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CASD 1717 – Fall 2024

Fantasy and Children’s Literature

When thinking about fantasy, we have a few milestones. The first is J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. Tolkien is most famous for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its precursor written for children, The Hobbit.

Tolkien is credited with creating what we sometimes call “High Fantasy” or “Epic Fantasy” – stories that center on a true battle between good and evil. When you think of many of the tropes of fantasy literature, many find their roots in Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings had a profound impact on the shape of fantasy literature.

Tolkien’s work was inspired by the fairy and folk tales that fascinated him as a child. He was educated at Oxford and was part of a literary circle called the Inklings, in which C.S. Lewis was also a member. Tolkien served in the British army during Worl War I which shaped some of the themes of his writing. Tolkien was a philologist, and with his fascination with languages and their development he created a number of different languages for his fantasy world.

Read

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien, 1937

Read Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Excerpt

Tolkien began sketches of the first books of The Lord of the Rings around the same time but continued to work on them intermittently for the next decade. They were not published until 1954. In creating Middle-Earth, the fantasy world in which the books take place, Tolkien wrote an immense amount of material, some of which would later be published as The Silmarillion by his son.

Watch: The Lord of the Rings

It’s been over 20 years since the release of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first movie of a trilogy based on the trio of The Lord of the Rings books, but these films (and books) continue to have a massive following.

Note: This is one of the few times your instructor recommends the film over the book. Ask her why sometime.

The Hobbit is a much simpler story and aimed at children, but due to the success of the Lord of the Rings films, it was turned into its own trio of films.

An older animated version:

Watch: Lord of the Rings in Parody and Fun

Throughout, the main star was probably the country of New Zealand where the movies were all filmed.

Have you encountered Tolkien’s work before? What strikes you about the excerpt or the film trailers? What kinds of things do you expect to see in a fantasy story?

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Go On to Harry

Comments

22 responses to “Fantasy and Children’s Literature”

  1. Sofia Buttaro Avatar
    Sofia Buttaro

    The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are two of Tolkien’s works that I had previously come across. The intricate world-building and Tolkien’s conversational tone, which draws readers into a comfortable yet exciting setting, are what really catch my attention in this passage from The Hobbit’s first chapter. Film adaptation trailers, which include magnificent landscapes, fantastical animals, and high-stakes adventures, effectively convey the epic scope of the story. I anticipate a fantasy novel to include a vividly conceived setting with magical aspects, interesting individuals (sometimes with special skills or backgrounds), and a main conflict that typically pits good against evil. All of this is provided by Tolkien’s writing, which also skillfully incorporates themes of bravery, friendship, and the attraction of adventure.

    Reply
  2. Amy Khait Avatar
    Amy Khait

    The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are two works that I have come across before. The things that have caught my attention the most from these would have to be the fantastical elements such as, magic, the animals, the adventures, as well as beautiful landscapes and settings. These are some things that I expect from a fantasy novel. There is also usually a main conflict or message throughout the story that teaches you certain lessons or incorporates various themes. This includes themes such as, friendship, bravery, betrayal, love, good vs. evil, magic and many more.

    Reply
  3. Mahnoor Avatar
    Mahnoor

    I have heard a lot about many of Tolkien’s works, but I have never read or watched any of them personally. Some things that caught my attention through the trailer and books are his ability to create magical scenes in the real world. We see a lot of things that don’t make any sense, but they involve scenarios that you would see in real life. While it is common to be on a plane and to follow safety guidelines, the scenarios in the trailer would never happen in real life. Overall, in a fantasy book I would expect to see magical animals, portals that lead to other worlds similar to ours, and people who have something unique about them. 

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  4. VANESSA Avatar
    VANESSA

    I have come across Tolkien’s work before. The Lord of the Rings is one of them. I’ve watched the movie and I have to say it kept me on my toes. I enjoyed watching it and seeing the plot unfold. There were a different settings and you didn’t really know what to expect next. The fantasy novel had amazing settings, adventures, and characters included that you invest in. A lot goes into his work and several emotions and lessons go into them as well.

    Reply
  5. Victoria Lucenti Avatar
    Victoria Lucenti

    I have never personally encountered Tolkien’s work before, but I have seen small clips of scenes from the movie because my art professor connected the magic of the wizard professor to art in early childhood classrooms lol. Something that strikes me from the film trailers is seeing how much the characters, settings, clothing, and etc, look so much similiar to Harry Potter. Within fantasy stories, some things I would exoect to see are surely magic, wizards, queens, creatures, majestical settings, and more.

    Reply
  6. Selina Chen Avatar
    Selina Chen

    No I have never encountered Tolkien’s work before but I have heard about it. The film trailer seems to emphasize the contrasting forces of good and evil. The background music also seems to play a significant role as it was quite dramatic. I would like to see magic in fantasy movies. Fictional scenarios are something that I think is very interesting that occurs in fantasy movies.

    Reply
  7. Ariana Loyfman Avatar
    Ariana Loyfman

    Though I have heard about these works in the past, I have never watched or read any of these stories before. I found these trailers to be very interesting and captivating as they had a lot of fascinating scenes and visuals as well as aspects of drama and suspicion. In fantasy I expect to see unusual visuals and views, unique and creative characters and creatures, and some form of magical powers such as flying.

    Reply
  8. Alexa Mendez Avatar
    Alexa Mendez

    I have come across the hobbit and lord of the rings however I am more familiar with lord of the rings because it was a very popular series when I was in school. They had many different elements of fiction and fantasy, it had creativity and a variety of magical powers and creatures that were interesting and unique. It was all about action and adventure.

    Reply
  9. Nitzan Naim Avatar
    Nitzan Naim

    Yes, I have encountered Tolkin’s work before I think it’s rare to find someone who didn’t! What I love about the Lord of the Rings movies is that it’s the ultimate battle – live or die, good vs evil. That is exactly what I expect to see in a fantasy story, along with dragons, majestic creatures, and beautiful nature. It is very similar to what I expect out of a fairy tale

    Reply
  10. Nitzan Naim Avatar
    Nitzan Naim

    Yes, I have encountered Tolkin’s work before. I think it’s rare to find someone who didn’t! What I love about the Lord of the Rings movies is that it’s the ultimate battle – live or die, good vs evil. That is exactly what I expect to see in a fantasy story, along with dragons, majestic creatures, and beautiful nature. It is very similar to what I expect out of a fairy tale

    Reply
  11. Anthea longville Avatar
    Anthea longville

    I have never encountered Tolkien’s work before or watched the movies. Was never really interested in The lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. The film trailers seem to strike me as lots of adventure, rich visuals and their types of music which I think for some people is pretty interesting. In a fantasy story I expect to see magic, villains, adventures and good vs evil and even romance.

    Reply
    1. Michelle Cortes Rodriguez Avatar
      Michelle Cortes Rodriguez

      Same, I never encountered in Tolkiens work before nor watch the movies. But, the all idea seems like a fantasy world meaning something out of the ordinary.

      Reply
  12. Emma Avatar
    Emma

    I have heard of Tolkiens work but have never really gotten into it. This type of works seems to be very mysterious, adventurous, and has themes throughout them.

    Reply
  13. Kateryna Senkovych Avatar
    Kateryna Senkovych

    I have heard about The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings but I have not watched the movies. I do find the stories of them both very interesting and I would like to watch them sometime soon. I like how they have different fantasy features and the storyline is so adventurous for both of them. When it comes to fantasy stories, I definitely expect for it to either be in a magical place, or someone has some kind of powers or there are creatures like dragons that are present. I love watching and reading fantasy books because I think it is such a great way to escape reality and have a feeling like you are in a different world.

    Reply
  14. Naurah Romulus Avatar
    Naurah Romulus

    I have heard of Tolkien before but was never really interested in this books/films, which is funny because I enjoyed the Harry Potter films and they’re both kind of similar to me. What I can appreciate about the films is the grand story it tells. The story is so immersive and complex, and I find it amazing he can create a whole world, even with its own language. What I expect in a fantasy story are mythical creatures, magic, and a setting in a fantasy realm or even a standard area.

    Reply
  15. Kaylee Pontone Avatar
    Kaylee Pontone

    I used to love these movies when I was a kid and watching them with my dad. They definitely set the tone for what I expect in fantasy movies and that is seen in the trailers, in terms of just setting up a world that visually you can see it much different than our own. As someone mentioned, fantasy including fake languages is also something we sometimes expect to see because of iconic series like this one.

    Reply
  16. Brittany Giler Avatar
    Brittany Giler

    I’ve heard of Tolkien before but haven’t watched any of the films, it’s not my cup of tea. If I read or watch something fantasy, I expect mythical creatures, villains, and crazy adventures.

    Reply
  17. Anifat Abumislimova Avatar
    Anifat Abumislimova

    Yes, I have encountered Tolkin’s work before. I only saw a movie about The Lord of the Rings, but not the Hobbits. I expect to see a fantasy story with a magical world with a lot of magical big trees, castles, elves, dragons, talking animals, bad/good king/queen, etc.

    Reply
  18. Tory Sen Avatar
    Tory Sen

    The two most well-known works that Tolkien authored are “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” People find these books appealing due to their sophisticated universes and relaxed writing style. The movie’s trailers effectively depict the scope of the narrative by showing gorgeous scenery, unusual animals, and dangerous events. Tolkien’s writings abound in tales of adventure, camaraderie, and valor. His ability to bring portals to other locations and imagined creatures into the real world is astounding. The two most well-known works that Tolkien authored are “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” People find these books appealing due to their sophisticated universes and relaxed writing style. The movie’s trailers effectively depict the scope of the narrative by showing gorgeous scenery, unusual animals, and dangerous events. Tolkien’s writings abound in tales of adventure, camaraderie, and courage. His ability to bring portals to other locations and imagined creatures into the real world is astounding.

    Reply
  19. Amna Syeda Avatar
    Amna Syeda

    Yes, I know Tolkien’s work, especially The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. What stands out is his detailed world and strong characters. In the trailers, I see big battles, beautiful landscapes, and heroes. In a fantasy story, I expect magic, creatures, quests, and a fight between good and evil.

    Reply
  20. Jaylyn Calles Avatar
    Jaylyn Calles

    Have you encountered Tolkien’s work before? What strikes you about the excerpt or the film trailers? What kinds of things do you expect to see in a fantasy story?
    No i havent encountered Tolkeins work before. What stood out to me is his descriptive words to help us imagine whats being told. I expect to see magic, maybe a monster or something creative out of the ordinary.

    Reply
  21. Camille Connor Avatar
    Camille Connor

    When I watched the Lord of the rings. I always wanted to know where the Lord of the rings came from and the back story. It was made from Hobbit, I like the fact that the story line was made the same just a newer version from the beginning.

    Reply

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