Institute for Medieval Studies

Session	1002
Title	Texts and Images: Aspects of Tolkien's Medievalism
Date/Time	Wednesday 11 July 2007: 09.00-10.30
Organiser	Carl L. Phelpstead, School of English, Communication & Philosophy, Cardiff University
Moderator/Chair	Alaric Hall, Institute for Medieval Studies / School of English, University of Leeds
Paper 1002-a	Verse and Prose: The Lord of the Rings and Saga Poetics (Language: English) Carl L. Phelpstead, School of English, Communication & Philosophy, Cardiff University Index Terms: Language and Literature - Scandinavian; Medievalism and Antiquarianism
Paper 1002-b	Mappa Terrae-Mediae: Exploring Middle-Earth Cartography and Cosmography (Language: English) Dimitra Fimi, Centre for Fantasy & the Fantastic, School of Critical Studies, University of Glasgow Index Terms: Art History - General; Medievalism and Antiquarianism
Paper 1002-c	To Have a Chat with a Dragon: Tolkien as Translator (Language: English) Ármann Jakobsson, School of Humanities, University of Iceland, Reykjavík Index Terms: Language and Literature - Scandinavian; Medievalism and Antiquarianism
Abstract	This session examines the transformations undergone by medieval texts and images in the creative writing of J. R. R. Tolkien. Ármann Jakobsson compares conversations with dragons in the Old Norse mythological poem Fáfnismál and Tolkien's The Hobbit, drawing on Freudian and more recent theory to analyse how Tolkien interprets his medieval source. Dimitra Fimi considers how medieval maps and medieval conceptions of the world influenced Tolkien's own maps, especially his first map in The Book of Lost Tales, where the world is depicted symbolically as a Viking ship. Carl Phelpstead analyses The Lord of the Rings as a prosimetrical text, comparing Tolkien's use of verse with the functions of verses in the Old Icelandic sagas.