From Beowulf to Postmodernism: J.R.R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings

NEH Summer 2004 Institute

Co-Directors:
Dr. Judy Ann Ford & Dr. Robin Anne Reid

J.R.R. Tolkien can be called "The Author of the Century" as a result of his top ranking in a number of readers' polls conducted in Britain during the late 1990s. He is a writer whose fiction is of immense value to high school literature and history classes because his work draws on the literature and culture of medieval Europe, subjects he understood profoundly and loved deeply. As a professor of medieval philology at Oxford University, Tolkien was one of the foremost experts in the world on Old English and Old Norse. His epic novel, The Lord of the Rings, formed the crowning achievement of a decades-long effort to fictionally re-imagine the lost mythology of early-medieval northern Europe using such fragments of its language and myth as survived. In addition, Tolkien was himself a writer shaped by the modern world as a number of scholars on the modern period have noted. His experiences as a child in late-Victorian England, as rural areas were being industrialized, and as a young man in the horrific conflict of the first World War resonate throughout his fiction. As a result, The Lord of the Rings does more than offer an entry point into medieval and modern history and culture; it also contains those enduring, universal elements which mark great literature. The epic raises moral and philosophical questions concerning the nature of good and evil, a common thread which has united study in the humanities for centuries.

Tolkien above all else was expert in languages. His philological scholarship on the Old English and Old Norse languages and literatures has never been questioned, and his essays and translations are still considered seminal for scholars of medieval literature. Tolkien believed that a language could be studied only through its literature, and that literature could be understood only by knowing all about its language. In The Lord of the Rings he did not write merely a novel; he invented a mythology and history for Middle Earth, peopled by species such as hobbits, dwarfs, and elves. Tolkien created entire languages, with carefully developed grammars, scripts, and vocabularies. His mythology and languages, though fictional, were deeply rooted in the historical experience of early medieval Europe. Tolkien worked on his mythological and linguistic project for more than fifty years. The Lord of the Rings, a novel set in his imagined world, is thus unique in the depth of its created languages and history.

The Tolkien Institute, "From Beowulf to Postmodernism: J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings ," was designed to help high school teachers explore ways to use J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a pedagogical bridge, as well as an object of analysis in its own right. With the help of nine international experts in Tolkien Studies (http://www7.tamu-commerce.edu/Tolkien/Tolkien_Scholars.htm) from multiple disciplines, we explored the medieval and modern influences as well as the contemporary impact of Tolkien 's epic novel. The teachers who participated in this Summer Institute analyzed The Lord of the Rings and developed ways to use it in their classes to illustrate aspects of both history and literature from the Middle Ages and the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The participants of the Summer 2004 Tolkien Institute will be presenting their work at the 2004 National Council of Teachers of English conference (http://www.ncte.org/) and the 2004 International Congress of Medieval Studies
(http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/).

TOLKIEN 'S TREES

David Cullimore teaches English at Hurricane High School in Hurricane, Utah. His courses include AP English. Mr. Cullimore is a department chair and also serves as a adjunct professor at Dixie State College.

David Cullimore Folder

Eve Leonard teaches English at Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida. She has a background in psychology as well as English. Ms. Leonard has just completed her first year of teaching.

Eve Leonard Folder

Charles Conover teaches English at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. His courses include AP English Literature and Composition, and he has served as a Reader for the AP exam. He served as coach to the Scholastic Bowl academic competition team. Mr. Conover has an educational background in History as well as English.

Charlie Conover Folder

MIDDLE EARTH: CULTURE AND HISTORY

Wendy Bartman teaches English at Chino High School in Chino, California. Her courses include AP English. Ms. Bartman has a background in Theater Arts.

Wendy Bartman Folder

Kevin Briscoe teaches History in Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia. His courses include AP History. He is a department chair and a debate and forensics coach.

Kevin Briscoe Folder

Anthony Dalasio teaches History in Lackawanna Trail Junior-Senior High School in Factoryville, Pennsylvania. His courses include world geography and world cultures. He has participated in four NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes. Mr. Dalasio serves as a department chair.

Anthony Dalasio Folder

EXPLORING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Jennifer Culver teaches English at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas. Her courses include AP English. She serves as a UIL coach for writing and literary criticism.

Jennifer Culver Folder

Kimberly Jurkiw teaches English at Bixby High School in Bixby, Oklahoma. She has a background in psychology and social work as well as English.

Kimberly Jurkiw Folder

Karen Newcomb teaches at Bowie School (K-8) in Greenville, Texas. Her subjects include mythology, critical thinking, Spanish, and logic.

Karen Newcomb Folder --> script

Karen Newcomb Folder --> logic & analogies

Karen Newcomb older --> Tolkien time/physics

TOLKIEN IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM

Jeannean Berglund teaches English at Lyons High School in Lyons, Colorado. Her courses include AP English. She is a department chair and directs a school play each year.

Jeannean Berglund Folder

Christine Parker teaches English at Del Norte County High School in Crescent City, California. Her courses include AP English Literature and Composition.

Christine Parker Folder

Traci Pearson teaches Language Arts at Ingleside Middle School in Phoenix Arizona. She has an educational background in Spanish as well as English. Ms. Pearson also has experience in dance and baton twirling.

Traci Pearson Folder --> Tolkien Unit

TOLKIEN IN OTHER MEDIA

C. Riley Auge teaches English at Columbia Falls High School in Columbia Falls, Montana. Her courses include AP English and comparative mythology. She is a department head and a debate coach.

Riley Auge ` Folder

Fawn Erickson-Bragg teaches English at Newberg High School in Newberg, Oregon. Her courses include AP English. Ms. Erickson-Bragg is very involved in online education.

Fawn Erickson-Bragg Folder

Tracey Lewis teaches English at Greenon High School in Springfield, Ohio. She has a background in human resources as well as English.

Tracey Lewis Folder

RESEARCH AND WRITING

Diane Caddell teaches English at Luling High School in Luling, Texas. Her courses include two dual enrollment courses in which students earn college credit, one in composition and one in British literature. She holds degrees in both English and History. Ms. Caddell participated in a Southwest Texas State University seminar on "Film in the Classroom" in 1991.

Diane Caddell Folder

Carol Malafa teaches English at Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, California. She also teaches photography and has an educational background in journalism as well as English. She is very active in the NEA.

Carol Malafa Folder

Marissa Solomon teaches English at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York. She has an educational background in technical theater as well as English. Ms. Soloman serves as a swim team coach and as Coordinator of Student Affairs.

Marissa Solomon Folder

TOLKIEN ACTIVITIES

Barbara Duncan teaches English at Northwest Christian School in Phoenix, Arizona. Her courses include AP English and dual enrollment courses. She is a department chair for grades seven through twelve. Ms. Duncan studied English in Oxford University during the summers of 2002 and 2003. She was nominated for a Disney Hand Award this year.

Barbara Duncan Folder

Jennifer Head teaches English at Faith Christian School in Coleman, Wisconsin. She has directed school plays and served as speech meet coach.

Jennifer Head Folder

Maribel Nieves teaches ESL and Spanish at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in New York, New York. She has served for a number of years as a trainer/chaperone for the Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute Conference in Albany , New York .

Maribel Nieves Folder --> Tolkien activities

RESOURCES

Anita Beaman is a librarian at Olympia High School in Stanford, Illinois. She holds degrees in both English and History.

Michael Colvin teaches mathematics at Lawrence Alternative High School in Lawrence, Kansas. He has a background in both Biology and English. Mr. Colvin is a department chair.

Michael Colvin Folder

Nathan Willard teaches English at Lafayette High School in Wildwood Montana. He created and sponsors the Players Guild gaming club and has serves as a sponsor of a poetry contest and a Word Master team.

Nathan Willard Folder

STUDIES OF INDIVIDUALS

Tim Costello teaches English at Moorhead Senior High School in Moorhead, Minnesota. His courses include AP English Literature and Composition and Creative Writing. He participated in an American Studies Seminar in 1984. Mr. Costello has an educational background in Social Studies as well as English.


Alexis Lupo teaches English at Fort Lee High School in Fort Lee, New Jersey. She teaches journalism as well, and serves as a facilitator of the school newspaper. She studied in Italy in the summer of 1993 and in France in the summer of 1994.

Alexis Lupo Folder

Matthew MacLaughlin teaches English at Midlothian High School in Midlothian, Virginia. He has an educational background in Art History as well as English. Mr. MacLaughlin has worked as a reporter and owns a club DJ company and recording company.

Matthew MacLaughlin Folder

MORAL AND RELIGIOUS ISSUES

Corwin Baden teaches English at Vail Christian High School in Edwards, Colorado. His courses include AP Language and Literature and world literature. He is a department head and serves as advisor and editor of the yearbook

Corwin Baden Folder --> Teller of Tales --> Lesson Handouts

Corwin Baden Folder --> Teller of Tales --> Unit Overview

Diane Loyd teaches English at North Garland High School in Garland, Texas. Her courses include pre-AP English. She has an educational background in History as well as English. Ms. Loyd has taught journalism and has served as a yearbook/newspaper sponsor.

Diane Loyd Folder

Don Parsons teaches English at Southeast High School in Cherokee, Kansas. His courses include dramatic writing. He serves as a cross country coach and as announcer at sporting events.

Don Parsons Folder