Epic Fantasy Portal

The saga of Dune is far from over...

Across two months, we will read Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's completion of Frank Herbert's Dune saga. Whether you are a new or continuing student in our Dune book club, all are welcome to join this class. Connect with book lovers, compare to Herbert's originals, and share your insights.

Let the spice flow!

Month 1: Hunters of Dune
Month 2: Sandworms of Dune

The saga of Dune is far from over...

Across two months, we will read Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's completion of Frank Herbert's Dune saga. Whether you are a new or continuing student in our Dune book club, all are welcome to join this class. Connect with book lovers, compare to Herbert's originals, and share your insights.

Let the spice flow!

Month 1: Hunters of Dune
Month 2: Sandworms of Dune

This Writer's Workshop will be for practicing the art of writing flash fiction, works that are of 500 or fewer words in length. This is a marvelous place for a new writer to begin as the size is not overwhelming. It is also a marvelous place for a seasoned writer to practice the craft of scene creation and characterization under severe creative restriction.

We will read examples of flash fiction, and provide feedback for one another on original pieces that we shall write over the length of the course. For this we will use the Collaborative Feedback Method that we use in all Space creative writing courses, a method which emphasizes kindness and curiosity while still providing rigorous and useful feedback to the writer.

Critical fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy writing which I have been pioneering in my own creative works which puts an emphasis on aspects of writing which are often neglected in mass-market fantasy: namely, the careful and controlled use of stylistic devices, the integration of socially relevant themes and philosophical problems into stories, and greater intertextuality with other works in our inherited literary traditions. At the same time, critical fantasy stays true to the core elements of fantasy writing, such as immersive worldbuilding (in spatial and temporal senses), a wide cast of complex characters, and plots often focused on adventures and quests into the unknown.

In this module, I will use my own creative writing and that of other writers to illustrate the key topics of each week (see list below). I will also occasionally use theoretical works (in literary theory) to introduce or explain certain concepts in writing (all such readings are optional). At the start of each week’s lesson, we will also have a sharing session where you can read out your own writing (drafts, overviews, or just random thoughts on your writing) in a safe space among fellow creatives.

Course Outline:

Week One
• Introduction: Module Structure, Topics, and Methods
• Stylistic Principles: Syntax and Phonetics: Chiasmus, Hyperbaton, Parallelism, and Alliteration
Week Two
• Character Principles: Developing Psychological Complexity in Your Characters: Inner Conflicts, Perception, Habits
• Narratological Principles: Narrators Types: Extradiegetic vs Intradiegetic; Heterodiegetic vs Homodiegetic
Week Three
• Narratological Principles: Narrative Space: Dynamic Space, Chekov’s Gun, Ecphrasis, and Fable vs Story Space
• Worldbuilding: Building Historical Layers into Your Writing: Ruins, Symbols, and Forgetfulness
Week Four
• Writing as ‘Philosophical impulse’: Why do we write?
• Workshop: Sharing Thoughts and Writing

Please choose this module if you're excited to be part of our Creative Writing mini-modules in the near future! If you add this module to your wish list (or short-list it), we will include you in our communications about upcoming mini modules and let you know what's available.

Note: Our mini modules are special month-long group experiences designed for a small and intimate group of 2 to 4 students for the cost of 1 Token. As soon as we get enough interested students that reserve their seat, we'll schedule this class with the group and fly!

Immerse yourself in the profound dialogues of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth", a philosophical and metaphysical exploration of love, mortality, and hope within the legendarium of Middle-earth. This class invites you to delve into the intricate conversations between Finrod, an Elven king, and Andreth, a wise-woman of the race of Men. Their discourse investigates the depths of human (and Elven) existence, examining the divergent perspectives on life, death, and the overarching destiny of their worlds.

Throughout this course, we will dissect the rich layers of Tolkien’s narrative, uncovering the symbolic and thematic significances that make "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" a cornerstone of his mythopoeic work. Together, we will work on a comprehensive analysis of the text, contextualizing it within Tolkien's broader legendarium and drawing connections to his other works. Our aim will be to gain a deeper understanding of the philosophical questions posed by Finrod and Andreth, and how these reflect Tolkien’s own views on faith, despair, and redemption.

Whether you are a seasoned Tolkien scholar or a passionate enthusiast of his world, this class offers an opportunity to engage with one of the most profound and lesser-known dialogues in Middle-earth, enriching your appreciation for Tolkien's genius and the enduring legacy of his work.

This course offers a deep analysis of Tolkien’s seminal essay “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” which truly changed the course of scholarship on the most important text in Tolkien’s Cauldron of Story. The essay began as Tolkien’s 1936 Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture to the British Academy and was published that year. Thanks to “Beowulf and the Critics” (2002) published by Michael D.C. Drout we have a wonderful edition of the early drafts. Tolkien’s essay brings to the fore the powerful achievement of the Beowulf poet in crafting an expression of celebration and defiance, of heroism and death. In this fun SPACE course, we will explore Tolkien’s attitudes and assumptions on the poem in greater detail. Students will gain a greater appreciation for the essay and for Tolkien’s legendarium.

So, we’ve had a FIRST Tolkien’s Letters SPACE course – but what about SECOND Tolkien’s Letters SPACE course? And this time, we just focus on ONE letter?

In 2023, we were presented with a Revised and Expanded edition of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, which gave us the opportunity for an even deeper dive into the life, the works, and the wonderful procrastinations of a much-loved author. Already a fan and scholar favourite, Letter 131 to Milton Waldman of Collins Publishers is now published in full and is one of the longest of the letters at around ten thousand words. The letter now also includes an attachment at the end, which is a list of individual tales with short descriptions, some of which were proposed by Tolkien for publication.

Designed to persuade Waldman to publish both The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, Letter 131 provides remarkable insight into Tolkien’s mythology, and his belief in the interdependence of these two works. In this course, we will read through this letter in great detail, making the connections between the letter and the texts, and immersing ourselves in wonder that is Tolkien’s subcreated world.

Sir Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is widely regarded as a modern classic, has been described by The New Statesman as “the most ambitious work since The Lord of the Rings,” and has been adapted onto stage, radio, and screen. The series is also deep and complex, drawing from a rich array of literary, philosophical, and theological ideas.

In this three-module series we will read, successively, the three novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, juxtaposing each with selected materials that will allow us to read Pullman’s work both on its own and in conversation with other works.

Note: Students can join one, two, or all three modules. There are no prerequisites.

Sir Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is widely regarded as a modern classic, has been described by The New Statesman as “the most ambitious work since The Lord of the Rings,” and has been adapted onto stage, radio, and screen. The series is also deep and complex, drawing from a rich array of literary, philosophical, and theological ideas.

In this three-module series we will read, successively, the three novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, juxtaposing each with selected materials that will allow us to read Pullman’s work both on its own and in conversation with other works. Students can join one, two, or all three modules. There are no prerequisites.

• Module 1: His Dark Materials in Context: The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights) (October 2023)

• Module 2: His Dark Materials in Context: The Subtle Knife (December 2023)

• Module 3: His Dark Materials in Context: The Amber Spyglass (January 2023)

Sir Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is widely regarded as a modern classic, has been described by The New Statesman as “the most ambitious work since The Lord of the Rings,” and has been adapted onto stage, radio, and screen. The series is also deep and complex, drawing from a rich array of literary, philosophical, and theological ideas.

In this three-module series we will read, successively, the three novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, juxtaposing each with selected materials that will allow us to read Pullman’s work both on its own and in conversation with other works. Students can join one, two, or all three modules. There are no prerequisites.

Sir Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is widely regarded as a modern classic, has been described by The New Statesman as “the most ambitious work since The Lord of the Rings,” and has been adapted onto stage, radio, and screen. The series is also deep and complex, drawing from a rich array of literary, philosophical, and theological ideas.

In this three-module series we will read, successively, the three novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, juxtaposing each with selected materials that will allow us to read Pullman’s work both on its own and in conversation with other works. Students can join one, two, or all three modules. There are no prerequisites.

• Module 1: His Dark Materials in Context: The Golden Compass (a.k.a. Northern Lights) (October 2023)

• Module 2: His Dark Materials in Context: The Subtle Knife (December 2023)

• Module 3: His Dark Materials in Context: The Amber Spyglass (January 2023)

“Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead… and men say that he shall come again…”

Is Arthur dead? Or was he taken to Avalon to be healed? And will he indeed come again one day? Written within the confines of a common prison, Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur (c. 1470) addresses these very questions—trying to make sense of Arthur's legendary reign and “piteous” death for a war-torn England at the very close of the Middle Ages. In reading Malory's widely beloved and arguably definitive retelling of the death of the Arthur, this course examines the final dissolution of the Round Table, from the doomed love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere to Arthur's fatal (or near-fatal) wounding by Mordred—a continuous narrative contained within the last two books of Malory's sprawling chronicle, “The Book of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere” and the titular “The Most Piteous Tale of the Morte Arthur.” Told with a both poignant sense of loss and an undisguised enthusiasm for chivalric adventure, this lively and idiosyncratic tale of Arthur's death combines the best of all the Arthurian epics that preceded it, and would influence all those that would follow after.

The Dark Crystal, a film directed and created by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, was released at Christmastime in 1982. An attempt at a more mature and decidedly darker direction for Henson, it performed modestly in the box office to mixed reviews. Despite its poor initial beginnings, over the next 42 years, The Dark Crystal became a cult classic. Why the appeal all these years later? In this class we will explore this multifaceted dark fantasy as a stand of world building from the better appreciated “Muppet” canon. Over the course of eight sessions we will discuss the world of Thra through the film itself, seen afresh with the new lenses of various forms of modern criticism. Please join us for a combination of short lectures and lively discussion of this visual and technical masterpiece whether you’re a long-time fan or neophyte.

This course tracks Lancelot's development from hero of a medieval romance (part tale of adventure, part comedy of manners) to center of a political and moral tragedy. We look in detail at three texts: Chrétien de Troyes's Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart (c. 1180), Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur (1470) and Tennyson's Idylls of the King (1859).

Sir Lancelot, as everyone knows, is Arthur’s best and bravest knight—and also, the lover of Arthur’s wife, Guinevere. Examining this pivotal irony of the Arthurian tradition, this course tracks the development of Lancelot as a both character and a literary concept across three major works:

In Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart, master of French Arthurian romance, Chrétien de Troyes, invents a hero who loves Queen Guinevere beyond all bounds of reason—so much that he will face deadly perils and (worse yet) social humiliation to prove his devotion.

Sir Thomas Malory’s late medieval “Tale of Lancelot and Elayne” (part of his sprawling epic, Le Morte Darthur) introduces a would-be rival for Lancelot’s affections in the form of Elayne, the Fair Maid of Astolat. While retaining a few comic touches from earlier versions, this retelling cannot escape the doomed nature of Lancelot’s affair with the Queen.

Finally, Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “Lancelot and Elayne” (part of his Idylls of the King) depicts Lancelot and Guinevere’s betrayal of their king as the moral rot at the foundation of a perfect but unsustainable society—and in so doing, reveals a Victorian sense of worlds away from Chrétien’s light-hearted original.

This module contains a mixture of lecture and discussion, with one lecture for each of the three works, and the rest of the meetings focusing on discussion.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Chretien de Troyes and the Creation of Lancelot
	Discussion 1: Lancelot, The Knight of the Cart (first half)
Week 2	Lecture 2: Courtly Romance and Comedy of Manners
	Discussion 2: Lancelot, The Knight of the Cart (second half)
Week 3	Lecture 3: Sir Thomas Malory: Knight Prisoner
	Discussion 3: Le Morte Darthur, “The Tale of Lancelot and Elayne”
Week 4	Lecture 4:Tennyson’s Tragic Arthurian Vision
	Discussion 4: Idylls of the King: “Lancelot and Elayne”

The story of the Holy Grail that was sought by King Arthur’s knights begins with this tale: Chretien de Troyes’s “Perceval, or the Story of the Grail.” This coming-of-age story follows the adventures of Perceval, as he moves from rustic ignorance of his own identity into full-fledged knighthood. As series of mistakes, triumphs, and misadventures leads him almost (but not quite) to the discovery of that most holy of relics. His journey of spiritual understanding, like the quest for the Holy Grail itself, remains incomplete as Chretien’s unfinished romance breaks off in mid-sentence. This course, however, continues Perceval’s story through the numerous continuations of additions by which different authors brought to the tale within a century of its first appearance.

Note on Text: While most of Prof. Daley’s courses are flexible with regard to edition, in this case there is only one English translation that provides the complete text of Chretien’s “Perceval,” and all of the surviving translations: Nigel Bryant’s The Complete Story of the Grail, listed below.

The Muppet Lord of the Rings adaptation developed at Sunshine Moot 2025 was a runaway success, generating millions at the box office and garnering accolades from critics and fans alike. Big Name Studios was so impressed by Signum Studio’s creativity and short production schedule, that they’ve asked us to do it again! There’s a catch though- the Signum Studios Creative Team must generate a new adaptation as soon as possible in order to build on the success of the first movie.

“We’re so excited about the possibility of even more opportunities to explore Muppet and LoTR mashups!” Addison Bigbucks, president of Big Name Studios said in a recent interview. “We can’t wait to see what the Signum Studios Creative Team will come up with next!”

In this SPACE course, the Creative Team will lead interactive discussions and breakout sessions to discuss human and Muppet casting choices, art direction, and narrative themes. Knowledge of the following Jim Henson productions will be useful but not required: The Muppet Show (1976-1981), : The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), : Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and the : Muppet Movie (2011). No homework outside of class is required, but ongoing discussions on Signum’s Discord channel will be enthusiastically encouraged.

Can the Creative Team at Signum Studios achieve the same success as their Sunshine Moot predecessors? What decisions will appeal to both the die-hard Tolkien fans, Muppet aficionados, and the casual movie-going public? Don’t worry, the Creative Team will have help including a guest lecture from Maggie Parke, Director of Signum Studios, two producers who will keep us on budget and on time, and several Bigwig Studio Executives who will offer advice on creating the next blockbuster hit.

This module looks at two late plays frequently overlooked in Shakespeare studies: Pericles, Prince of Tyre and Cymbeline. In Pericles, Shakespeare and collaborator George Wilkins present a medievalist fairy-tale of adventure on the high seas, set in the ancient Mediterranean and narrated by Middle English poet, John Gower. In Cymbeline, a princess’s attempt to rid herself of the suitor she loathes and reunite with the man she loves leads to a tangle of escapes, pursuits, and mistaken identities. Decried by some critics for their eccentric and eclectic plots, both plays feature grand voyages across land and sea, benevolent magic, and the loss and recovery of true love.

In this module, we will discuss the aspects of the Force as depicted in Star Wars films, tv, and video games. We will look at specific characters and cults (Jedi v. Sith, the Bendu, Nightsisters, etc.) to understand where they fit in the wider mythology far far away, as well as other mystical motifs and ideas (Mortis, the World Between Worlds). There are tons of different topics to choose from, so there will be plenty to discuss in this course.

This is the landing page for Dr. Sara Brown's series on The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper.. Using the links on this page, you can explore each member of this series by going to its associated module page for more details. Note that students can jump in at any month/part of the series. There are no prerequisites.

Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy series takes us into a world where the forces of the Light battle against those of the Dark, but these are also coming-of-age stories in which children are at the forefront of the conflict. Deeply rooted in the folklore of the British landscape, the narratives are often set in spaces encoded in ancient wisdom and traditions and employ, as Tolkien did in his legendarium, songs and verse that pass on those traditions.

Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy series takes us into a world where the forces of the Light battle against those of the Dark, but these are also coming-of-age stories in which children are at the forefront of the conflict. Deeply rooted in the folklore of the British landscape, the narratives are often set in spaces encoded in ancient wisdom and traditions and employ, as Tolkien did in his legendarium, songs and verse that pass on those traditions.

In this book, the third of the series, we return to Cornwall with the Drew children and encounter more of the Cornish folklore and traditions we first saw inn Over Sea, Under Stone. Like the previous books in the series, this is an atmospheric and eerie story, steeped in magic and ancient folklore. The ‘Greenwitch’ of the title is a giant effigy made of sticks in the form of a woman, constructed by the women of Trewissick and sacrificed to the sea in a yearly ritual – not just an inanimate object, but a living being, with a mind of her own. This is ‘Wild Magic’, or the magic of nature, another element in the ongoing battle between Light and Dark. The Greenwitch holds the key to understanding the Grail, but the children will have to persuade her to give up her secrets before the agents of the Dark get there first. In this class, we will explore all the themes and ideas in the story and consider what it still has to say to us in the 21st century.

Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy series takes us into a world where the forces of the Light battle against those of the Dark, but these are also coming-of-age stories in which children are at the forefront of the conflict. Deeply rooted in the folklore of the British landscape, the narratives are often set in spaces encoded in ancient wisdom and traditions and employ, as Tolkien did in his legendarium, songs and verse that pass on those traditions.

In this book, the first of the series, Cooper introduces us to the folklore of Cornwall, interweaving ancient customs with a modern confrontation against forces of evil. In this class, we will explore all the themes and ideas in the story and consider what it still has to say to us in the 21st century.

Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy series takes us into a world where the forces of the Light battle against those of the Dark, but these are also coming-of-age stories in which children are at the forefront of the conflict. Deeply rooted in the folklore of the British landscape, the narratives are often set in spaces encoded in ancient wisdom and traditions and employ, as Tolkien did in his legendarium, songs and verse that pass on those traditions.

‘Until the Lady comes,’ Merriman said. ‘And she will help you to the finding of the sword of the Pendragon, the crystal sword by which the final magic of the light shall be achieved, and the Dark put at last to flight. And there will be five to help you, for from the beginning it was known that six altogether, and six only, must accomplish this long matter. Six creatures more and less of the earth, aided by the six Signs.’

In this book, the fifth and final of the series, we return to Wales where Will Stanton, the Drew children, and the mysterious Bran must find the Lady who will enable them to complete their quest. All the Arthurian elements that have been evident in the previous four books now come together as the Six of the Light battle back the Dark to save the world. In this class, we will explore all the themes and ideas in the story and consider what it still has to say to us in the 21st century.

Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy series takes us into a world where the forces of the Light battle against those of the Dark, but these are also coming-of-age stories in which children are at the forefront of the conflict. Deeply rooted in the folklore of the British landscape, the narratives are often set in spaces encoded in ancient wisdom and traditions and employ, as Tolkien did in his legendarium, songs and verse that pass on those traditions.

In this book, the second of the series, we are introduced to Will Stanton, who is approaching his 11th birthday. On Midwinter’s Eve, the day before his birthday, there is an atmosphere of fear that pervades the otherwise familiar countryside around him, but is the day itself that will be a birthday like no other. On that day, Will discovers that he has the power of the Old Ones, and that he must embark on a quest to vanquish the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark. In this class, we will explore all the themes and ideas in the story and consider what it still has to say to us in the 21st century.

Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy series takes us into a world where the forces of the Light battle against those of the Dark, but these are also coming-of-age stories in which children are at the forefront of the conflict. Deeply rooted in the folklore of the British landscape, the narratives are often set in spaces encoded in ancient wisdom and traditions and employ, as Tolkien did in his legendarium, songs and verse that pass on those traditions.

In this book, the fourth of the series, we are back with Will Stanton, who has been dangerously ill and has been sent to his aunt’s farm in Wales to recuperate. During Will’s illness, he has forgotten the details of the quest begun in the previous novels, but as his memories slowly return, he remembers that his next task is to find the golden harp that will awaken six sleepers who will join the final battle between Dark and Light. The villain this time is the Brenin Llwyd, or the ‘Grey King’, an ancient and powerful Lord of the Dark who lives high in the mountains, his breath forming a ragged grey mist that can be seen for miles around. In this class, we will explore all the themes and ideas in the story and consider what it still has to say to us in the 21st century.

In this module we will explore the musical storytelling of works related to the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. This discussion-based course is not targeted to musicians, and no prior musical knowledge or skill set is required. Rather, the course seeks to discuss how music can tell stories, and how music interacts with text, poetry, and adaptation. A familiarity with the work of Professor Tolkien is very helpful.

This course will study three types of musical adaptation: music inspired by Tolkien’s writing, work that has taken Tolkien’s poetry and put it to music, and music written for adaptations of Tolkien’s work. Each of these types of composition comes with their own unique storytelling approaches and outcomes.

Session Outline

• Session 1: Johan de Meij, "Symphony No. 1: The Lord of the Rings"
• Session 2: Martin Romberg, "Symphonic Poem, Telperion and Laurelin"
• Session 3: Paul Corfield Godfrey: “The Tolkien Cycle”
• Session 4: John Sangster, "The Hobbit Suite"
• Session 5: The Tolkien Ensemble, "An Evening in Rivendell"
• Session 6: Donald Swann: “The Road Goes Ever On, a Song Cycle”
• Session 7: Howard Shore, "The Fellowship of the Ring"
• Session 8: Bear McCreary, "The Rings of Power, Season One"

In this iteration of The Music of Middle-earth, we’ll be exploring Howard Shore’s score to The Fellowship of the Ring, and seeking to better understand how the music behind Peter Jackson’s film interacts with the source material, the action on screen, and even Tolkien’s poetry.

Note: This series is not sequential, and folks are more than welcome to register for any class that interests them at any point.

In this iteration of The Music of Middle-earth, we’ll be exploring Howard Shore’s score to The Return of the King, and seeking to better understand how the music behind Peter Jackson’s film interacts with the source material, the action on screen, and even Tolkien’s poetry.


Note: This series is not sequential, and folks are more than welcome to register for any class that interests them at any point.

In this iteration of The Music of Middle-earth, we’ll be exploring Howard Shore’s score to The Two Towers, and seeking to better understand how the music behind Peter Jackson’s film interacts with the source material, the action on screen, and even Tolkien’s poetry.


Note: This series is not sequential, and folks are more than welcome to register for any class that interests them at any point.

Module Description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):

JRR Tolkien is one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. Now, a Most Delightful Event has occurred – for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry.

Bonus Lecture from Dr. Olsen each month! We are delighted to announce that each month Dr. Corey Olsen will offer a bonus lecture on Tolkien's poetry. Each month the SPACE team will share Dr. Olsen's bonus lecture with all enrolled students that month in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien series.

Note: Dr. Olsen's first bonus lecture will occur on Sat. Nov 16 at 9:30 AM Eastern. Moreover, it will be unique in that it will be the kick-off to our Fall Space Showcase and accessible for FREE to all showcase participants since our showcases are free events (Showcase Registration is open!). However, if you cannot attend the showcase, no fear! The SPACE team will disseminate the bonus lecture recording to all students enrolled in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien in November 2024.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: The Introduction + Morning · Morning Song
	Discussion 1: The Dale-Lands/ Evening · Completorium/ Wood-Sunshine/ The Sirens Feast · The Sirens/ The Battle of the Eastern Field
Week 2	Lecture 2: The New Lemminkäinen and Lemminkäinen Goeth to the Ford of Oxen
	Discussion 2: A Fragment of an Epic/ The Grimness of the Sea · The Tides · Sea Chant of an Elder Day · Sea-Song of an Elder Day · The Horns of Ylmir/ From Iffley · Valedictory/ Darkness on the Road/ Sunset in a Town
Week 3	Lecture 3: James Tauber Lecture - The Voyage of Éarendel the Evening Star · The Last Voyage of Éarendel · Éala! Éarendel Engla Beorhtast!
	Discussion 3: Outside/ Magna Dei Gloria/ The Story of Kullervo/Dark · Copernicus v. Ptolemy · Copernicus and Ptolemy
Week 4	Lecture 4: Why the Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon: An East Anglian Phantasy · A Faërie: Why the Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon · The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon
	Discussion 4: The Minstrel Renounces the Song · The Lay of Earendel · The Bidding of the Minstrel/ The Mermaid’s Flute/ The Sparrow’s Morning Chirp to a Lazy Mortal · Bilink, Bilink! · Sparrow Song/ As Two Fair Trees

Module Description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):

JRR Tolkien is one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. Now, a Most Delightful Event has occurred – for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry.

Bonus Lecture from Dr. Olsen each month! We are delighted to announce that each month Dr. Corey Olsen will offer a bonus lecture on Tolkien's poetry. Each month the SPACE team will share Dr. Olsen's bonus lecture with all enrolled students that month in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien series.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: You and Me and the Cottage of Lost Play · The Little House of Lost Play: Mar Vanwa Tyaliéva
	Discussion 1: Courage Speaks to a Child of Earth · The Two Riders/ May Day in a Backward Year · May-Day/ / Princess Nî · The Princess Ní · Princess Mee
Week 2	Lecture 2: Tinfang Warble and Goblin Feet
	Discussion 2: The Happy Mariners · Tha Eadigan Saelidan: The Happy Mariners/ Empty Chapel/ Kortirion among the Trees · The Trees of Kortirion
Week 3	Lecture 3: James Tauber Lecture - The Shores of Faery and Kôr: In a City Lost and Dead · The City of the Gods
	Discussion 3: The Pines of Aryador · A Song of Aryador/ The Pool of the Dead Year · The Pool of Forgetfulness/ Dark Are the Clouds about the North/ The Lonely Harebell · Elfalone
Week 4	Lecture 4: The Trumpet of Faery · The Trumpets of Faery · The Horns of the Host of Doriath
	Discussion 4: Narqelion/ Over Old Hills and Far Away/ The Wanderer’s Allegiance · The Sorrowful City · The Town of Dreams and the City of Present Sorrow · Wínsele Wéste, Windge Reste Réte Berofene · The Song of Eriol

Module Description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):

JRR Tolkien is one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. Now, a Most Delightful Event has occurred – for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry.

Bonus Lecture from Dr. Olsen each month! We are delighted to announce that each month Dr. Corey Olsen will offer a bonus lecture on Tolkien's poetry. Each month the SPACE team will share Dr. Olsen's bonus lecture with all enrolled students that month in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien series.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Tol Eressea · For England: The Lonely Isle · The Lonely Isle
	Discussion 1: Two-Lieut/ A Dream of Coming Home · A Memory of July in England · July · Two Eves in Tavrobel · An Evening in Tavrobel · Once upon a Time/ The Thatch of Poppies/ The Forest Walker
Week 2	Lecture 2: James Tauber Lecture - Habbanan beneath the Stars · Eruman beneath the Stars and O Lady Mother Throned amid the Stars · Consolatrix Afflictorum · Stella Vespertina · Mother! O Lady Throned beyond the Stars
	Discussion 2: To Early Morning Tea · An Ode Inspired by Intimations of the Approach of Early Morning Tea/ Ye Laggard Woodlands
Week 3	Lecture 3: GBS
	Discussion 3: Companions of the Rose/ The Grey Bridge of Tavrobel/ Build Me a Grave beside the Sea · The Brothers-in-Arms/ I Stood upon an Empty Shore/ A Rime for My Boy
Week 4	Lecture 4: Overview of the Early Poems
	Discussion 4: Nursery Rhymes Undone, or Their Scandalous Secret Unlocked · The Cat and the Fiddle · They Say There’s a Little Crooked Inn · There Is an Inn, a Merry Old Inn · The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late/ A Rhyme Royal upon Easter Morning/ The Ruined Enchanter/ The Motor-cyclists

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):

In this triad of modules we explore Volume 3 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. But now for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):

In this triad of modules we explore Volume 3 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. But now for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):

In this triad of modules we explore Volume 3 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. But now for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):
In this triad of modules we explore Volume 2 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. But now for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: The Introduction + The Lay of the Fall of Gondolin
	Discussion 1: Light as Leaf on Lind · As Light as Leaf on Lindentree ·The Tale of Tinúviel/ Nieninqe · Nieninque
Week 2	Lecture 2: Iúmonna Gold Galdre Bewunden · The Hoard
	Discussion 2: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight/ Enigmata Saxonica Nuper Inventa Duo/ Úþwita Sceal Ealdgesægenum/ Moonshine
Week 3	Lecture 3: James Tauber Lecture - The Golden Dragon · Túrin Son of Húrin and Glórund the Dragon · The Children of Húrin (alliterative) · Winter Comes to Nargothrond
	Discussion 3: The Nameless Land · The Song of Ælfwine/ Ave atque Vale · Lines Composed on an Evening · Lines Composed in a Village Inn/ From One to Five/ Ruddoc Hana/ Ides Ælfscýne/ Bagmē Blōma
Week 4	Lecture 4: Pēro & Pōdex · The Root of the Boot · Sam’s Song · The Stone Troll
	Discussion 4: Éadig Béo Þu/ Ofer Wídne Gársecg/ Frenchmen Froth/ Lit’ and Lang’

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):
In this triad of modules we explore Volume 2 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. But now for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Pearl (90)
	Discussion 1: All Hail! (86) and The Owl and the Nightingale (89)
Week 2	Lecture 2: Knocking at the Door · The Mewlips (94)
	Discussion 2: Fastitocalon (95)
Week 3	Lecture 3: James Tauber Lecture - The Lay of Leithian
	Discussion 3: The Hills Are Old (100) and Natura Formice (et Significacio Simul)
Week 4	Lecture 4: A Song of Bimble Bay/ The Progress of Bimble · Progress in Bimble Town (102)
	Discussion 4: The Dragon’s Visit

Module description from Dr. Sara Brown (Lecturing Preceptor):

In this triad of modules we explore Volume 2 of The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien: Three-Volume Box Set, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. All are welcome to join the class whether new to the series or continuing from a previous module!

JRR Tolkien one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. But now for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

JRR Tolkien is one of those rare authors whose poetry is as accomplished as his prose writing. Up to this point, though, those who wished to focus primarily on Tolkien’s poetry had to access a significant number of books and online resources to do so, as they were scattered far and wide. Now, a Most Delightful Event has occurred – for the first time, a collected volume of Tolkien’s poetry is available, and it is a Tome of Significant Size!

In this hybrid course, we will read and discuss a selection of these poems, enjoying them for their aesthetic appeal as well as analysing them for Tolkien’s style, use of language, and the poetic forms he employed. This is a hybrid course, in which one class per week will be a lecture and the second class will be group discussion.

There are so many poems in these volumes that the intention is to spread the course over several months. If you can’t make one or more of the months, feel free to dip in and out as suits you!

I am also delighted to announce that one lecture session per month will be led by the one and only James Tauber, who will focus on language and the formal elements of the poetry.

Bonus Lecture from Dr. Olsen each month! We are delighted to announce that each month Dr. Corey Olsen will offer a bonus lecture on Tolkien's poetry. Each month the SPACE team will share Dr. Olsen's bonus lecture with all enrolled students that month in The Poetic Corpus of J. R. R. Tolkien series.

An in depth discussion of the various musical settings of all the poems in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. We will discuss each poem and its surrounding prose, as it pertains to musical adaptation, before digging into the arrangements that have been recorded of the poem. Most poems in The Lord of the Rings have been recorded several times.

An in depth discussion of the various musical settings of all the poems in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. We will discuss each poem and its surrounding prose, as it pertains to musical adaptation, before digging into the arrangements that have been recorded of the poem. Most poems in The Lord of the Rings have been recorded several times.

An in depth discussion of the various musical settings of all the poems in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. We will discuss each poem and its surrounding prose, as it pertains to musical adaptation, before digging into the arrangements that have been recorded of the poem. Most poems in The Lord of the Rings have been recorded several times.

An in depth discussion of the various musical settings of all the poems in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. We will discuss each poem and its surrounding prose, as it pertains to musical adaptation, before digging into the arrangements that have been recorded of the poem. Most poems in The Lord of the Rings have been recorded several times.

An in depth discussion of the various musical settings of all the poems in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. We will discuss each poem and its surrounding prose, as it pertains to musical adaptation, before digging into the arrangements that have been recorded of the poem. Most poems in The Lord of the Rings have been recorded several times.

An in depth discussion of the various musical settings of all the poems in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. We will discuss each poem and its surrounding prose, as it pertains to musical adaptation, before digging into the arrangements that have been recorded of the poem. Most poems in The Lord of the Rings have been recorded several times.

An in depth discussion of the various musical settings of all the poems in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. We will discuss each poem and its surrounding prose, as it pertains to musical adaptation, before digging into the arrangements that have been recorded of the poem. Most poems in The Lord of the Rings have been recorded several times.

Based on the preceptor's edited volume, Tolkien and the Classical World, this module takes students on a tour of the classical influences and ideas on the life, writings, and thought of English fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien, while also introducing seminal Greco-Roman texts to those without any classical background.

The Gothic genre has inspired many creative minds to explore the darker realms of human psychology and the wider world, sparking fear, terror, horror and repulsion in its audience. J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is as much a ruined Gothic wasteland as it is an idyllic utopia. From Shelob's cave and the hypnotic Mirkwood to the Paths of the Dead and the Barrow-Downs, this module will examine Tolkien's use of Dark Romantic and Gothic techniques that were used by writers such as Horace Walpole, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and E.T.A. Hoffman to strike terror in the heart of their readers.

The module will follow an 8-lesson structure:

• Lecture 1: The Funk of Forty Thousand Years: A Literary History of the Gothic
• Discussion 1: Chilly Echoes in Tolkien's Middle-earth
• Lecture 2: Bottomless Supernatural: Terror, Horror, Abject
• Discussion 2: Conjuring Creepy Creatures
• Lecture 3: The Weird, the Eerie, and the Dark Side of the Mind
• Discussion 3: Defamiliarising Middle-earth
• Lecture 4: Ruined Landscapes
• Discussion 4: What is left? Can the Gothic recover Middle-earth?

Note: The hybrid 8-lesson structure above is the new format for this module moving forward.

J.R.R. Tolkien famously 'found' his legendarium, translating and editing The Red Book of Westmarch for his twentieth century readers. This is not the first time an author has 'forged' a 'lost' literary history as James Macpherson's 'Ossian' documents from the 1760s started a craze for forgeries. Thomas Chatterton's Rowley and Turgot manuscripts similarly fed off the Ossian controversy while questioning what it really meant to 'forge' a document.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: The 1760s, the Age of Forgery
	Discussion 1: Which Red Book are we reading?
Week 2	Lecture 2: The Growth of Romantic Nationalism
	Discussion 2: The Book of Lost Tales: a mythology for which England?
Week 3	Lecture 3: Oral Traditions: Immortality and Youth
	Discussion 3: Vocalising Myth and History
Week 4	Lecture 4: Textual Traditions: Mortal Anxiety and Tangible History
	Discussion 4: Writing myth and history

The imagination and dreams are essential parts of J.R.R. Tolkien's world building which he explored across many stories from 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'On Fairy-stories' to 'The Notion Club Papers'. The same can be said of the Romantics who saw an important connection between the two. In works such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and 'Kubla Khan', Lord Byron's 'The Dream' and 'Darkness', and Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein', the imaginary and dream-like meet with awe-inspiring, melancholy or blood-chilling results.

Class Outline:

• Class 1: The Realms of (Childhood) Faery (60m)
• Class 2: Faery’s Enchantment (60m)
• Class 3: The Terror of the Night (60m)
• Class 4: The Past is an Imagined Dreamworld (90m)
• Class 5: Visions of the Apocalypse (60m)
• Class 6: Senses and Sensation (60m)
• Class 7: Glimpses, mere Fragments (90m)

J.R.R. Tolkien's revolutionary depictions of nature have inspired many to respect and cherish the environment. However, if we journeyed back two hundred years, we would discover that radical British Romantic authors were also challenging how readers perceived their surroundings! In this module, we will use ecology to explore the many parallels and contrasts between Tolkien's Arda and the Romantic's portrayals of nature big and small: mountains and meadows, woods and wildernesses, daffodils and dead marshes. This will include examining how characters react to the environment, nature's existence as separate from our own, and the broader concern of the Industrial Revolution's destructive potential.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Visions of Nature
	Discussion 1: What do your Elf-eyes see?
Week 2	Lecture 2: All things Sublime and Beautiful
	Discussion 2: Sublime, Beautiful, or both at once?!
Week 3	Lecture 3: I want to see mountains!
	Discussion 3: One with our environment
Week 4	Lecture 4: Ecology without Humanity
	Discussion 4: What is actually out there beyond the Human sphere?

One of the earliest stories of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium committed to writing was the tragic tale of Túrin Turambar. As Tolkien himself acknowledged, in creating Túrin’s tale, he drew on elements of real-world legends, particularly those of Sigurd the Volsung, Oedipus, and the Finnish Kullervo. In this module, we’ll look at the interplay between these legends (in the forms that young Tolkien had likely encountered them) and Tolkien’s own creation of the tale of Túrin. The module’s objective is twofold: a semi-biographical examination of young Tolkien’s early creative processes, and familiarization with the historical sources for these legends that proved so inspirational for him.

The module will follow an 8-session structure as shown below:

Outline	8-Session Structure
Week 1	Lecture 1: Introduction to Túrin Turambar and his legendary inspirations (reading: “Turambar and the Foalókë”).
	Discussion 1: Comments on and questions about Túrin Turambar and his legendary inspirations (reading: “Turambar and the Foalókë”).
Week 2	Lecture 2: Oedipus & Túrin (reading: excerpts Sophocles, ed. Jebb, “The Oedipus Tyrannus”).
	Discussion 2: Comments on and questions about Oedipus & Túrin (reading: excerpts Sophocles, ed. Jebb, “The Oedipus Tyrannus”).
Week 3	Lecture 3: Sigurd & Túrin (reading: excerpts from “The Story of Sigurd”, ed. Lang; excerpts from “Völsunga saga”, trans. Eiríkur Magnusson & Morris).
	Discussion 3: Sigurd & Túrin (reading: excerpts from “The Story of Sigurd”, ed. Lang; excerpts from “Völsunga saga”, trans. Eiríkur Magnusson & Morris).
Week 4	Lecture 4: Kullervo & Túrin (reading: excerpts from “Kalevala”, ed. Kirby; excerpts from Tolkien, “The Story of Kullervo”).
	Discussion 4: Kullervo & Túrin (reading: excerpts from “Kalevala”, ed. Kirby; Tolkien, “The Story of Kullervo”).