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Discussion-based
•
Medium intensity
This class needs more votes to get confirmed.
This module is a standing candidate which means it will be ready to launch as soon as it gets enough interest. Token holders can set aside a Token to reserve their seat for this candidate and help it get confirmed.
This course examines how J.R.R. Tolkien constructed his secondary world with the deliberate craft of a mythmaker and the precision of a master architect. Designed for participants already familiar with Tolkien's major works, the course delves into the rich philosophical, linguistic, and cultural foundations of Middle-earth.
Each discussion session analyses the building blocks of Tolkien's mythological framework: his theory of subcreation, cosmological blueprints, linguistic foundations, character archetypes, moral frameworks, environmental design, and how these elements combine to create an enduring fictional universe.
Participants will engage with primary texts alongside Tolkien's essays, letters, and posthumously published materials to gain deeper appreciation of how his scholarly background in philology and medieval literature informed his creative vision—illuminating how Tolkien constructed one of literature's most enduring secondary worlds.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
Each discussion session analyses the building blocks of Tolkien's mythological framework: his theory of subcreation, cosmological blueprints, linguistic foundations, character archetypes, moral frameworks, environmental design, and how these elements combine to create an enduring fictional universe.
Participants will engage with primary texts alongside Tolkien's essays, letters, and posthumously published materials to gain deeper appreciation of how his scholarly background in philology and medieval literature informed his creative vision—illuminating how Tolkien constructed one of literature's most enduring secondary worlds.
The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:
Outline | 8-Session Structure and Reading List by Session | Readings List |
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Week 1 | Session 1: The Mythmaker’s Vision | Session 1 Reading list:
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Session 2: Creation Myths and Cosmology | Session 2 Reading List:
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Week 2 | Session 3: Languages as Cultural Foundation | Session 3 Reading List:
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Session 4: The Hero’s Journey Through Ages | Session 4 Reading List:
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Week 3 | Session 5: Power and Corruption | Session 5 Reading List:
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Session 6: Death, Immortality and Time | Session 6 Reading List:
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Week 4 | Session 7: Nature, Technology and Modernity | Session 7 Reading List:
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Session 8: Legacy and Influence | Session 8 Reading List:
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Required Texts
Copies of The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and The Hobbit are required. Copies of Leaf By Niggle and On Fairy-stories would be useful but not required. All other texts will be provided as a pdf.
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Days and Times
As soon as we obtain enough interest in this class we will be in touch to work out a meeting time that works for the group. Thank you for keeping your March 2026 availability up to date!