6th July 2002 -- Whitby

Thinking of fantasy films and Whitby usually brings Dracula to mind, but on 6th July the talk will be more of elves than vampires when The Tolkien Society holds the next in its series of Seminars. The theme of this year’s seminar, “Dramatising Fantasy: Adapting books for film and stage”, was chosen because of the interest generated by Peter Jackson’s hugely popular film adaptation of J R R Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring.

The Seminar will be held at Whitby Museum, Pannett Park, Whitby, North Yorkshire, from 10:00am until 5:00pm.

J R R Tolkien’s connection with Whitby At the age of 18, in the summer of 1910, Tolkien visited Whitby for a holiday and drew pictures of both the town and the abbey.

Programme for the day

Speakers will be coming from America and Europe to discuss film versions, dramatisations and translations. Seven talks are planned for the day. There will be plenty of time for discussion.

Dr Devin Brown: Additions, Deletions, Expansions and Contractions: What is lost and what is gained in the BBC adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.

Dr Saviour Catania: Absent Presences in Liminal Places: Muranau’s Nosferatu and the Otherworld of Stoker’s Dracula.

Christine Davidson and Alex Davidson: The Essence of Events: Peter Jackson’s Adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring.

David Doughan MBE: Great admirers, perceptive admirers and treacherous translators.

John Ellison: Fantasy and the lyric stage.

Jason Finch: The Confessions of an Ivanhoe extra: Insights from the TV production of Ivanhoe.

Madawc Williams: The Word, the Voice and the Light: Representations of Tolkien’s World.

Booking

Tickets for the Seminar cost £12 (£10 for members of The Tolkien Society) and are available from the Society’s booking officer at 28 Loverock Crescent, Rugby, CV21 4AR or via the Society’s website www.tolkiensociety.org/seminar.

Tickets must be booked by 21 June. A buffet lunch is included in the charge for the day.

About the Tolkien Society

The Tolkien Society was founded in 1969, its aim being to further interest in the life and works of Professor J R R Tolkien CBE, the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and other works of fiction and philological study. Based in the United Kingdom, and registered as an educational charity, the Society has an international membership in over 30 countries. The Seminar is one of the Society’s three main events during the year; the others are the Annual Dinner and Oxonmoot. Oxonmoot is held in September at an Oxford college and includes talks, slide shows and a party. The Society publishes two regular publications; a bulletin, Amon Hen, appears six times a year with Tolkien-related reviews, news, letters, artwork and articles, both humorous and serious. The annual journal, Mallorn, is more serious in nature with longer critical articles, reviews and essays. For young members there is an active group, “Entings”, which has its own section in the Society bulletin.
We also have a website, which provides members and non-members with general information about the society and the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien: www.tolkiensociety.org/

About the contributors

Dr Devin Brown, is currently an associate professor in the English Department of Asbury College just outside Lexington, Kentucky. At Asbury Devin teaches a number of courses, including “C S Lewis and the Oxford Circle” which features Tolkien.

Dr Saviour Catania is currently a lecturer in film studies at the Centre for Communication Technology at the University of Malta. He studied English Literature at the University of Malta and obtained his PhD there with a thesis on the comparative analysis of five Wuthering Heights film adaptations.

Christine and Alex Davidson are mother and son. As well as being long time members of the Tolkien Society they are both involved in a Roman re-enactment group.

David Doughan MBE is an old member of the Tolkien Society. When not pontificating on Tolkien he does women's history - his latest book is A Dictionary of British Women's Organisations (with Peter Gordon).

John Ellison is an opera buff, artist and genuine eccentric whose lifelong interest in Tolkien and Wagner has resulted in an unparalleled output of learned commentary, humorous lampoonery and trips to Covent Garden.

Jason Finch studied archaeology at Bangor and is a member of a Saxon re-enactment group. He currently works as a local government officer.

Madawc Williams lives in Peterborough and is a Computer Analyst.

For further information about the Seminar contact
Trevor Reynolds, tel. 01252 692432 or 020 7973 3482, fax 0870 0525569, e-mail membership@tolkiensociety.org, 65 Wentworth Crescent, Ash Vale, Aldershot, GU12 5LF.