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Reimagining Human-Nonhuman Friendships through Feminist Animal Studies: An Exploration of Sunny and Della’s Cross-Species Friendship in Nnedi Okorafor’s \u3ci\u3eThe Nsibidi Scripts\u3c/i\u3e Series
Full text link“Her hair was held a marvel unmatched”: The Significance of Long, Blonde Hair in Tolkien’s Imagination
Full text linkMyth, Murder, and Mayhem: Discerning the ‘Other’ in Our Flag Means Death
Full text linkAlthough the television series Our Flag Means Death presents on the surface as a romantic comedy, it is enhanced by mythic elements that infuse the narrative with a clear sense of the fantastic. Here, the pirates exist in a Secondary World that openly draws upon the Primary (both in terms of historiography and legend); hence 18th-century piracy and British colonialism can interact seamlessly with human-to-animal-transformations (paying homage to the Greek myth of Ceyx and Alcyone) without seeming either disconcerting or anomalous – all co-exist comfortably in Faerie. OFMD both inverts and deconstructs mythopoeia; the Primary World myths of the Gentleman Pirate, and of the ‘dread pirate’ Blackbeard are simultaneously further mythologized in the series; in particular, the historical friendship between the two undergoes its own Ovidian metamorphosis, portrayed as a queer romantic relationship, one of many highlighted over the two seasons. Indeed, in a crew that is both diverse and queer, (including queered/Othered bodies, sexualities, and identities), queerness is not only a norm, but embraced and celebrated; the ‘chosen family’ of the Revenge’s crew is also depicted as the ‘norm.’ In terms of storytelling, this raises a pertinent question: When queerness is a normalized and predominant culture, who is being Othered for dramatic tension? This paper explores the ways in which OFMD identifies the antagonists in a queer world, examining how the show challenges and inverts the definition of the Other
Reading, Rending, and Queering the Web of Story with the Lenses of “Con-creation” and Process Theology
Full text link“Sub-creation” within Tolkien’s narrative and extra-narrative works is routinely exhibited not as monolithic but rather as (literally and figuratively) polyphonic. In this joint paper Bourquein proposes that the Legendarium can be read through the lens of “con-creation” (total, continuous, collective, creative activity) both internally (as events in the Secondary World) and externally (as both a text and a pseudohistory in the Primary World). This approach levels the playing field between all actors in—and readers of—“The Drama,” providing a queer approach to interpretive-creative activity when compared to “orthodox” doctrines of creation. Polk further argues that con-creation resonates with process theologies of creation, particularly Jacob J. Erickson’s Irreverent Theology and Catherine Keller’s creatio ex profundis, which both emphasize the participation of a multiplicity of creatures in divine creativity, shaking off a monolithic determination of creation
Unknowing in Tolkien\u27s Legendarium and the Agnosia of the Elvish Tradition
No full textThe many layers of Unknowing in Tolkien’s legendarium make some of the most profound statements in his work. Unknowing creates space for the reader to have a more active and intimate experience with the text, and supports the central Christian moral message in The Lord of the Rings. The theme of Unknowing ties the legendarium to a larger set of scriptural and Christian writings, including the Book of Job, Mystical Theology, and The Cloud of Unknowing. Finally, Unknowing is shown to be a function of the legendarium reflecting a dominantly Elvish perspective. By dismissing the assumed authority of that perspective, which the paper terms the agnosia of the Elvish tradition, a postcolonial reading of the legendarium can be found that furthers the Christian themes. By contrasting what is shown and what is told in the texts, the reader participates in an experiential event of challenging a narrative of power, and thereby transcending the agnosia of the Elvish tradition
Saunders Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Place of Magic in Fantasy
No full textWelsh writer Saunders Lewis was, just as his almost exact contemporary J.R.R.Tolkien, a politically conservative Catholic with a deep interest in medieval myths. Both authors wrote fantasy based on Celtic tales, such as Lewis\u27s play Blodeuwedd and Tolkien\u27s poem The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun. While the latter follows the dicta of Tolkien\u27s own On Fairy-stories, Lewis created a more modernist work. Despite biographical and ideological similarities, the two approached their sources differently. Tolkien looked for unifying aesthetic principles that he called unhazy unromantic momentariness, while Lewis used the traditional material to escape the constraints of romantic and realistic fiction.
This article concentrates primarily on one aspect of Lewis\u27s and Tolkien\u27s adaptation of the source material: the location of Faerie and magic within their secondary worlds. Tolkien, in a more traditional manner, separates the Faerie (where magic originates) from the world of Men. Lewis, while keeping the traditional Celtic Otherworld, sets apart the forest of the fey and the castles of men; magic is produced through their contact. Tolkien expected integrity in his secondary worlds, while Lewis wrote about the individual in conflict with the objective. Thus for the former, magic/enchantment is a neutral tool, and for the latter, a rare and dangerous power. As this article also discusses, their different approaches to fantasy explain different treatments of Welsh sources such as the Mabinogion, which Tolkien criticized throughout his life
\u3ci\u3eMemory and Medievalism in George R.R. Martin and\u3c/i\u3e Game of Thrones: \u3ci\u3eThe Keeper of All Our Memories\u3c/i\u3e, edited by Anna Czarnowus and Carolyne Larrington
No full textThis review of Memory and Medievalism in George R.R. Martin and Game of Thrones, edited by Anna Czarnowus and Carolyne Larrington, evaluates the collection’s contribution to medievalist scholarship on Martin’s works. It highlights the volume’s thematic breadth—from historical reimaginings and institutional critiques to emotional theory and portrayals of violence—while emphasizing the fresh perspectives offered by European non-Anglophone scholars. The reviewer praises the essays’ nuanced engagement with medieval traditions and their relevance to Martin’s narrative choices in both the books and the HBO adaptation. Ultimately, the review affirms the collection’s valuable contribution to the study of Martin’s medievalism
\u3ci\u3eWomen of the Fairy Tale Resistance: The Forgotten Founding Mothers of the Fairy Tale and the Stories That They Spun\u3c/i\u3e by Jane Harrington
No full textThis article gives a review of Jane Harrington\u27s Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance: The Forgotten Founding Mothers of the Fairy Tale and the Stories That They Spun. The review highlights the book as a missed opportunity due to improper citations, an odd tone, and a confused view of who the intended reader is
December 2025
No full textFDA MedWatch - 20 mEq Potassium Chloride Injection by Otsuka ICU Medical Plan to expand Medicare Coverage of GLP-1s Pharmacist Interventions in The US Oncology Network Cut Cancer Care Costs by Nearly $9 Millio