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Fantasy Literature

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Fantasy Literature
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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Displaying 1 - 54 of 54 episodes
Episode Description People Date Captions
The ‘Key-spring’ of The Lord of the Rings? Stuart Lee talks on 'The ‘Key-spring’ of The Lord of the Rings?' Stuart Lee 1 March, 2025 Captions
C.S. Lewis’s Influence on The Lord of the Rings Michael Ward talks on 'C.S. Lewis’s Influence on The Lord of the Rings' Michael Ward 1 March, 2025 Captions
Medievalism in the Margins: Echoes of Anglo-Saxon England in Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings – From Page to Screen Grace Khuri talks on 'Medievalism in the Margins: Echoes of Anglo-Saxon England in Appendix A of 'The Lord of the Rings' – From Page to Screen' Grace Khuri 1 March, 2025 Captions
A Harmless Vice: Tolkien’s Invented Languages Mark Williams talks on 'A Harmless Vice: Tolkien’s Invented Languages' Mark Williams 1 March, 2025 Captions
The authors and styles of 'The Lord of the Rings' Giuseppe Pezzini talks on 'The authors and styles of The Lord of the Rings' Giuseppe Pezzini 1 March, 2025 Captions
J. R. R. Tolkien and G. B. Smith: Two Forgotten War Poets? Stuart Lee talks about Tolkien's recently published war poetry in the context of G. B. Smith. Stuart Lee 1 March, 2025 Captions
Tolkien as Interpreter and Transformer of Culture: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' as a Modern Book Holly Ordway presents on 'Tolkien as Interpreter and Transformer of Culture'. Holly Ordway 1 March, 2025 Captions
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 December, 2023
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 December, 2023 Captions
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 December, 2023 Captions
Tolkien and the Classics A talk by Professor Giuseppe Pezzini on the influences of Classical Literature on Tolkien. [Audio only] Giuseppe Pezzini 11 December, 2023
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 8 December, 2023
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 8 December, 2023
Fantasy Creatures Dr Caroline Batten and Dr Megan Cavell discuss fantastic animals in fantasy text Caroline Batten, Megan Cavell 29 September, 2021 Captions
Is Jin Yong 'China's Tolkien'? A comparison of the Hong Kong author Jin Yong and J. R. R. Tolkien Jonathan Hui 6 September, 2021 Captions
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 August, 2021 Captions
Faith in fantasy literature A short discussion of the role of faith in fantasy literature Katherine Olley 30 July, 2021 Captions
Brian McClellan A discussion of the writer Brian McClellan. Katherine Olley 30 July, 2021 Captions
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 July, 2021 Captions
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 July, 2021 Captions
The Last of the Titans This talk explores the myth underlying the action in John Wyndham's `The Kraken Wakes'. Jane Bliss 27 July, 2021 Captions
A Walk around C. S. Lewis's Oxford A biographical tour of C. S. Lewis's Oxford Simon Horobin 23 July, 2021 Captions
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 July, 2021 Captions
Elizabeth Knox A discussion of the writer Elizabeth Knox Alicia Smith 22 July, 2021 Captions
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 July, 2021 Captions
Edward Lear and Fantasy Jasmine Jagger provides a short introduction to Edward Lear. Jasmine Jagger 18 July, 2021 Captions
An Interview with Elizabeth Knox An Interview with Elizabeth Knox, author of 'The Absolute Book' Carolyne Larrington, Elizabeth Knox 13 July, 2021 Captions
A Conversation With R. F. Kuang Carolyne Larrington and Caroline Batten interview Rebecca F. Kuang. R. F. Kuang, Carolyne Larrington, Caroline Batten 8 July, 2021 Captions
Werewolves in Medieval Literature vs Modern TV A discussion of werewolves in medieval and modern representations. Minjie Su 6 July, 2021 Captions
Desiring Dragons: Creative and Critical Responses to the Dragon in Beowulf Laura Varnam discusses dragons in fantasy literature. Laura Varnam 6 July, 2021 Captions
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 June, 2021 Captions
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 June, 2021 Captions
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 June, 2021 Captions
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 June, 2021 Captions
Discworld - and the Modern University A short talk introducing Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and how they reflect the modern University. Andrew Shamel 22 June, 2021 Captions
Susan Cooper A short talk on Susan Cooper. Tom Morcom 22 June, 2021 Captions
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 June, 2021 Captions
Daoxuan and Chinese Fantasy Literature A short talk on Daoxuan and medieval Chinese fantasy. Nelson Landry 18 June, 2021 Captions
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 June, 2021 Captions
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 June, 2021 Captions
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 April, 2021 Captions
Verse and Prose in Fantasy Literature An analysis of two forms that dominate fantasy literature. Katherine Olley 24 November, 2020 Captions
Guy Gavriel Kay A short introduction to the writer Guy Gavriel Kay. Katherine Olley 24 November, 2020 Captions
What Tolkien learnt from 'Beowulf': Representations of Evil Monsters and evil in Tolkien Rafael J. Pascual 16 July, 2020 Captions
Sylvia Townsend Warner Carolyne Larrington introduces the writing of Sylvia Townsend Warner. Carolyne Larrington 26 May, 2020 Captions
Ursula K. Le Guin A brief introduction to the writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Caroline Batten 13 May, 2020 Captions
T. H. White A brief introduction to the writer T. H. White. Gabriel Schenk 12 May, 2020 Captions
Diana Wynne Jones A brief introduction to the writer Diana Wynne Jones. Gabriel Schenk 12 May, 2020 Captions
Why 'Game of Thrones' Matters 'Game of Thrones' and storytelling. Carolyne Larrington 12 May, 2020 Captions
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 Captions
Interview: Catherine Butler An Interview with Dr Catherine Butler, author of the book 'Four British Fantasists'. Catherine Butler, Will Brockbank 12 May, 2020 Captions
Alan Garner A brief introduction to the British fantasy writer, Alan Garner. Felix Taylor 12 May, 2020 Captions
Approaching Fantasy Literature A short introduction to reading and studying fantasy literature. Stuart Lee 12 May, 2020 Captions
H. P. Lovecraft A brief introduction to the writer, H. P. Lovecraft. Stuart Lee 12 May, 2020 Captions
Displaying 1 - 54 of 54 episodes

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