Fantasy Literature: Further Thinking
These podcasts allow you to explore further some of the key themes, texts, and writers engaged in fantasy literature. Note there is a separate 'Fantasy Literature: An Introduction' if you want to hear a brief summary of the genre and have short talks around some of the writers, plus separate collections on 'Fantasy at Oxford' (the famous writers and collections that have been in contact with the City and the University), and one dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien.
To begin with read this introductory essay on the topic.
We have also created two teaching packs to support this:
- 'His Dark Materials' Years 9 and up (slideset and teaching guide)
- 'The Lord of the Rings' Years 9 and up (slideset and teaching guide).
- 'The Silmarillion' Years 10 and up (slideset and teaching guide)
If you enjoy these podcasts on 'Fantasy Literature' we would love to hear your feedback. Please complete a short survey at: https://oxford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/oxford-fantasy-podcasts.
| # | Title | Description | Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 |
| 2 | Is Jin Yong 'China's Tolkien'? | A comparison of the Hong Kong author Jin Yong and J. R. R. Tolkien by Jonathan Hui, English… | Jonathan Hui |
| 3 | The Last of the Titans | This talk discusses the fantasy novel The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham. The novel is often… | Jane Bliss |
| 4 | 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 |
| 5 | Arthur Rackham at Trinity College | Emma Sillett, Trinity College Librarian, and Dr Caroline Batten explore the Danson Library's… | Emma Sillett, Caroline Batten |
| 6 | Faith in fantasy literature | A short discussion of the role of faith in fantasy literature looking at the novels of James… | Katherine Olley |
| 7 | Edward Lear and Fantasy | Jasmine Jagger provides a short introduction to Edward Lear, a literary nonsense author whose… | Jasmine Jagger |
| 8 | The Saga of Eric the Unlucky | In The Saga of Eric the Unlucky, Jane Bliss examines Rider Haggard's use of medieval narrative… | Jane Bliss |
| 9 | 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… | Rachael Marsay, Stuart Lee |
| 10 | A Walk around C. S. Lewis's Oxford | Using the geographic touch points in Oxford, Professor Simon Horobin of Magdalen College, Oxford… | Simon Horobin |