Written by Michael Drout
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 32 Kbps

The overwhelming success of the Lord of the Rings films and the Harry Potter series aptly demonstrates that the fantasy genre is alive and well in the new millennium. The names of authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Terry Brooks evoke ripe tales of heroism and the clash of good versus evil in magical, faraway lands. The rich collection of King Arthur tales have also captured the imagination of millions and resonates with audiences to the present day.


Should fantasy be considered serious literature, or is it merely escapism? In this course, the roots of fantasy and the works that have defined the genre are examined. Incisive analysis and a deft assessment of what makes these works so very special provides a deeper insight into beloved works and a better understanding of why fantasy is such a pervasive force in modern culture.

Michael D.C. Drout is an associate professor of English at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where he teaches courses in Old and Middle English, medieval literature, Chaucer, fantasy, and science fiction.

Professor Drout received his Ph.D. in medieval literature from Loyola University in 1997. He also holds M.A. degrees from Stanford (journalism) and the University of Missouri-Columbia (English literature) and a B.A. from Carnegie Mellon. Professor Drout was awarded the Faculty Appreciation Award for teaching by the Wheaton College class of 2002. He is the editor of J.R.R. Tolkien's Beowulf and the Critics, which won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies for 2003. His most recent book, How Tradition Works: A Meme-Based Poetics of the Anglo-Saxon Tenth Century, will be published by Arizona Medieval and Renaissance Studies in 2005. Drout is one of the founding editors of the journal Tolkien Studies and is editor of The J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, which will be published by Routledge in 2006.

14 Lectures
35 minutes/lecture

1 What Is Fantasy Literature?: Genre, Canon, History
2 Origins of Modern Fantasy
3 Tolkien: Life and Languages
4 Tolkien: The Hobbit
5 Tolkien: The Fellowship of the Ring
6 Tolkien: The Two Towers
7 Tolkien: The Return of the King
8 Tolkien: The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and Other Posthumously Published Work
9 Tolkien: Criticism and Theory
10 Imitations and Reactions: Brooks and Donaldson
11 Worthy Inheritors: Le Guin and Holdstock
12 Children's Fantasy
13 Arthurian Fantasy
14 Magical Realism and Conclusions