In this module, we will look at the literary precursors to The Hobbit: works that helped establish the genre in which Tolkien was writing, or which influenced Tolkien’s own thinking. We will examine the themes and ideas of nineteenth-century children’s fantasy that may have inspired Tolkien, and consider how we may see them at work within the text of The Hobbit. Tolkien’s essay "On Fairy-stories" will provide the essential context to the whole module, as it is here that Tolkien lays out his full concept of what constitutes ‘fantasy’.
By reading a number of literary precursors to The Hobbit, each week will reveal more about The Hobbit itself. Lectures will focus on four texts in order:

1. Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll
2. Winnie-the-Pooh – A. A. Milne (pdf)
3. The Princess and the Goblin - George MacDonald
4. The Marvellous Land of Snergs - E. A. Wyke-Smith

Discussion of these texts and their relation to The Hobbit will then continue in the discussion sessions.