200 research outputs found
Classical Epic in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien
No full textThe Lord of the Rings has often been described as an 'epic', and although Tolkien drew most famously on
Northern mythology in his creation of Middle-earth much of his work also bears similarities to classical epic,
both with regard to particular characters and archetypes and to more general themes and motifs. This thesis
examines the connections between The Lord of the Rings and the epics of Homer and Virgil, investigating the
manner in which these allusions function in Tolkien and how they contribute to our understanding of Middleearth
as at least partially an epic world with epic ideals of heroism. At the same time, however, it identifies the
ways in which Tolkien changes or subverts such classical ideals and archetypes as they combine with other
cultural influences.
Following the model established in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings begins with the folk-tale heroes and
setting of the Shire before gradually moving into an epic world. Not only heroes such as Aragorn, but less
obviously epic heroes such as Gandalf, Frodo and Sam, draw frequently on the iconography and motifs
associated with specific and general classical figures, while women such as Arwen, Eowyn and Galadriel can
similarly be read as part of classical tradition. Moreover, despite the purely fictional nature of Middle-earth in
contrast to the historical (if mythologised) cultures of classical epic, The Lord of the Rings contains many
examples of epic type-scenes that in classical epic illustrate the correct manner in which a hero should behave both in peace and in battle. The Lord of the Rings' relationship to epic is complex, however, not only employing these heroic and epic conventions but also subverting or superseding them as Tolkien engages with the problems of classical motifs within a very different universe. The heroes and heroines of The Lord of the Rings
must navigate codes of behaviour both classical and non-classical, and willingly relinquish those out of place
in the new age being born around them.
This tension between old and new codes of behaviour is made more explicit during the book's twin 'returns',
that of Aragorn to Minas Tirith and the hobbits to the Shire. Although these continue to draw extensively on
classical predecessors, most notably Aeneas' prophesised arrival in Latium and Odysseus' famous homecoming, these predecessors are also superseded as Middle-earth moves into the Fourth Age. While The Hobbit moves from folk tale to epic and back again, The Lord of the Rings moves from folk-tale to epic to somewhere “beyond the epic” (Flieger 145), and as the book draws to its elegiac conclusion pure classical values become increasingly supplanted by the book’s own heroic code, influenced by many heroic traditions and overwhelmingly by Tolkien's Catholic beliefs. In the end, The Lord of the Rings can perhaps be read as an epic about the passing of epic, and thus an epic for the modern world
Does the Composition of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in Peatland Streams Reflect the DOC Leached from Vegetation, Litter and Soil?
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The Aeneid with Rabbits: Children's Fantasy as Modern Epic
No full textDespite their apparent dissimilarity, children's literature and the epic tradition are often intertwined. This is seen perhaps most clearly in the frequent retelling and repackaging of epics such as Beowulf and the Odyssey as children's books. If there is potential for epic to become children's stories, however, there is also potential for children's stories to become epic, and a number of important works of children's fantasy have been discussed as epics in their own right.
In this thesis, I examine the extent to which writers of children's fantasy can be viewed as working in an epic tradition, drawing on and adapting epic texts for the modern age as Virgil and Milton did for their own times. Looking specifically at key works of British fantasy written post-WWI, I argue that children's literature and epic serve similar social and cultural functions, including the ability to mythologise communal experience and explore codes of heroism that are absorbed by their intended audience. Rosemary Sutcliff's retellings of epic texts for children suggest the ways in which epic can be reworked to create new heroic codes that are a combination of their source material, the values of their new cultural context, and the author's own personal worldview. This potential is further explored through Richard Adams's Watership Down, an animal story that functions in part as a retelling of Virgil’s Aeneid with rabbits. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit uses the tension between epic and children's fairy-tale to examine the codes at the heart of Norse and Anglo-Saxon epic, and suggest an alternative that nonetheless allows for the glory of an epic worldview. Both T.H. White and Sutcliff engage with the Arthurian myth and the Matter of Britain in ways that use children's literature as a starting point for national epic. Finally, C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman each make use of Milton's Paradise Lost (and, in Pullman's case, of Lewis's earlier work) to produce very different fantasies that each look ahead to the end of epic.
Cumulatively, these books illustrate the manner in which children's texts provide a home for the epic in a postmodern age in which many critics suggest the epic in its pure form can no longer survive. The rise of scientific empiricism, combined with national disillusionment following WWI, has been argued to have left epic's traditional worldview of myth, religion and the supernatural impossible to be used without irony. Children's fantasy, ostensibly addressed to “an audience that is still innocent” (Gillian Adams 109), allows authors to eschew irony in favour of story-telling, and explore ideas such as courage, honour and transcendence that lie at the heart of epic
Does the Composition of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in Peatland Streams Reflect the DOC Leached from Vegetation, Litter and Soil?
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Social Media and Well-being: A Methodological Perspective
Get PDFDue to the methodological challenges inherent in studying social media use (SMU), as well as the methodological choices that have shaped research into the effects of SMU on well-being, clear conclusions regarding relationships between SMU and well-being remain elusive. We provide a review of five methodological developments poised to provide increased understanding in this domain: (1) increased use of longitudinal and experimental designs; (2) the adoption of behavioural (rather than self-report) measures of SMU; (3) focusing on more nuanced aspects of SMU; (4) embracing effect heterogeneity; and (5) the use of formal modelling and machine learning. We focus on how these advances stand to bring us closer to understanding relations between SMU and well-being, as well as the challenges associated with these developments
Leading institutional change in digital education: from emergency response to the foundations of strategic transformation
Get PDFThis presentation reflects on the journey that one research-intensive Higher Education Institution took through the challenging context of the pandemic, developing leadership capacity within its learning technologist community and collaborative working practices to accelerate strategic development in digital education. It will be of interest to anyone involved in leading or implementing institutional change in learning and teaching.
Pre-Covid, the institution had a nascent digital education strategy and uneven learning technologist capacity spread across its campuses. To address the unique demands of the pandemic, the University developed a single digital education team structure with a distributed senior team leadership model. Tangible outcomes of this new approach include partnerships with all academic Schools and an institutional career pathway for learning technologists.
The new team was a critical factor in securing the benefits of the Digital Education Programme, in which the University had developed a community of practice of over 200 academics, professional services staff and students to co-create a coherent institutional approach to the resourcing and organisation of digital education during the pandemic. It delivered an ambitious programme that involved working rapidly in eight themed working groups to gather information, identify key issues, formulate and implement strategies, frameworks and solutions within the space of three months.
One of the main streams of work was the development of a Digital Education Framework, which provided programme and module teams with guidance about design and delivery of courses in 2020/21. The Framework provided a wide range of options for learning and assessment design to ensure all students experience a core consistency to their education during this unique year. Its creation would involve working in partnership with the Students Union, the University’s Student Champions group and the wider student body to understand and act on student perspectives and aspirations regarding digital education. In addition to this functional framework, a more ambitious Digital Education Roadmap was developed by early 2021 to underpin a sustainable, structured approach to the provision of high quality blended and online education post-pandemic. Ambitious targets for this transformation agenda include a holistic review of the University’s digital learning ecosystem.
This presentation will reflect on the enormity of the task, the speed and scale of this institutional change programme which provided unprecedented focus on learning and teaching for this particular research-intensive institution. We will discuss the issues surrounding developing strategy, implementing policies and frameworks, devolved leadership, and the political implications and power balance related to organisational change. In addition, we will consider the pros and cons of the shift from a dispersed learning technologist community to an institutional partnership model, providing opportunities to address school-based stakeholder needs while driving the transition from an emergency reactive outlook to a focus on strategic development. It will also highlight challenges such as differential attitudes towards to change across the institution and establishing a shared understanding of the role of Learning Technologists.
The presentation will provide a rich picture of institutional transformation, including a range of critical perspectives from university senior management, academic Schools, learning technologists and students
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