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Vol. 24, No. 11 - Whole No. 90
Get PDFMythprint is the monthly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. To promote these interests, the Society publishes three magazines, maintains a World Wide Web site, and sponsors the annual Mythopoeic Conference and awards for fiction and scholarship, as well as local and written discussion groups
“Blindfolded by mist or by shadow’: Seeking, hesitating and doubting in Tolkien’s Smith of Wootton Major
Get PDFIn spite of its relative brevity, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Smith of Wootton Major has been a subject of numerous interpretations, with different scholars diverging on whether and to what extent the story can be read as allegorical, autobiographical, philosophical and religious (cf. esp. Flieger & Shippey 2001). In my presentation, I want to focus on an overlooked theme of the story: the way in which reaching or crossing the boundaries of the realm of Faery – the ‘Perilous Realm’ (OFS 32) of Tolkien’s literary aesthetics – results in borderline cognitive states like inquiry, hesitance and doubt. Though Wootton Major – unlike the towns from Hope Mirrlees’s Lud-in-the-Mist or Neil Gaiman’s Stardust – is not in the geographical neighborhood of Faery, it lies on Faery’s border ontologically. Just like in George MacDonald’s The Golden Key, which inspired Tolkien to write Smith, Faery is ‘the country whence the shadows fall’ (MacDonald 1980, 35) on the everyday reality of the inhabitants of the village; this gets reflected in their lives as a pervading sense of mystery, so that both the characters and the reader keep wondering, hesitating,
inquiring, doubting and seeking. Since the small world of Smith of Wootton Major in many ways serves as a microcosm of Tolkien’s larger literary universes (cf. Long 2014), taking a look at this theme through the lens of the epistemology of questions (cf. e.g. Salmon 1995) can throw light on Tolkien’s other works, with Smith and his fellow countrymen akin to other characters placed ‘at once in both worlds’ (LotR 223) – like the Men of Twilight or Eärendil, literally, physically suspended between the mortal and immortal realm. I argue that Smith’s struggles and doubts which result from living ‘both in the world and in Faery’ (Smith 44) introduce to Tolkien’s Platonic literary vision an element of imaginative agnosticism going further than just ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (OFS 52, cf. Coleridge 2014, 208), disclosing a theme whose presence in Tolkien’s writings has rarely been acknowledged: the positive role of not knowing – especially in connection to the power and significance of hope
Fantastical Philosophies: Portrayals of Good and Evil in Tolkien and Popular Film
Get PDFAs we enjoy fiction through written and filmed media, the storytellers portray an array of philosophical perspectives through their work. An inescapable portrayal in any creation is the reality of good and evil. Some writers portray good and evil as equal and opposite forces, harmonious when reached at a balance. Others leave behind this idea with the privation theory of evil. Fantasy, involving heroes and villains, magic and mischief, is a perfect media through which to present philosophy. What, then, do fantastical works have to say about good and evil? Do they agree across the ages or refute one another? Tolkien and Lewis hold orthodox Christian views of the natures of good and evil. How do contemporary works of fantasy compare in this respect? In this paper, I will analyze and compare Christopher Nolan’s film The Dark Knight, George Lucas’s Star Wars universe, and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings for their portrayals of the natures of good and evil
The Year in SF Movies
Get PDFThis is a group discussion, after some opening remarks, about the Science Fiction (broadly interpreted to include what the audience brings up) movies of the past year or so
Opening Ceremonies
Get PDFMythcon participants are invited (but not required!) to take part in our opening festivities Saturday morning by wearing costumes or regalia and carrying banners in our procession to the Terrace Rooms in which our Opening Ceremonies and Scholar Guest of Honor Address will be held. Those wishing to take part in the Opening Procession should meet by 8:45 am inside the main hotel lobby
The Year in Space Exploration
Get PDFThis is a slide presentation by Ben Huset about the developments in space research and exploration over the past year, a tradition at Diversicon
Charles Williams Poetry Workshop
Get PDFThis will be a group “close” reading of a couple of Charles Williams’s Arthurian poems. I will bring copies of the poems to pass out, and as a group (participation is encouraged but not required) we will read them in detail, parsing out meanings and sharing insights. What may seem obvious to one may be a revelation to another. We will also just enjoy the beauty of the poems by reading them out loud, the way they are meant to be heard. For those of you who have never been introduced to these poems, here is your chance. For those of you who acquainted with them, here is a “you too?” moment
Exploring Middle-earth’s Second Age Architecture via Alan Lee’s Artworks
Get PDFThis paper will explore the different ways in which Alan Lee follows up faithfully on Tolkien’s creation of Middle-earth, in terms of its history. One of the ways in which Tolkien made his world so believable was by recording great historical events in the past, the ruins of which were described in the books. Alan Lee remains loyal to Tolkien’s vision in this respect, as he puts us in the midst of a used world, with its own wear and tear, not to mention beautiful ruins. The latter serve to tell us how grand were the civilizations that preceded the Third Age. For example, the cover of The Fall of Gondolin serves to tell us the heights to which this civilization reached in order to construct such a magnificent city in the first place. Gondolin or the Elvish Troy was modelled on an even greater city in the past, Tirion in Valinor that the Noldor had left in the Blessed Realms. This paper will cover Alan Lee’s relevant illustrations of The Fall of Gondolin, Beren and Lúthien, The Children of Húrin, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit. (It will also include materials from Alan Lee’s LOTR and The Hobbit Sketchbooks, as well as excerpts from his interviews on LOTR, and The Hobbit DVD extras
Mythcon History Panel
Get PDF“Mythcon Memories.” At this panel, Mythopoeic Society veterans will share their stories about Mythcons past. Attendees can learn about some of our more bizarre traditions, and who started them. We will discuss how Mythcon has changed over time and where it might be headed in the future
SWOSU Fact Book Spring 2024
Get PDFStarting in Spring 2024, Southwestern Oklahoma State University will produce a Spring Fact Book, which will provide information on enrollment, student demographics, and academic programs for the spring semester. The report is designed to help faculty, staff, administrators, and external stakeholders better understand the student body and university trends. The data analyzed for this report was collected on the 10th day of each spring semester 2015 through 2024