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Recorded May 13th. Fantasy, faith, magic, & myth. J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, The Great War, and Wonder Woman. Middle Earth, Narnia, creating compelling fantasy, approaches to criticism, and overcoming disillusionment.
60 Year Old Spoiler Warning: Ending of The Lord of the Rings and portions of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
[Note: Not really a Wonder Woman episode, a companion to the last episode. Next few episodes are more DC, less literary history.]
Answers, insights, and commentary on:
- I. J.R.R. Tolkien (Life)
- Orphan, Catholic, genius
- Popular, rugby captain, acting
- Languages, artist, marriage
- World War I, Battle of the Somme
- Philology
- Beowulf scholarship
- “On Fairy Stories”
- II. Secondary World (Depth)
- References condense information
- Recall a dragon or a Robin, no citation
- References are inherent and ubiquitous
- Broken references organic and immersive
- Irony, Immersion, or Identification
- Tolkien reverse engineering patina of myth
- Tolkien’s perfectionism
- Superman as myth
- DC Films epic depth in world-building
- III. Outcasts Bond Over Obscure Interests (Friends)
- Tolkien meets Lewis
- Siegel meets Shuster
- Lewis encourages Tolkien’s writings
- Lewis’s life, atheism, studies, service
- Connection, fellowship, encouragement
- The Inklings
- IV. Approach to Criticism (Reaction)
- Critical response to The Lord of the Rings
- Stigma of fantasy and superheroes
- Creating stories with conscious purpose
- Wonder Woman as psychological propaganda
- Academic intellectual dishonesty
- “An Experiment on Criticism”
- Surrender, reading well, repeat readings
- V. Disillusionment (Lies)
- Tolkien & Lewis are counter-cultural and subversive
- Unrealistic optimism at start of the war
- H.G. Wells: “The War That Will End War”
- Ways Wonder Woman could be disillusioned
- Disillusionment after World War I
- Fantasy as recapturing immaterial wonder
- Good, evil, and corruption in fantasy
- Eucatastrophe, Frodo fails, divine grace
- Corruption in these DC films
- Reality and realism as cure
- Fantasy to represent magic of the familiar
- Tolkien & Lewis believe in heroism
- VI. Resonance (Truth)
- Tolkien & Lewis differences didn’t divide
- Tolkien & Lewis didn’t discriminate against works
- Openness to Wonder Woman, picking at differences
- Looking for truth and resonance over heresy and imperfection
- Seeing unappreciated value, Planet Narnia
- Imagination and emotions before intellect and allegory
- Watchful Dragons
- Applied to the Wonder Woman mythos
- Secrets, Truth, Beauty, Subversion, War, Myth, Wonder
To learn more:
Myths and Legends Podcast | Jason Weiser
What is Myth? | Crash Course Mythology
Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics | J.R.R. Tolkien
On Fairy-Stories | J.R.R. Tolkien
Battle of the Somme | Wikipedia
David S. Goyer Talks Man of Steel | Collider
A Film Portrait of JJR Tolkien (1996) | Landseer
Tolkien and the Great War | John Garth
An Experiment in Criticism | C.S. Lewis
A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War | Joseph Loconte
The Secret History of Wonder Woman | Jill Lepore
Walter Hooper: Life of C.S. Lewis | Socrates Society
Planet Narnia | Michael Ward
The Narnia Code | BBC
The Narnia Code | Michael Ward
Ursala K. Le Guin on Tolkien | Talk of the Nation
Superheroes Decoded | History
End notes recorded May 16th
The Bridge of Khazad Dum | Howard Shore
Wonder Woman | The Bombsters
Web: ManOfSteelAnswers.com
Twitter: @mosanswers
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