Reference no: EM134009166 , Length: 3 pages
Assignment:
"I would draw some of the great tales in fullness, and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched. The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama. Absurd."
It has been said that Tolkien's instinctive response to encountering a medieval work was to write modern one in the same vein. We've tasted the fruits of these labors in Homecoming, among others.
Today, Tolkien's own works inspire countless scholars, musicians, artists, game-makers, and storytellers. In this assignment, we may count ourselves among their ranks, while drawing on Tolkien's multimodal approach to boot.
Content and Format: Drawing on Homecoming as a model, craft a three-part hybrid "text." Begin by proposing the project to your instructors, after which point, we can then define the specific parameters of the assignment. "Text" here is largely open to interpretation, especially for the creative centerpiece.
In broad terms, your assignment should include the following sections:
I. A brief introductory note (no longer than 1 page) detailing your inspiration, setting out a kind of artist's statement, and providing any necessary exposition or context for the reader to better appreciate what is to come. (Like Tolkien's prefatory note "Beorhtnoth's Death")
II. A creative piece which responds in some way to Tolkien's work. This might be a piece of music, a video game, a painting, an epic poem, etc. (Like Tolkien's verse-drama Homecoming)
III. A short critical essay (1 to 2 pages) engaging with research on the themes that inspired you and that you explore in your creative work. (Like Tolkien's essay "Ofermod")
Strategies:
-Do not mistake a creative assignment for one to be taken lightly. You should bring the same rigor and effort to this project as you would any other major assessment.
-Play to your own interests and strengths in your selection of mode and genre. If you cannot color inside the lines, put the crayons down...
-In conducting research on Tolkien's works, we often seek "gaps" or places of entry into the larger conversation. Might some similar creative "gaps" inspire your efforts in this assignment?
-We have seen in The Lord of the Rings and elsewhere the curious aesthetic possibilities of prosimetric works (prose interspersed with verse). How do the different elements-creative and critical-of your project synergize? How does one inform the others? How do they, together, tell us something about Tolkien and art greater than the sum of their parts?