Raise your hand if:
- Your copies of The Lord of the Rings trilogy are falling apart
- You wanted to be Eowyn more than anything. Or Arwen. Or Aragorn
- A trip to New Zealand to see the set is on your bucket list
- You would murder someone to spend a week in Rivendell
- The Shire is your personal vision of heaven
- You suspect that Tokien’s work is CHOCK FULL OF FOLKLORE and would like to hear more about how that works and why it matters, for The Lord of the Rings and for fantasy stories in general
If you raised your hand for any of these, we hope you’ll join us for...
Yep, the self-study version of our nerdiest course ever is on FLASH SALE until 6/20 at midnight ET!
Here's What's Included:
Recording of Lecture #1:
Folklore and The Lord of the Rings
Our first lecture uncovers the folklore woven throughout The Lord of the Rings. Curious about the elves' ties to fairylore or "the departure of the fairies"? Or the books' connections to Norse mythology? How about some of the lore surrounding Tolkien himself? We'll also explore how Tolkien’s work massively influenced folklore and culture broadly, from novels to D&D, and forever impacted how we think about this material.
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Recording of Lecture #2:
Monsters of Middle Earth
Our second lecture is all about the monsters of LOTR - from Smaug the dragon, to Shelob the spider, to the Orcs. What is a monster? What is the function of monsters in the trilogy (especially when you have big bads who are human or human-ish already)? How do issues of racism, sexism, fatphobia, degeneration, classism, and more influence what we think of as “monstrous,” and how does Tolkien’s world reinforce (or challenge) those ideas?
Each lecture includes a Discussion Questions PDF to help you think about the material and a Further Reading PDF to give you ideas about where to go next for more!
Recording of Our Inklings-Inspired
Writing Workshop
One of the best things about LOTR is how it sparks inspiration. Its influence changed the genre of fantasy forever after, creating a whole lineage and tradition of stories that followed in its footsteps. Want to be a part of the tradition? In this low-stakes, very low-pressure creative workshop, we’ll show you some starting points within LOTR for your own writing process.
Optional Readings
You don't have to read or have already read the entirety of The Lord of the Rings trilogy to enjoy this class, but we do of course recommend it (and, hey, if you've never read them before, this is the perfect time to give them a shot!) We welcome casual/movie fans, those who are just curious, AND die-hard fans who have read The Silmarillion five times. We are, however, going to link to some optional readings that will enhance your understanding of the lectures. These readings are 100% not required, but fun if you want them!
Special Note:
You don't have to read or have already read the entirety of The Lord of the Rings trilogy to enjoy this class, but we do of course recommend it (and, hey, if you've never read them before, this is the perfect time to give them a shot!)
Wait... Who Are You Two Anyway?
Hi! We're Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman. We're award-winning folklorists, teachers, writers, and BFFs with a combined 26 years in higher education and over 150 publications (yes, really!) Together, we founded The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, where we teach creative souls how to re-enchant their lives through folklore and fairy tales.
We've delivered sold-out lectures at venues like the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Profs & Pints series, the Maryland Renaissance Festival, the Contemporary American Theater Festival, and FaerieCon and - in 2019 - Carterhaugh won the Dorothy Howard Award from the American Folklore Society!
We love teaching. Our classes reflect the joy we get out of the strange and delightful world of folklore, so expect lots of gifs and terrible puns in our lectures. We'll occasionally make horrible faces at each other and laugh like drunken pixies… and we want you to join us!
If you’re wondering why we’re qualified to be running this program, behold, our credentials:
- A PhD in English and Folklore apiece
- Sara’s copy of The Hobbit is held together with Scotch tape and her original copies of the trilogy are so battered, she had to buy new ones
- Brittany TAed for the brilliant Dr. Merrill Kaplan’s Tolkien-themed course at OSU
- Sara had a picture of Orlando Bloom’s Legolas taped in her locker in Jr. High (she was very cool) and she’s not sorry about it
- Brittany has 4 different editions of LOTR for scholarly comparison
- We’ve both read SO MUCH additional Tolkien and surrounding scholarship
- We have drunk heavily at the Eagle and Child in Oxford (the pub the Inklings frequented!)
See? Resumes to be proud of.
In all seriousness, what we’re trying to say is that we have legit Tolkien-and-folklore scholarly chops, and we are huge fans. We love LOTR. We love studying and thinking about LOTR and folklore. If you want to learn more about that connection, and you want to geek out with other Tolkien fans - or dip your toes into The Lord of the Rings for the first time - we hope you’ll join The Fellowship!
We have some pretty glowing testimonials too!
FAQ
"I've never read The Lord of the Rings, can I still join? Should I still join?"
You don't have to read or have already read the entirety of The Lord of the Rings trilogy to enjoy this class, but we do of course recommend it (and, hey, if you've never read them before, this is the perfect time to give them a shot!) We welcome casual/movie fans, those who are just curious, AND die-hard fans who have read The Silmarillion five times. We are, however, going to link to some optional readings that will enhance your understanding of the lectures. These readings are 100% not required, but fun if you want them!
"Um, what exactly IS Carterhaugh?"
The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic is an award-winning online school dedicated to classes on fairy tales, folklore, and all things fantastic. It was created by Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman in 2016 as a place for those who dreamed of elven battles while studying economics, those who have always sworn they could see ghosts, and those who longed for a school of magic to send them an unexpected acceptance letter. We aim to use our knowledge and passion for these subjects to share their wonder, solidify their importance in society, and spread a bit of magic into the world. Want to know more? Check out our "About" page by clicking here!
“I’m just a folklore fan. I don’t want to ruin my enjoyment with a bunch of academic stuff.”
We didn't become folklorists to ruin stuff - we did it because we LOVE folklore and literature, and we genuinely love Tolkien. However, loving stuff doesn't mean that said stuff doesn't have issues, and it is our firm belief that you can love and celebrate something AND think about it critically. Accordingly, we will have serious discussions in this course that will touch on topics like antisemitism, racism, fatphobia, and more.
“How involved are you guys?”
This is the self-study version of a formerly live course, so it is very much 'go at your own pace,' but we are always available via email for questions and comments!
As always, if you have additional questions at any time,
don't hesitate to get in touch with us at [email protected]
We're going back to our fantasy roots,
and you're not going to want to miss it!
If you have questions,
feel free to reach out to us at
[email protected]
