Annotated Bibliographies
I have created the space in the Forum for the group Annotated Bibliographies. Please post them there.
I have also created a general discussion space for you to discuss your ideas on the novels and other class materials.
Enjoy!
Updated Schedule
I have updated the course schedule to account for the changes last week. Note that little has changed in terms of reading load.
Types of 19th Century Medievalism
Greetings, my fantasy-loving students.
I’d like to share a juicy tidbit from Dr. Haydock’s lecture notes he was unable to get to. We’ll discuss this in class further.
Nineteenth Century Medievalism
Imperial medievalism—nationalism and colonialism
Romantic medievalism—Chivalry and Women
Architectural medievalism—Gothic Ornaments, restoration (John Ruskin The Stones of Venice & Morris’ ornaments)
Folkloric medievalism—(1880s Childs collects popular English and Scottish ballads) (medieval folklore as key to myth and civilization—C. G. Jung, Jessie Weston, J. G. Frazer, T. S. Eliot
Medievalism in painting—Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (e.g. Dante Gabriel Rossetti)
Medievalist socialism and labor reform (Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present)
Scholarly Medievalism—recovery and printing of texts (e.g. The Early English Text Society)
Literary medievalism—(Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King)
Guidelines for Next Week
The goal of the group presentations for next week is to provide an overview of the mythologies, legends, and folklore that are so influential in the genre of fantasy. In addition to a presentation, each group is to prepare an annotated bibliography of useful sources for you and your classmates to do further research on the topic, whether it is out of curiosity, for a paper, or in preparation for an exam. Here’s a more detailed description of the assignment:
Guidelines
- Topics: historical, geographical, and cultural description of the people who create the myths/legends, key figures (gods, heroes, etc.), narrative (focus on creation/origins and apocalyptic myths), description of ideology/world view. Focus on the most relevant topics.
- Length: 15-20 minute presentation may use Power Point, Web resources, and visuals, but shouldn’t over-rely on these. Each part of the presentation should be concise yet informative. Each group member should be able to effectively and memorably communicate 1 or 2 ideas. Your ability to effectively present within the time constraints will be part of your grade for this assignment and individuals who throw off the group presentation will be penalized.
- Annotated Bibliography: Identify 4-6 of the best sources you have found on your topic, listed in alphabetical order, and each accompanied by a brief description of its usefulness. This bibliography should be posted in the blog forum no later than Friday, August 22.
Schedule
- 18: Presentations on Celtic Mythology and Faerie
- 20: Presentations on Norse and Welsh Mythology
- 22: Presentations on The Matter of Britain and Arthurian Legends
Note: Students who were absent on Friday, August 15 should announce their preference of being in either "The Matter of Britain" (3 spots) or "Arthurian Legends" (2 spots), by commenting on this posting and saying which of the two available topics they wish to work on. Read other people’s comments so you know whether a topic is full.
Welcome!
Welcome to the official blog for the Fall 2008 offering of INGL 3300: Special Topics in Language and Literature. The topic should be clear by now by its title: Worlds of Fantasy. This page will be under development between now and the time the course begins in the Fall. In the meantime, I will be happy to accept feedback on the blog as it grows. What do you think of the blog’s overall look?