Universität Wien

160135 VO The Lord of the Rings: language and culture in Tolkien's Middle Earth (2010W)

Details

Language: German

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 05.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 12.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 19.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 09.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 16.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 23.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 30.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 07.12. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 14.12. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 11.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 18.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Tuesday 25.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Tolkien had at least two motivations for creating Middle Earth and, later, the Lord of the Rings. One was to create a national mythology for England, which he felt lacked a distinctly English (as opposed to Germanic, Anglo-Norman, etc.) creation story. The second was that he wanted to create a world with inhabitants to speak the languages he was creating. This course will explore both of these motivations, locating Tolkien in his social context, examining the internal and external history of the languages he created, discussing the extremely complex Überlieferung of his works, and exploring how these various factors conspire to create a linguistic realism that is generally, though not always, lacking in works of fiction.

Assessment and permitted materials

Final exam.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

• familiarity with Tolkien’s life and his fictional and academic work (the social context of his writing)
• knowledge of the history and chronology of Tolkien’s creation of Middle Earth and the Lord of the Rings (Überlieferungsgeschichte)
• understanding of the basic functions of Language in society, both as defined by modern linguistics and as it appears in the Lord of the Rings
• ability to examine Tolkien’s work with a critical eye toward his use of language (both real and created)

Examination topics

Lecture

Reading list

To be distributed during class.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:35