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Fantasy Literature: Further Thinking
These podcasts allow you to explore further some of the key themes, texts, and writers engaged in fantasy literature. Note there is a separate 'Fantasy Literature: An Introduction' if you want to hear a brief summary of the genre and have short talks around some of the writers, plus separate collections on 'Fantasy at Oxford' (the famous writers and collections that have been in contact with the City and the University), and one dedicated to J. R. R. Tolkien.
To begin with read this introductory essay on the topic.
We have also created two teaching packs to support this:
- 'His Dark Materials' Years 9 and up (slideset and teaching guide)
- 'The Lord of the Rings' Years 9 and up (slideset and teaching guide).
- 'The Silmarillion' Years 10 and up (slideset and teaching guide)
If you enjoy these podcasts on 'Fantasy Literature' we would love to hear your feedback. Please complete a short survey at: https://oxford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/oxford-fantasy-podcasts.
| # | Title | Description | Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is Jin Yong 'China's Tolkien'? |
A comparison of the Hong Kong author Jin Yong and J. R. R. Tolkien by Jonathan Hui, English... |
Jonathan Hui |
| 2 | The Last of the Titans |
This talk discusses the fantasy novel The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham. The novel is often... |
Jane Bliss |
| 3 | Arthur Rackham at Trinity College |
Emma Sillett, Trinity College Librarian, and Dr Caroline Batten explore the Danson Library's... |
Emma Sillett, Caroline Batten |
| 4 | Edward Lear and Fantasy |
Jasmine Jagger provides a short introduction to Edward Lear, a literary nonsense author whose... |
Jasmine Jagger |
| 5 | The Saga of Eric the Unlucky |
In The Saga of Eric the Unlucky, Jane Bliss examines Rider Haggard's use of medieval narrative... |
Jane Bliss |
| 6 | Werewolves in Medieval Literature vs Modern TV |
A discussion of werewolves in medieval and modern representations by Dr Minjie Su. A... |
Minjie Su |
| 7 | Mythopoeia: myth-creation and Middle-earth |
A celebration of Tolkien and his creations, with special guests Dame Marina Warner, Prof Verlyn... |
Marina Warner, Verlyn Flieger, Dimitra Fimi |
| 8 | Tolkien's turning point: Tolkien and the history of tongues |
Tom Shippey's lecture will move from the detail to the (eventual) design of Tolkien's languages... |
Tom Shippey |
| 9 | Middle English: 'The Tree of Tongues' Tolkien's Medieval languages |
This lecture is on Tolkien and middle english. Professor Carolyne Larrington, Tutorial Fellow in... |
Carolyne Larrington |
| 10 | Medieval Welsh: 'The Tree of Tongues' Tolkien's Medieval Languages |
Tolkien once termed Welsh 'the elder language of the men of Britain'; this talk explores how the... |
Mark Williams |
| 11 | Gothic: 'The Tree of Tongues' Tolkien's Medieval Languages |
Elizabeth Solopova, Lecturer in English Literature, Christ Church, Oxford. Tolkien wrote that he... |
Elizabeth Solopova |
| 12 | Old English: 'The Tree of Tongues' Tolkien's Medieval Languages: |
Mark Atherton, Senior Lecturer in English, Regent's Park College, Oxford, gives the fourth talk... |
Mark Atherton |
| 13 | Old Norse: 'The Tree of Tongues' Tolkien's Medieval Languages |
Eleanor Parker, Lecturer in Medieval English Literature, Brasenose College, Oxford, gives the... |
Eleanor Parker |
| 14 | Morte D'Arthur Murals in the Oxford Union |
A visual discussion of the Morte D'Arthur murals in the library of the Oxford Union by Tom... |
Tom Corrick, Caroline Batten |
| 15 | What is the 'Silmarillion'? |
This lecture is an introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien's third major work, 'The Silmarillion' (1977... |
Grace Khuri |
| 16 | Verse and Prose in Fantasy Literature |
In this video, Katherine Olley gives an analysis of two forms that dominate fantasy literature:... |
Katherine Olley |
| 17 | Re-Enchanted: The Rise of Children’s Fantasy Literature in the Twentieth Century |
Maria Sachiko Cecire introduces the idea of an Oxford School of children’s fantasy literature,... |
Maria Sachiko Cecire |
| 18 | Why 'Game of Thrones' Matters |
Carolyne Larrington discusses some reasons for the popularity of the HBO series, explores some... |
Carolyne Larrington |
| 19 | Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' |
Margaret Kean explores how Philip Pullman plays with the idea of communication across different... |
Margaret Kean |
| 20 | The Stories of Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman |
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Stuart Lee and Margaret Kean explore the digital afterlives of these... |
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Stuart Lee, Margaret Kean |
| # | Title | Description | Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Conversation with Katherine Langrish |
Dr Caroline Batten chats with author Katherine Langrish about her book 'From Spare Oom to War... |
Caroline Batten, Katherine Langrish |
| 2 | C. S. Lewis and 'The Wind in the Willows' |
A discussion of the influence of 'The Wind in the Willows' on fantasy writers - notably C. S.... |
Simon Horobin |
| 3 | Faith in fantasy literature |
A short discussion of the role of faith in fantasy literature looking at the novels of James... |
Katherine Olley |
| 4 | William Morris and E. R. Eddison Collections at the Bodleian |
An interview with Rachael Marsay about the William Morris and E. R. Eddison collections at the... |
Rachael Marsay, Stuart Lee |
| 5 | A Walk around C. S. Lewis's Oxford |
Using the geographic touch points in Oxford, Professor Simon Horobin of Magdalen College, Oxford... |
Simon Horobin |
| 6 | Desiring Dragons: Creative and Critical Responses to the Dragon in 'Beowulf' |
Laura Varnam discusses dragons in fantasy literature, exploring the ways in which the dragon of... |
Laura Varnam |
| 7 | A Conversation With R. F. Kuang |
Carolyne Larrington and Caroline Batten interview Rebecca F. Kuang, award-winning fantasy author... |
Carolyne Larrington, Caroline Batten, R. F. Kuang |
| 8 | An Interview with Elizabeth Knox, author of 'The Absolute Book' |
Carolyne Larrington interviews critically-acclaimed fantasy author Elizabeth Knox about The... |
Carolyne Larrington, Elizabeth Knox |
| 9 | Oriental Tales and Their Influence |
Prof. Warner and Prof. Ballaster begin their conversation with Antoine Galland's translation... |
Ros Ballaster, Marina Warner |
| 10 | Maria Dahvana Headley on 'The Mere Wife' and 'Beowulf' |
Author Maria Dahvana Headley reads from her 2018 novel 'The Mere Wife', is interviewed by Prof.... |
Carolyne Larrington, Maria Dahvana Headley, David Clark |
| 11 | Old Norse in the New World: The Mythology and Politics of Immigration and Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' |
A talk by Professor Heather O'Donoghue, Lincoln College, Oxford on Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods... |
Heather O'Donoghue |
| 12 | Discworld and the Modern University |
A short talk introducing Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and how they reflect the modern... |
Andrew Shamel |
| 13 | Daoxuan and Chinese Fantasy Literature |
A short talk on Daoxuan and medieval Chinese fantasy by Nelson Landry, DPhil student at the... |
Nelson Landry |
| 14 | What Tolkien learnt from Beowulf: Representations of Evil |
Smaug the Golden, Sauron the Terrible, the Balrog of Moria... These are some of J. R. R. Tolkien... |
Rafael J. Pascual |
| 15 | Interview: Catherine Butler |
An interview with Dr Catherine Butler (Cardiff University) by Will Brockbank (Oxford). Dr Butler... |
Catherine Butler, Will Brockbank |
| 16 | Literary Allusion in Harry Potter |
J.K. Rowling’s imagination is fired by the past. How do historical objects illuminate the real-... |
Beatrice Groves, Victoria McGuinness |
| 17 | Wolves and Winter: Old Norse Myths and Children's Literature |
Dr Carolyne Larrington, Supernumerary Fellow and Tutor in English, St John's College, gives... |
Carolyne Larrington |
| 18 | Oriental Tales and Their Influence |
Prof. Warner and Prof. Ballaster begin their conversation with Antoine Galland's... |
Ros Ballaster, Marina Warner |
| 19 | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
This lecture on A Midsummer Night's Dream uses modern and early modern understandings of... |
Emma Smith |
| 20 | Oxford Literary Festival 2010 Pieces of Places Discussion The Weirdstone of Brisingamen |
Alan Garner, Mark Edmonds, and Robert Powell take part in a discussion on the subject of pieces... |
Alan Garner, Mark Edmonds, Robert Powell |
| 21 | Oxford Literary Festival 2010 Pieces of Places - Reading of Alan Garner's Work |
The 50th anniversary of the publication of Alan Garner's first novel, The Weirdstone of... |
Robert Powell, Alan Garner |
| 22 | Oxford Literary Festival 2010 By Seven Firs and Goldenstone - An account of the Legend of Alderley |
Alan Garner gives an illustrated lecture on the Legend of Alderley. This version of the myth of... |
Alan Garner |
| 23 | Philip Pullman: Lyra's Oxford, Bodleian Library Masterclass |
Acclaimed author of His Dark Materials Philip Pullman is interviewed by Margaret Kean on his new... |
Philip Pullman, Margaret Kean |