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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Old English: 'The Tree of Tongues' Tolkien's Medieval Languages: | Mark Atherton, Senior Lecturer in English, Regent's Park College, Oxford, gives the fourth talk in… | Mark Atherton |
| 22 | Old Norse: 'The Tree of Tongues' Tolkien's Medieval Languages | Eleanor Parker, Lecturer in Medieval English Literature, Brasenose College, Oxford, gives the fifth… | Eleanor Parker |
| 23 | Maria Dahvana Headley on 'The Mere Wife' and 'Beowulf' | Author Maria Dahvana Headley reads from her 2018 novel 'The Mere Wife', is interviewed by Prof.… | Carolyne Larrington, Maria Dahvana Headley, David Clark |
| 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 by Tom Corrick… | Tom Corrick, Caroline Batten |
| 25 | Old Norse in the New World: The Mythology and Politics of Immigration and Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' | A talk by Professor Heather O'Donoghue, Lincoln College, Oxford on Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods'… | Heather O'Donoghue |
| 26 | Discworld and the Modern University | A short talk introducing Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and how they reflect the modern… | Andrew Shamel |
| 27 | Daoxuan and Chinese Fantasy Literature | A short talk on Daoxuan and medieval Chinese fantasy by Nelson Landry, DPhil student at the… | Nelson Landry |
| 28 | Teaching Pack (Slides and Guide) - The Silmarillion | A set of teaching resources for J. R. R. Tolkien's 'The Silmarillion. | Caroline Batten |
| 29 | Teaching Pack: The Silmarillion | Teaching pack (slides and guide) around J. R. R. Tolkien's 'The Silmarillion'. | Caroline Batten |
| 30 | Teaching Pack: The Silmarillion | Caroline Batten |