Monday was a day given over to The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. That was the text for the class meeting today. More specifically, I asked my students to focus on the first of the books, The Fellowship of the Ring. This book is one of my favorites, just as Tolkien is one of my favorite authors. His concept of myths containing the "fundamental truths" of a culture rings so true to me, especially as I consider myself an Arthurian (the material about King Arthur is one of my main academic areas of study). That's the idea that he created the label of "Legendarium" to convey. This was probably one of the most spirited classroom discussions thus far this summer. I think that the shift to this genre of "high fantasy" from the somewhat depressing and dark literature of the first and second world wars was a welcome relief to my students.
We are winding down here in London. This is our last full week here. We have two more class meetings after this one, and then a final exam. It has been intense, especially for the students, who have to cram an entire semester's worth of reading and academics into only five weeks. However, the fact that it is all taking place in London does make it an incredibly rewarding experience. The work is paying off. The opportunities to explore the field trip sites is paying off. The additional sight seeing and cultural immersion is paying off.
There have been bumps along the road, with some sickness, some relatively minor troubles caused by too much partying (but what college student doesn't go through that!), too little sleep at times, and a crash course in balancing budgets (for some, especially as we get close to the end). Still, I don't think there is a student or a faculty member here who would say it isn't worth it.
Now, before I start to sound like it is all over today, I need to remind you that there is still a little over a week left before we come home, so continue to watch for the postings. There's still a lot to do yet!
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