We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by.

(01:37) Tolkien the tinkerer: Palantír added mid-writing
(04:22) Leaving Isengard
(06:20) Merry & Gandalf: humour, recovery, and raising the stakes again
(12:15) Warning notes and the danger winding up
(18:24) The Palantír confrontation
(22:05) Aragorn’s shift, kingship emerging
(29:30) Saruman’s fatal step
(34:40) Ending Book Three

For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:

Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok

Today on Mythmakers, you’re invited to join us on a short visit to the world of fantasy romance. What's all the fuss about romantasy and where did it come from? What's the secret sauce (pun intended) of Fourth Wing? And why was the world so transfixed by Twilight back early 2000s?

Be sure to stay to the end to hear Julia’s recommendations of what you might like to read this Valentine's Day from the fantasy genre.

(01:00) The Rise of Romantasy and Fourth Wing
(02:00) Market Forces and Female Readership
(04:40) Twilight and the Power of Restrained Desire
(06:50) What Makes a True Fantasy Romance
(09:20) Recommended Romantic Fantasy Reads
(14:00) Writing Romance in the Finding Sky Series
(15:10) Why We Read Romance and the Hope of Finding the Right Person

For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:

Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by.

(00:00) The Ruins of Isengard and the Approach to Saruman
(04:55) Saruman’s Voice and the Power of Persuasion
(08:00) Resistance, Discernment, and the Cracks in Saruman’s Authority
(10:29) Théoden’s Judgment and Saruman’s Fall from Power
(14:03) Gandalf’s Mercy and the Failure of Pride
(18:11) The Breaking of the Staff and the Palantír Revealed
(22:04) Aftermath, Creative Discovery, and Seeds for What Comes Next

For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:

Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website
Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.com/Instagram
Facebook: https://centre4fantasy.com/Facebook
TikTok: https://centre4fantasy.com/tiktok