Now Available Mythlore 138

Mythlore 138 Volume 39, Issue 2

Spring/Summer 2021   

Available for purchase from the Mythopoeic Society at http://www.mythsoc.org/mythlore/mythlore-138.htm.

Table of Contents

Editorial
— Janet Brennan Croft

Special Issue Contents: Honoring Ursula K. Le Guin: Citizen of Mondath

Introduction to the Special Issue: The Art, the Craft, the Tale of Vision and Re-vision: Ursula K. Le Guin Shows the Way
— Melanie A. Rawls

Aspects of Worldbuilding: Taoism as Foundational in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Saga
— Dennis Friedrichsen

Magic, Witchcraft, and Faërie: Evolution of Magical Ideas in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle
— Oleksandra Filonenko

The Taoist Myths of Winter: Mythopoesis in The Left Hand of Darkness
— Derance A. Rolim Filho

Who is There? Subjectivity, Transformation, and the Child’s Journey in Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Tombs of Atuan
— Meghgann Cassidy

“Beware Her, the Day She Finds Her Strength!”: Tehanu and the Power of the Marginalized to Affect Social Change in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Saga
— Jon Alkorta Martiartu

The Four Deaths of Ged
— John Rosegrant

Special Issue Notes:
— The Practical Geography of Always Coming Home, David Bratman
— Ursula’s Bookshelf, Kris Swank

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Notes and Letters

• Regarding “The ‘Polish Inkling,’” David Bratman
• In Memoriam: Richard C. West, Janet Brennan Croft

 

Reviews

• Tolkien’s Lost Chaucer, by John M. Bowers — Joe R. Christopher
• Tarot, by Jessica Hundley, and Astrology, by Andrea Richards — Emily E. Auger
• Crossing a Great Frontier: Essays on George MacDonald’s Phantastes, edited by John Pennington — Tiffany Brooke Martin
• Re-Enchanted: The Rise of Children’s Fantasy Literature in the Twentieth Century , by Maria Sachiko Cecire — T.S. Miller
• Rebirth in the Life and Works of Beatrix Potter, by Richard Tuerk — John Rosegrant
• The Art of the Occult: A Visual Sourcebook for the Modern Mystic, by S. Elizabeth — Emily E. Auger
• The Oxford Handbook of Victorian Medievalism, edited by Joanne Parker and Corinna Wagner — Alana White
• Journey Back Again: Reasons to Revisit Middle-earth, edited by Diana Pavlac Glyer — Megan N. Fontenot
• Waking the Dead: George MacDonald as Philosopher, Mystic, and Apologist , by Dean Hardy — Jeremy M. Rios
• Splendour in the Dark: C.S. Lewis’s Dymer in His Life and Work, edited by Jerry Root — Melody Green
• Fantasies of Time and Death: Dunsany, Eddison, Tolkien, by Anna Vaninskaya — Sarah R.A. Waters
• Briefly Noted: Fafnir: Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research — Janet Brennan Croft

 

 

CFP Ursula K. Le Guin Spec. Issue of Mythlore (updated 12/20/2020)

I couldn't find an updated text, but Mythlore has recently revised its deadline for a special issue commemorating the life and works of Ursula K. Le Guin.

A PDF version of the revised call can be accessed here.


This was the last version of the call:
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2020/02/12/deadline-extended-honoring-ursula-k-le-guin-citizen-of-mondrath


DEADLINE EXTENDED: Honoring Ursula K. Le Guin: Citizen of Mondrath


deadline for submissions:
May 25, 2020


full name / name of organization:
Mythlore, a journal of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature


contact email:
mythlore@mythsoc.org

Call for Papers for Special Issue of Mythlore, Fall 2020:

Honoring Ursula K. Le Guin: Citizen of Mondrath

Guest Edited by Melanie A. Rawls



Proposal deadline March 25, Draft deadline June 25, Final paper deadline August 25

PROPOSAL DEADLINE EXTENDED to MAY 25



Mythlore, a journal dedicated to the genres of myth and fantasy (particularly the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis), invites article submissions for a special issue focused on Ursula K. Le Guin, grandmaster of mythopoeic fantasy.

We welcome essays on the following topics: Le Guin’s Earthsea series, the three novels of the “Annals of the Western Shore,” namely Gifts, Voices, and Powers, the young adult novel The Beginning Place, and her fantasy short stories.

Le Guin’s masterwork Always Coming Home has a special place in Mythopoeic Society history, as it was the topic of a panel when she was Guest of Honor at Mythcon 19 in 1988. Though this work is not considered strictly fantasy, it clearly has mythopoeic elements, and we welcome articles on this text

Other potential topics for articles include:

• Good and evil in Le Guin’s worlds
• Gender
• Power and its uses and abuses
• Jungian and Taoist elements in Le Guin’s writing

We also call for articles on her critical essays that examine mythopoeic writing and any of her poetry or non-fantasy writing that has mythopoeic themes and imagery. We welcome articles that explore Le Guin’s influence on the fantasy genre as a whole and on other writers, as well as articles exploring how other writers influenced Le Guin (Le Guin claimed Philip K. Dick and Walter M. Miller as influences in an interview).



To get an idea of the range of topics covered in Mythlore, visit the online archive at https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/

and consult the electronic index, which can be downloaded free at http://www.mythsoc.org/press/mythlore-index-plus.htm. Submission guidelines can be found at http://www.mythsoc.org/mythlore/mythlore-submissions.htm.

Mythcon 51 Updates and New CFP (5/15/2021; Albuquerque 7/31-8/2/2021)

The Mythopoeic Society has announced the postponement of Mythcon 51 from this summer to next summer. The updated call is pasted below. Full details at the Society's dedicated site: http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm.



New Dates! July 30 - August 2, 2021

Mythcon 51
The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien
Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 30 - August 2, 2021

Call for Papers Download PDF of Call for Papers here


CONFERENCE THEME: THE MYTHIC, THE FANTASTIC, AND THE ALIEN This year’s Mythcon theme provides multiple opportunities to explore the Other in fantasy and mythopoeic literature. Tolkien spoke in “On Fairy-stories” of “the desire to visit, free as a fish, the deep sea; or the longing for the noiseless, gracious, economical flight of a bird.” We invite discussion about the types of fantasy that are more likely to put us into contact with the alien, such as time portal fantasy and space travel fantasy. In addition to Inklings, some writers who deal particularly well with the truly alien who might be explored include Lovecraft, Gaiman, Le Guin, Tepper, and others. Other topics that might be fruitfully explored are: 

• depictions of the alien Other in film and television (Contact, Arrival, HBO’s Watchmen, etc.);
•  developing constructed languages that are truly different from those of Earth-based humans;
•  fantastical Others in indigenous myths (such as Coyote and Spider Woman from Native American mythology);
• and American folklore about the alien (flying saucers, alien abduction, Area 51, Roswell).

Papers on our conference theme and the works and interests of our guests of honor are especially welcome, although all subjects will be considered.
GUESTS OF HONOR Papers on the works and interests of our guests of honor are also especially welcome:

Author Guest of Honor Rivera Sun is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, The Roots of Resistance, and other novels. Her young adult fantasy series, the Ari Ara Series, has been widely acclaimed by teachers, parents, and peace activists for its blending of fantasy and adventure with social justice issues. The Way Between, the first book in the Ari Ara Series, has been read by numerous groups of all ages, while the second book in the series, The Lost Heir, has been nominated for the 2020 Dayton Peace Literature Prize. 

Scholar Guest of Honor David Bratman is has been reading Tolkien for over fifty years, and has been writing Tolkien scholarship for nearly as long. His earliest contribution to the field was the first-ever published Tale of Years for the First Age, right after The Silmarillion was published. Since then he has published articles with titles like “Top Ten Rejected Plot Twists from The Lord of the Rings,” “Hobbit Names Aren’t from Kentucky,” and “Liquid Tolkien” (on Tolkien and music). He’s been co-editor of Tolkien Studies: An Annual Scholarly Review since 2013, and has written or edited its annual “Year’s Work in Tolkien Studies” since 2004. David edited The Masques of Amen House by Charles Williams and contributed the bio-bibliographical appendix on the Inklings to Diana Pavlac Glyer’s The Company They Keep. He has also written on C.S. Lewis, Ursula Le Guin, Mervyn Peake, Neil Gaiman, and others.

PAPERS and PANELS PROPOSALS Email papers abstracts of 200-500 words to this year’s Paper Coordinator:
Cami Agan
cami.agan@oc.edu
by May 15, 2021.

Email panels abstracts of 50-150 words to Panels Coordinator:
Leslie Donovan
leslie.a.donovan@gmail.com
by May 15, 2021.

Include AV requests and the projected time needed for your presentation. We will make every effort to accommodate A/V requests, but such equipment is limited and cannot be guaranteed. Available time slots: Individual long papers are one hour, roughly 45 minutes for the paper with 15 minutes for discussion; Individual short papers or 1/2 hour, roughly 20 minutes for the paper with 10 minutes for discussion; Panels are 90 minutes, roughly 60 minutes for the panel with 30 minutes for discussion.
You will be notified after the deadline if your paper proposal has been accepted. See our Alexei Kondratiev Award for details on our student paper award!

All presenters must register for the full conference; please see the Mythcon 51 Registration page for information and rates.

Participants are encouraged to submit papers chosen for presentation at the conference to Mythlore, the refereed journal of the Mythopoeic Society (www.mythlore.org). All papers should conform to the 8th edition of the MLA Style Manual. Presenters who are full-time undergraduate or graduate students are encouraged to submit their completed conference papers in advance for consideration for the Alexei Kondratiev Student Paper Award. Please see www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/alexei.htm for more information.


ABOUT THE MYTHOPOEIC SOCIETY The Mythopoeic Society is an international literary and educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and mythopoeic literature. We believe the study of these writers can lead to greater understanding and appreciation of the literary, philosophical, and spiritual traditions which underlie their works, and can engender an interest in the study of myth, legend, and the genre of fantasy. Find out about the Society s activities at: www.mythsoc.org

CFP Mythcon 51 (5/15/2020; Albuquerque 7/31-8/3/2020)

Mythcon 51

The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien

http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm

http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mc51-CFP.htm
 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 31 - August 3, 2020

Location

Please join us at the Ramada Plaza Hotel by Wyndham in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for Mythcon 51. Albuquerque is a wonderful “destination city” where Mythcon has been held only once before in 2011 (Mythcon 42) and is well worth the return.

Call for Papers

Download PDF of Call for Papers here

CONFERENCE THEME: THE MYTHIC, THE FANTASTIC, AND THE ALIEN

This year’s Mythcon theme provides multiple opportunities to explore the Other in fantasy and mythopoeic literature. Tolkien spoke in “On Fairy-stories” of “the desire to visit, free as a fish, the deep sea; or the longing for the noiseless, gracious, economical flight of a bird.” We invite discussion about the types of fantasy that are more likely to put us into contact with the alien, such as time portal fantasy and space travel fantasy. In addition to Inklings, some writers who deal particularly well with the truly alien who might be explored include Lovecraft, Gaiman, Le Guin, Tepper, and others. Other topics that might be fruitfully explored are:

  — depictions of the alien Other in film and television (Contact, Arrival, HBO’s Watchmen, etc.);
  — developing constructed languages that are truly different from those of Earth-based humans;
  — fantastical Others in indigenous myths (such as Coyote and Spider Woman from Native American mythology);
  — and American folklore about the alien (flying saucers, alien abduction, Area 51, Roswell).

Papers on our conference theme and the works and interests of our guests of honor are especially welcome, although all subjects will be considered. 
 

GUESTS OF HONOR

Papers on the works and interests of our guests of honor are also especially welcome:

• Author Guest of Honor Rivera Sun is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, The Roots of Resistance, and other novels. Her young adult fantasy series, the Ari Ara Series, has been widely acclaimed by teachers, parents, and peace activists for its blending of fantasy and adventure with social justice issues. The Way Between, the first book in the Ari Ara Series, has been read by numerous groups of all ages, while the second book in the series, The Lost Heir, has been nominated for the 2020 Dayton Peace Literature Prize. 

 

• Scholar Guest of Honor David Bratman is has been reading Tolkien for over fifty years, and has been writing Tolkien scholarship for nearly as long. His earliest contribution to the field was the first-ever published Tale of Years for the First Age, right after The Silmarillion was published. Since then he has published articles with titles like “Top Ten Rejected Plot Twists from The Lord of the Rings,” “Hobbit Names Aren’t from Kentucky,” and “Liquid Tolkien” (on Tolkien and music). He’s been co-editor of Tolkien Studies: An Annual Scholarly Review since 2013, and has written or edited its annual “Year’s Work in Tolkien Studies” since 2004. David edited The Masques of Amen House by Charles Williams and contributed the bio-bibliographical appendix on the Inklings to Diana Pavlac Glyer’s The Company They Keep. He has also written on C.S. Lewis, Ursula Le Guin, Mervyn Peake, Neil Gaiman, and others.

PAPERS and PANELS PROPOSALS

Email papers abstracts of 200-500 words to this year’s Paper Coordinator:
Cami Agan
cami.agan@oc.edu
by May 15, 2020.

Email panels abstracts of 50-150 words to Panels Coordinator:
Leslie Donovan
leslie.a.donovan@gmail.com
by May 15, 2020.

Include AV requests and the projected time needed for your presentation. We will make every effort to accommodate A/V requests, but such equipment is limited and cannot be guaranteed. Available time slots: Individual long papers are one hour, roughly 45 minutes for the paper with 15 minutes for discussion; Individual short papers or 1/2 hour, roughly 20 minutes for the paper with 10 minutes for discussion; Panels are 90 minutes, roughly 60 minutes for the panel with 30 minutes for discussion.
You will be notified after the deadline if your paper proposal has been accepted. See our Alexei Kondratiev Award for details on our student paper award!

All presenters must register for the full conference; please see the Mythcon 51 Registration page for information and rates.

Participants are encouraged to submit papers chosen for presentation at the conference to Mythlore, the refereed journal of the Mythopoeic Society (www.mythlore.org). All papers should conform to the 8th edition of the MLA Style Manual. Presenters who are full-time undergraduate or graduate students are encouraged to submit their completed conference papers in advance for consideration for the Alexei Kondratiev Student Paper Award. Please see www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/alexei.htm for more information.

ABOUT THE MYTHOPOEIC SOCIETY

The Mythopoeic Society is an international literary and educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and mythopoeic literature. We believe the study of these writers can lead to greater understanding and appreciation of the literary, philosophical, and spiritual traditions which underlie their works, and can engender an interest in the study of myth, legend, and the genre of fantasy. Find out about the Society s activities at: www.mythsoc.org

---

Mythlore 132 Contents

Catching up again. Here are the details of the Spring/Summer 2018 issue of Mythlore. Ordering information at http://www.mythsoc.org/mythlore/mythlore-132.htm.


Mythlore 132 Volume 36, Issue 2
Spring/Summer 2018


Editorial
— Janet Brennan Croft

Tyrion Lannister: A Fulcrum of Balance in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire
— Patricia Monk

“Love of Knowledge is a Kind of Madness”: Competing Platonisms in the Universes of C.S. Lewis and H.P. Lovecraft
— Guillaume Bogiaris

Allegorical Reference to Oxford University through Classical Myth in the Early Poetry of Dorothy L. Sayers: A Reading of “Alma Mater” from OP. I.
— Barbara L. Prescott

On Superhero Stories: The Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tolkienesque Fantasy
— A.G. Holdier

Bilbo Baggins and the Forty Thieves: The Reworking of Folktale Motifs in The Hobbit (and The Lord of the Rings)
— Giovanni Carmine Costabile


Notes and Letters

Ursula K. Le Guin: An Appreciation, David Bratman
Ursula K. Le Guin in Mythlore, Janet Brennan Croft
“The Valley of the Na,” Pat Wynne, from Mythlore #56 (Winter 1988)
Reviews
J.R.R. Tolkien: Romanticist and Poet by Julian Eilmann, Kris Swank
C.S. Lewis and Christian Postmodernism by Kyoko Yuasa, Peter G. Epps
Owen Barfield: Philosophy, Poetry, and Theology by Michael Vincent Di Fucca, Tiffany Brooke Martin
Scotland’s Forgotten Treasure: The Visionary Romances of George MacDonald by Colin Manlove, Bonnie Gaarden
English People by Owen Barfield, Narnia and the Fields of Arbol by Matthew Dickerson and David O’Hara, and The Mythic Dimension by Joseph Campbell, Phillip Fitzsimmons
C.S. Lewis and the Art of Writing by Corey Latta, Tiffany Brooke Martin
C.S. Lewis and the Arts: Creativity in the Shadowlands, edited by Rod Miller, Michael David Prevett
Game of Thrones Versus History: Written in Blood by Brian Pavlac, Joseph Young
Detecting Wimsey: Papers on Dorothy L. Sayers’s Detective Fiction by Nancy-Lou Patterson, edited by Emily E. Auger and Janet Brennan Croft, Joe R. Christopher
Goddess and Grail: The Battle for Arthur’s Promised Land by Jeffrey John Dixon, Kris Swank





SPECIAL SECTION ON DIVINATION IN FANTASY

Introduction: Divination and Prophecy in Mythopoeic Fantasy
— Emily E. Auger

Letting Sleeping Abnormalities Lie: Lovecraft and the Futility of Divination
— Carol S. Matthews

Tarot and T.S. Eliot in Stephen King’s Dark Tower Novels
— Emily E. Auger

The Unlikely Milliner and the Magician of Threadneedle-street
— K.A. Laity


Notes
An Annotated List of Fantasy Novels Incorporating Tarot (1968-1989), Emily E. Auger
Divination and Prophecy in The Lord of the Rings: Some Observations, Robert Field Tredray

Reviews
Divination and Human Nature by Peter T. Struck, Larry Swain
The Tarot of the Future by Arthur Rosengarten, Emily E. Auger