Description:

The fourth class in my Interpretive Literature course series, “Explorations of Truth in the Mythic,” has many of the same academic objectives as the other Interpretive Literature courses:

• engaging student minds with interesting and challenging literature, 
• enabling students to understand, analyze, and write about that literature in increasingly sophisticated ways, 
• preparing students to engage thoughtfully in the world, to communicate their ideas clearly, and to engage competently in college-level humanities courses.

In this class, students will read and analyze Tolkien’s essay, “On Fairy-stories,” to understand the genre, its scope, and its purpose. As we read the essay, we will study many examples of these stories and analyze them in the context of and using the language of the genre. We will then read longer texts—traditional, modern, and foreign—interpreting how they fit (or not) into Tolkien’s definition and exploring the truths revealed within the stories—concepts of nobility, leadership, love, self-sacrifice, bravery, honor, and other qualities essential to engaging in the world honestly, humbly, and heroically. To conclude our study, students will become “sub-creators” by writing their own “Fairy-story,” incorporating into their stories the elements of the genre that we’ve studied throughout the year. 

Students entering this course should be able to read confidently at a high school level. A previous writing course is highly recommended, but not required. Students will have weekly reading and writing assignments. Writing assignments will include informal reading response journals, short informal essays, and formal interpretive essays. Students should expect 3-5 hours of homework each week—about an hour per day outside of class, which constitutes a full English credit.