Space and Time in Tolkien’s Work

Call for Papers
18^th Tolkien Seminar (28^th – 30^th October 2022)
Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
Deutsche Tolkien Gesellschaft e.V. (DTG)

Paper requirements

As can be seen from many of the texts recently published in the volume The Nature of Middle-earth (2021; edited by Carl Hostetter), Tolkien extensively studied the different aspects of the space- and time-continuum. He did so often in order to give his subcreated world a cohesive and coherent temporal and spatial framework. Therefore, aspects belonging primarily to the field of ​‘worldbuilding’ will be one aspect to be explored. However, we also want to encourage participants to investigate the narrative effects of space and time.

The seminar aims at bringing together researchers from various disciplines in order to explore the theoretical foundations and the literary mise-en-scène of the time-space continuum in Tolkien’s work.

Possible topics for presentations are:

• What are the functions of the historical and mythological periods of Arda and of the radical reorganization of space (flat earth to round earth; ​‘Straight Road’; the Drowning of Númenor, etc.)?
• What are the origins and effects of a culturally and morally charged geographical space (the North first functions as the place where evil resides; this shifts later to the East)?
• What are the theoretical and concrete (on the narrative level) effects of the differing ways of aging for Elves, ​‘normal’ Men, and Númenóreans?
• What are the implications for the theory of subcreation, as developed by Tolkien in his On Fairy-stories?

Seminar and entry informations

The 18^th Tolkien Seminar of the German Tolkien Society (Deutsche Tolkien Gesellschaft) is supported by Walking Tree Publishers and takes place in a hybrid format (mainly in person but with online options) at the Department of English (Institut für Anglistik/​Amerikanistik) at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena from 28^th to 30^th October 2022.

If you would like to present a paper, please send a short abstract (no longer than one page) and a short biography, as well as the preferred way of participating (online or in person) by 30^th May 2022, to Thomas Fornet-Ponse: [hither-​[email protected]​tolkiengesellschaft.​de]