On this six week course, you will be guided through pivotal fantasy texts as well as ever-changing attitudes to the genre. From the storied worlds of Tolkien’s Middle-earth and Pratchett’s Discworld, to lesser-known settings like J. Tullos Henning’s Greenwode, you will explore how fantasy emerged and where it might be going. You’ll learn more about the unique artefacts displayed in our ground-breaking exhibition, Fantasy: Realms of Imagination, in this peek into the academic field of fantasy studies.

Whether you’re looking to inform your own fantasy writing, or simply indulge in your favourite genre with like-minded fans, this is the perfect course to get lost in the fantastic.

Read the full course outline (PDF).

This course will run across six dates:

• Thursday 2 November, 18.00 – 20.00
• Thursday 9 November, 18.00 – 20.00
• Thursday 16 November, 18.00 – 20.00
• Thursday 23 November, 18.00 – 20.00
• Thursday 30 November, 18.00 – 20.00
• Thursday 7 December, 18.00 – 20.00

Previous experience

None required. You may wish to bring a laptop or notebook. Laptops are available to borrow, please email adultlearning@bl.uk to book one.

Tutor

Dr Anna Milon is a researcher in speculative fiction and pagan studies, who recently completed her doctoral thesis on environmental narratives in fantasy fiction and Live Action Role-Play at the University of Exeter.

Anna teaches the history of witchcraft at Advanced Studies in England, was briefly a trustee of The Tolkien Society, and previously designed events for the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter and the Bodleian Library in Oxford. You can find her work in the journals Folklore, Correspondences, and Hellebore, or follow her exploits on Twitter @hexnhart. In Summer, Anna can be found in the woods with a foam sword and a quill, planning the fates of fantasy kingdoms. Last we heard, she was petitioning a dragon to open a bank.

Details