Tolkien

Catalog description

In the almost seventy years since the appearance of The Lord of the Rings, the saga of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth has shaped popular conceptions of the languages, peoples, and history of the Middle Ages. In turn, various adaptations of the novel have broadened the reach and appeal of Tolkien's creation, which has subsequently been reinterpreted by filmmakers, musicians, artists, and audiences. This course focuses on the long journey from novel to film that began while Tolkien was still alive but as only realized decades after his death. Through close analysis of Peter Jackson's directorial technique, Howard Shore's musical score, and the concept art of Alan Lee, students will examine how Tolkien's massive novel was brought to an arguably even more influential medium in Peter Jackson's The Lord of Rings film trilogy and how Tolkien and Jackson's works form contemporary conceptions of the medieval past. In addition to readings, the course includes screenings of Jackson's films as well as of the animated adaptations that preceded his trilogy.