Bibliographies and Year's Work in Tolkien Studies

Hi, everyone!

I have put copies of the annual bibliographies and Year's Work in Tolkien Studies (YWTS) from the journal Tolkien Studies on reserve in the library. This will be invaluable to you in attempting to form your topic and research your papers--they can also help you find some books for review, if you still need one.

What's the difference? The YWTS is a descriptive essay giving an evaluative overlook of all the relevant articles or books published that year. It gives you a sense of not only what's out there, but what (in the opinion of the YWTS author) it says. The Annual bibliography is just that--a list of bibliographic citations. Why have both? The Annual bib can be a little more comprehensive, and it comes out faster--the most current YWTS covers things from 2004; the Bib covers things from 2005. The YWTS, on the other hand, gives an overview of the shape of current arguments. It's longer, but worth searching.

Neither Academic Search Premier or JSTOR really covers much on Tolkien, so your usual electronic searches won't get you very far. Make sure you look over the YWTS and Bibliographies when you start your papers!

Readings for midterm exam.

Here are the supplementary texts that I've handed out in class. The identification portion of the exam will be over these materials:

• Excerpt from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (description of Green Knight)
• Excerpt from Macrobius' Commentary on the Dream of Scipio
• Excerpts from King Hrolf's Saga (Bodvarr Bjarki stories)
• Excerpt from Beowulf (cup stealing and awakening of the dragon)
• Excerpt from the Song of Roland (Ganelon's treachery and Roland's horn)
• Excerpts from Beowulf (building of Heorot and exchange with the door-guard)
• The Wanderer (stapled with the above).
• The Second Dialogue of Solomon and Saturn
• Sir Orfeo (description of fairyland)
  
• Maxims II
• The Battle of Maldon
• Ozymandias (handed out on Tues., Oct. 16)

Focus on these texts. What features about them make them easy to identify (versification, theme, dialogue, character names, etc)?

Post any questions about the midterm here in the comments.