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Verse and Prose in Fantasy Literature

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In this video, Katherine Olley gives an analysis of two forms that dominate fantasy literature: verse and prose.

Prosimetrum, the alternation between verse and prose as a narrative form, was an extremely popular form of writing in the ancient and medieval world. This talk asks why prosimetrum has survived as a literary form in modern fantasy literature and explores how fantasy writers like Tolkien and Kay employ shifts between verse and prose to dramatic effect within their work.

Transcript/subtitles (.srt) available here.

Date Published: 16 December 2020
Contributors:
Katherine Olley
In Collection(s): J.R.R. Tolkien, Fantasy Literature: Further Thinking
Keywords:
narrative, prosimetrum, prose, poetry, Medieval Literature, J.R.R. Tolkien, Guy Gavriel Kay
Source:
University of Oxford Podcasts
Cite: Verse and Prose in Fantasy Literature by Katherine Olley at https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/verse-and-prose-fantasy-literature via http://writersinspire.org/content/verse-prose-fantasy-literature. Published on 16 December 2020. Accessed on 31 October 2025.

If reusing this resource please attribute as follows: Verse and Prose in Fantasy Literature (https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/verse-and-prose-fantasy-literature) by Katherine Olley, licensed as Creative Commons BY-NC-SA (2.0 UK).