homespunheart, hapendfro, and * First, an announcement: if you happen to know of any teachers who might interested in this, please pass along the word. Thank you!
Announcing a National Endowment for the Humanities Institute for School Teachers:
J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE REAL AND THE IMAGINED MIDDLE AGES
July 13-August 13, 2009 (5 weeks)
Robin Anne Reid and Judy Ann Ford, Texas A&M University-Commerce
Visiting experts include the following:
Douglas A. Anderson
David Bratman
Janet Brennan Croft
Edith Crowe
Verlyn Flieger
Jason Fisher
Edward James
Kristine Larsen
Charles W. Nelson
Faye Ringel
Deborah Sabo
Amy H. Sturgis
C. W. Sullivan III
Elizabeth Whittingham
Ralph C. Wood
For links to the application form and additional information, visit
lotr_middleages.I also have a few links to share...
* John Granger's new article "What I Learned About the Great Books & Harry Potter" is up at Touchstone and well worth reading.
* Siriusly Smiling is a 19-song wizard rock album inspired by the Harry Potter series and featuring a number of wrock bands. Sales from this charity album benefit the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction. (Thanks to
shiny_elfriend!) * Also in wizard rock news, Jingle Spells 2 is now available (and well on its way to selling out as its predecessor did). This 14-song album by a variety of wrock bands benefits Book Aid International.
Literature mavens like Harold Bloom (not to be confused with Allan) may think Harry Potter little better aesthetically or thematically than Batman TV serials, but even the Ivory Tower and Christian Ghetto residents who hate Harry hate him in large part because they fear the depth of influence he will have on young hearts and on the culture they will grow up to shape. Like it or not, we now have a shared text.
I think this is a good thing.
- John Granger, "What I Learned About the Great Books & Harry Potter"
