Approaches to Teaching Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Other Works ed. by Leslie A. Donovan

Abstract

Reviewed by: Approaches to Teaching Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Other Works ed. by Leslie A. Donovan Diana Pavlac Glyer Approaches to Teaching Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Other Works, edited by Leslie A. Donovan. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2015. xii, 279 pp. $24.00 (softcover). ISBN 9781603292061. Over the years, I've relied upon several volumes in the Modern Language Association's Approaches to Teaching World Literature series. Each one has proven to be an essential aid in the classroom. In addition, I've admired Leslie A. Donovan's work as a scholar and teacher for more than two decades. And yet, nothing prepared me for Donovan's Approaches to Teaching Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Other Works. This book is a stellar accomplishment. There are more than 100 titles in the Approaches to Teaching World Literature series. Each one has a clear goal: to provide a comprehensive resource to help teachers cover a significant book in their classrooms. An effort is made to include every kind of teaching environment and various levels of study. Each volume also seeks to reflect "the philosophies, approaches, thoughts, and methods of scores of experienced teachers."1 Part One of this book is called "Materials." It includes a brief biography of Tolkien, notes on the various editions of Tolkien's work, a splendid overview of recommended books called "The Instructor's Library," and a substantial list of multimedia aids: music, video recordings, charts, maps, and films. It is a skillful overview of a broad and challenging field: in roughly 30 pages, beginners are directed to the most trustworthy voices in the field, and others are encouraged to consider new and noteworthy materials. Part Two, "Approaches," is the heart of the matter. It consists of 29 essays written by teachers, discussing the nuts and bolts of how they teach Tolkien. What all the essays have in common is a pellucid clarity and specificity: lesson plans, assignments, quotes from students, exam questions, and lecture outlines are all spelled out in glorious detail. Teaching Tolkien for the first time? Here is wise guidance for every aspect of your course. Been teaching Tolkien for years? You will be inspired with the seemingly endless possibilities of fresh approaches. [End Page 201] One of my favorite class projects comes from Robin Chapman Stacey. She divides her class into four groups and gives each group "a list of English place-names together with their Anglo-Saxon roots and translations." She then asks the students "to imagine that all these names exist in proximity to each other" and has them invent myths that account for these names. As a result of this generative exercise, students "begin to grasp what it means for Tolkien's tales to have been inspired by and grounded in language rather than the other way around" (85–86). It's not all just class activities and lesson plans: these master teachers also wrestle with significant background issues and the unique challenges that Tolkien's work presents. How do you engage a classroom of students who range from hardcore fans to the most casual, disaffected readers? How do you deal with the sheer number of pages that students must read? How much (and which part) of the legendarium is useful, instructive, and necessary? In what order should the works be considered? Is it possible to understand Tolkien without knowing Beowulf (or Roverandom? Or "On Fairy-stories"? Or "Ainu-lindalë"? Or Beren and Lúthien?). How do you handle students who love the Peter Jackson films but loathe the written texts? How (and when and how much) do you raise issues of race and accusations of sexism? And do you even dare mention cultural artifacts such as video games, action figures, role-playing games, fan fiction, Led Zeppelin, and Leonard Nimoy's "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"? The wide range of available materials and the deep, deep challenges aside, what is truly striking about these collected essays is the sheer variety of ways that teachers are finding to present Tolkien. Those that focus specifically on Tolkien as a stand-alone class follow a wide range of formats...