cfp.english.upenn.edu

There and Back Again: 75 Years of The Hobbit

The Woode-walkers Medieval Studies Group, English Department, and Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at St. Louis University would like to announce a symposium on Saturday, December 1 to commemorate the anniversary of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel and to celebrate the release of Peter Jackson’s upcoming film. The event will feature a plenary address by Tolkien scholar Douglas A. Anderson, the editor of The Annotated Hobbit, Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy, and many other Tolkien and fantasy texts. In addition to Douglas’ talk, the symposium will include paper presentation sessions, a roundtable discussion, a catered dinner, and a screening of the 1977 Rankin-Bass animated version of The Hobbit. We welcome attendance and presentation proposals from literary scholars, devoted fans of Tolkien and fantasy literature/ film, and everyone in between. The potential Session and Roundtable Discussion topics include (but are not limited to):

•Is The Hobbit Juvenile Fiction?
•Myth, Media, and Mediation: Tolkien on TV, Film, Games, and the Web
•The Hobbit among Tolkien’s Greater Mythology
•Teaching Tolkien in the High-school and College Classroom
•J. R. R. Tolkien, Rankin-Bass, and Peter Jackson

If you are interested in participating in a session or discussion on one of the topics above, please attach an abstract of 500 words to the symposium email address (slu.hobbit.symposium@gmail.com) by September 22. Please also send any questions or suggestions for alternate sessions and discussions to this email address, and check the website (www.woodewalkers.wordpress.com/hobbit-symposium/) periodically for updated session, registration, and general conference information.