolkien's writerly imagination: his interest in children's stories, his own invented mythology, his scholarly expertise in medieval literatures, his interest in poetry and art. Tolkien's art blossomed in The Hobbit, and would soon after bloom more extravagantly in The Lord of the Rings. This session explores what went into the making of Tolkien's two most famous works.

Session Three

"The Inklings and Tolkien’s Middle-Earth”

Diana Glyer

Tolkien worked on The Lord of the Rings from 1937 to 1949, and he read it to the Inklings, chapter by chapter, as it was written. This session describes specific ways that encouragement, criticism, suggestions, and practical helped change the course of Tolkien’s great book.

Sesion Four

"The Hobbit: From Book to Film"

Featuring Doug Anderson and Diana Glyer

Question and Answer/Discussion Panel with Dr. Chris Mitchell as moderator.

Registration

Registration is required. Full-day participation includes lunch and is available for $50. You can also register for either the morning or afternoon (not including lunch) for $30. Register online through our registrations page.