Reminder: Essay #3 is due Tuesday, December 19 at 5:00 p.m.
medieval
[mid-ee-vuhl ] adjective
1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Middle Ages
fantasy
[fan-tuh-see] noun
1. imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained.
2. the forming of mental images, especially wondrous or strange ones; imaginative conceptualizing.
3. a genre of fiction involving magical, folkloric, or mythical elements
How does our understanding of history shape, and in turn, become shaped by, the fantasy literature and media we produce and consume? As we enter the homestretch — our final unit, "Medieval Fantasies" — we'll grapple with the intricate interplay of history, fantasy, and popular media. While modern fantasy literature often crafts worlds that resonate with medieval echoes, they are still just as much a reflection of our contemporary beliefs, biases, and cultural narratives. These fantastical worlds, as engrossing as they are, often mirror the stereotypes our culture has absorbed over time, setting certain expectations for their look and feel.
Literary — Close Reading of Primary Texts and Media:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: We're finally travelling to Middle Earth! Tolkien's classic gives us a realm steeped in medieval motifs, but it's tailored to address broader human themes that transcend time. However, can the work ever fully escape its own time?
HBO's A Game of Thrones: This gritty, intricate adaptation of George R.R. Martin's series of novels (of which we'll read an excerpt) crafts a world that evokes medieval Europe, yet reflects contemporary power struggles and moral dilemmas, mirrored in the drama's popular (and controversial) reception.
Maya and the Three: This Netflix animated series set in the fictitious Mesoamerican kingdom of Teca, inspired by the rich pre-colonial indigenous cultures of Mexico, offers a fresh take on "medieval"-themed narratives and lends itself to popular reception of the Global Middle Ages. How does Maya and the Three figure alongside DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon or Pixar's Brave?
Critical — Understanding and Reflecting on Critical Sources or Secondary Texts:
Helen Young's "Whitewashing the Real Middle Ages in Popular Media" from Whose Middle Ages?: Young shows how modern media often paints a homogenized and Eurocentric image of the Middle Ages, even when that media is pure fantasy, sidelining the diverse realities of the past.
Nicholas Paul's "Modern Intolerance and the Medieval Crusades" from Whose Middle Ages?: Paul explores how modern biases and perspectives can reshape and at times misrepresent our understanding of events like the medieval crusades; those misunderstandings are then used to allow and excuse intolerance today.
Christine Chism's "Middle Earth, the Middle Ages, and the Aryan Nation" from Tolkien the Medievalist: Chism analyzes the racial undertones and appropriations in Tolkien's works, juxtaposed against medieval contexts, even though Tolkien himself condemned the Nazi party and grieved their appropriation of the medieval past.
Sierra Lomuto's "Becoming Postmedieval: The Stakes of the Global Middle Ages": Lomuto discusses how understanding the Middle Ages from a global perspective can challenge and enrich contemporary interpretations, but more importantly, she argues that the field has a responsibility to engage in this meaningful work in a way that is not simply "institutional diversity work."
Throughout this unit, we'll consider how fantasy narratives both draw from and shape perceptions of the Middle Ages, often reflecting contemporary concerns, biases, and hopes. By the end, we will gain a nuanced understanding of the symbiotic relationship between history, fantasy, and cultural memory as expressed through popular media. We'll also consider what future work in this field — be it scholarly, amateur, or popular — could or even should look like.
Instructional — Technical Skills for Reading, Writing, and Research:
In our climactic unit, "Medieval Fantasies," we'll be integrating all of the skills we've acquired over the course of the semester to actively engage in and contribute to academic discourse. Using Graff and Bernstein's They Say / I Say as a guide, we will learn the art of positioning our analyses (our close readings and reflections) within a broader academic conversation. The best arguments not only assert a unique standpoint (the "I Say"), but position it in relation to existing perspectives (the "They Say"). Building on our competencies in annotating critical sources and performing close readings, we are now ready to offer our own critical insights into literary works. This iterative learning journey has readied each of us to articulate a unique voice, informed by and responding to prior scholarship. The culmination of Unit Five will be a short paper, where we will expertly navigate the waters of academic discourse, presenting a close reading that is buttressed by a well-structured, critically-informed argument. (This is a skill we need regardless of major!) Through this exercise, we will demonstrate the ability to synthesize information, enter established critical conversations, and stake a claim in that vast landscape of with our own interpretations!
Prepare
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Chapters 1-5
The Hobbit can be found in its entirety through the Internet Archive. It is also available in print everywhere.
Audible has multiple audiobook versions, but there is an excellent reading by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the film series. Serkis also did a #Hobbitathon reading in 2020 to raise funds for COVID-19 relief. He read the entire book in an eleven-hour sitting. You can watch/listen to that reading on YouTube or the Internet Archive.
Suggested
David Greenham's Close Reading: The Basics, Chapter 8
Student Presentation
Helen Young’s “Whitewashing the Real Middle Ages in Popular Media” from Whose Middle Ages?
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY - NO CLASS
Prepare
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Chapters 6-14
Suggested
Graff and Birkenstein's They Say / I Say, Chapters 1 and 16
Student Presentation
Nicholas Paul's "Modern Intolerance and the Medieval Crusades" from Whose Middle Ages?
Screen and discuss the premiere episode of HBO's television adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones.
Prepare
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Chapters 15-19
In-Class
Read Christine Chism's "Middle Earth, the Middle Ages, and the Aryan Nation" from Tolkien the Medievalist
Assignment
Journal #11
In-Class
Watch and discuss Netflix's Maya and the Three
Assignment
ESSAY #2 DUE
In-Class
Watch and discuss Netflix's Maya and the Three
Assignment
Journal #12
FINAL PAPER DUE