The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature

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The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature is a free public lecture delivered annually at Pembroke College, Oxford University.

Contents

The series was founded by Pembroke postgraduate students Will Badger and Gabriel Schenk in memory of J.R.R. Tolkien, who was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke from 1925 until 1945. During this time he wrote The Hobbit and the majority of The Lord of the Rings . The aim of the lecture series is to stimulate more serious study of fantasy literature at Oxford University and beyond. The lecture can be on any subject dealing with fantasy, science fiction, horror, or related speculative genres. [1]

The Pembroke College Middle Common Room announced the series in 2012, [2] and the first lecture was delivered on 18 January 2013 by fantasy writer Kij Johnson. [3] [4]

R.F. Kuang was scheduled to deliver the eighth-annual lecture in April 2020, [5] but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her lecture was postponed. On 16 May 2020, in lieu of a lecture, past speakers Kij Johnson, Adam Roberts, Lev Grossman, Terri Windling, and Victoria 'V.E.' Schwab joined forthcoming lecturer Kuang for an online symposium on 'Fantasy in Times of Crisis'. The organizers invited donations to the Society of Authors' emergency fund to support British writers whose livelihoods had been affected by the pandemic.

Guy Gavriel Kay delivered the 2021 lecture on 11 May. It was held digitally via Zoom and streamed live to YouTube. In 2022, the Tolkien Lecture was held in person again, with R. F. Kuang delivering the lecture at Pembroke on 23 May.

On 21 March 2023, it was announced that Maria Dahvana Headley would deliver the lecture on 16 May. [6]

Science Fiction critic, writer, and publisher Cheryl Morgan regularly blogs about the lecture series on her website. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] Fantasy author Juliet E. McKenna has also written about the series. [13]

History

DateLecturerTitle
18 January 2013 Kij Johnson Inaugural Pembroke Lecture on Fantasy Literature in Honour of J.R.R. Tolkien [14]
2 May 2014 Adam Roberts Tolkien and Women [15]
13 May 2015 Lev Grossman Fear and Loathing in Aslan’s Land [16]
26 May 2016 Terri Windling Tolkien’s Long Shadow: Reflections on Fantasy Literature in the Post-Tolkien Era [17]
27 April 2017 Susan Cooper A Catch of the Breath [18]
1 May 2018 Victoria 'V.E.' Schwab In Search of Doors [19]
26 February 2019 Marlon James Our Myths, Our Selves [20]
16 May 2020Panel Discussion:Fantasy in Times of Crisis [21]
11 May 2021 Guy Gavriel Kay Just Enough Light: Some Thoughts on Fantasy and Literature [22]
23 May 2022 R.F. Kuang Goodness, Beauty, and Truth: The Value of Art in Times of Crisis [23]
16 May 2023 Maria Dahvana Headley Tell Me A Story: How Fantastical Literature Has Been Shaped by Storytellers and Audiences [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. R. R. Tolkien</span> English writer and philologist (1892–1973)

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Cooper</span> English fantasy writer

Susan Mary Cooper is an English author of children's books. She is best known for The Dark Is Rising, a contemporary fantasy series set in England and Wales, which incorporates British mythology such as the Arthurian legends and Welsh folk heroes. For that work, in 2012 she won the lifetime Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association, recognizing her contribution to writing for teens. In the 1970s two of the five novels were named the year's best English-language book with an "authentic Welsh background" by the Welsh Books Council. In 2024, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association named her the 40th Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master in recognition of her significant contributions to the literature of science fiction and fantasy. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Gavriel Kay</span> Canadian novelist and poet (born 1954)

Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian writer of fantasy fiction. The majority of his novels take place in fictional settings that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid. Kay has expressed a preference to avoid genre categorization of these works as historical fantasy. As of 2022, Kay has published 15 novels and a book of poetry. As of 2018, his fiction has been translated into at least 22 languages. Kay is also a qualified lawyer in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Shippey</span> British medievalist (born 1943)

Thomas Alan Shippey is a British medievalist, a retired scholar of Middle and Old English literature as well as of modern fantasy and science fiction. He is considered one of the world's leading academic experts on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien about whom he has written several books and many scholarly papers. His book The Road to Middle-Earth has been called "the single best thing written on Tolkien".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mythopoeic Awards</span> Literary award

The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given annually for outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas. Established by the Mythopoeic Society in 1971, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award is given for "fiction in the spirit of the Inklings", and the Scholarship Award for non-fiction work. The award is a statuette of a seated lion, with a plaque on the base. It has drawn resemblance to, and is often called, the "Aslan".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kij Johnson</span> American writer

Kij Johnson is an American writer of fantasy. She is a faculty member at the University of Kansas.

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Do not laugh! But once upon a time I had a mind to make a body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic to the level of romantic fairy-story... The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama. Absurd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Roberts (British writer)</span> British writer known for speculative fiction and parody novels; literature and writing academic

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terri Windling</span> American writer and editor

Terri Windling is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram Stoker Award, and her collection The Armless Maiden appeared on the short-list for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lev Grossman</span> American novelist and journalist

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<i>A Secret Vice</i> 1931 talk by J. R. R. Tolkien

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Dahvana Headley</span> American author

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The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien is a selection of the philologist and fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien's letters. It was published in 1981, edited by Tolkien's biographer Humphrey Carpenter, who was assisted by Christopher Tolkien. The selection, from a large mass of materials, contains 354 letters. These were written between October 1914, when Tolkien was an undergraduate at Oxford, and 29 August 1973, four days before his death. The letters are of interest both for what they show of Tolkien's life and for his interpretations of his Middle-earth writings.

Corey Olsen, the "Tolkien Professor", is a teacher and podcaster, best known for his work in new media promoting the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Anglo Saxon literature. Formerly a professor at Washington College, Olsen now dedicates his time to Signum University, an online learning facility he founded in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. E. Schwab</span> American writer (born 1987)

Victoria Elizabeth Schwab is an American writer. She is known for the 2013 novel Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. She publishes children's and young adult fiction books under the name Victoria Schwab. She is the creator of the supernatural teen drama series First Kill, based on her short story of the same name originally published in the 2020 anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimitra Fimi</span> Scottish academic and author

Dimitra Fimi is a Greek academic and writer and since 2020 the Senior Lecturer in Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow. Her research includes that of the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien and children's fantasy literature.

Rebecca F. Kuang is an American fantasy novelist. Her first novel, The Poppy War, was released in 2018, followed by the sequels The Dragon Republic in 2019 and The Burning God in 2020. Kuang released a stand-alone novel, Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, in 2022. Her newest book is Yellowface, a satirical novel which was published in 2023. Kuang holds graduate degrees in Sinology from Magdalene College, Cambridge and from University College, Oxford, and is currently studying at Yale University.

Michael Foster, known as Mike Foster, was an emeritus professor of English and a Tolkien scholar. In 1978 he pioneered the teaching of Tolkien studies at university level.

References

  1. ↑ About Us, The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature
  2. ↑ Announcing the First Annual Pembroke Lecture on Fantasy Literature in Honour of JRR Tolkien, The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature, 6 December 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  3. ↑ Matt Handley, Pembroke To Introduce Fantasy Lecture, The Oxford Student, 10 January 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  4. ↑ Matthew Reza, Writing the Fantastic [usurped] , The Oxonian Review, 18 January 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  5. ↑ Gabriel Schenk , Pembroke College, Oxford, 26 February 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Maria Dahvana Headley to Deliver the 2023 Tolkien Lecture". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature (website). Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Cheryl Morgan, Marlon James' Tolkien Lecture, Cheryl's Mewsings, 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  8. ↑ Cheryl Morgan, V.E. Schwab’s Tolkien Lecture, Cheryl's Mewsings, 2 May 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Cheryl Morgan, Susan Cooper’s Tolkien Lecture, Cheryl's Mewsings, 28 April 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  10. ↑ Cheryl Morgan, Terri Windling’s Tolkien Lecture, Cheryl's Mewsings, 31 May 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  11. ↑ Cheryl Morgan, 2015 Tolkien Memorial Lecture from @leverus, Cheryl's Mewsings, 31 May 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Cheryl Morgan, The Tolkien Lecture, Cheryl's Mewsings, 20 January 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Juliet E. McKenna, Interesting things of the week; thoughts on Tolkien, writing careers and gender stereotypes, 27 May 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  14. ↑ "PDF version of the first PLFL". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Adam Roberts Lecture Podcast Now Available". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "Video: Lev Grossman, 'Fear and Loathing in Aslan's Land'". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "Photographs, podcast, and video for the Fourth Tolkien Lecture". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "Photographs, podcast, and video for Susan Cooper's Tolkien Lecture". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Video and Photos for Victoria (V.E.) Schwab's Tolkien Lecture". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  20. ↑ "Video and Photos of Marlon James's Tolkien Lecture". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  21. ↑ Literature, Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy (24 May 2020). "Tolkien Symposium 2020: Video Recording and Resource List". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  22. ↑ Literature, Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy (14 May 2021). "Guy Gavriel Kay Lecture Recording". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  23. ↑ "R.F. Kuang Lecture Recording". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  24. ↑ "Maria Dahvana Headley Lecture Recording and Photos". The J.R.R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
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