Explore the intersection of gaming and storytelling through Lord of the Rings, examining how classic literature transforms in digital worlds.
Explore the intersection of gaming and storytelling through Lord of the Rings, examining how classic literature transforms in digital worlds.
This innovative course explores the evolution of storytelling across different media, focusing on how traditional literature and films are transformed into online games. Using The Lord of the Rings as a central example, students examine the concept of remediation and how narrative changes across novels, films, and MMOs. The course combines elements of English literature, media studies, and game theory, offering insights into how modern gaming builds on centuries of romance narrative traditions. Participants analyze works from Tolkien, Spenser, and other classic authors while exploring game design, narrative theory, and digital storytelling.
4.6
(191 ratings)
21,514 already enrolled
Instructors:
English
English (Original), Deutsch (Auto), हिन्दी (ऑटो), 19 more
What you'll learn
Understand how stories transform across different media formats
Analyze the relationship between games and traditional literature
Explore narrative theory and gaming conventions
Examine the evolution of romance literature in digital spaces
Understand spatial and temporal elements in storytelling
Master concepts of remediation in digital narratives
Skills you'll gain
This course includes:
591 Minutes PreRecorded video
12 assignments
Access on Mobile, Tablet, Desktop
FullTime access
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There are 6 modules in this course
This comprehensive course examines the intersection of traditional literature, film, and online gaming through the lens of narrative theory and media studies. Students explore how stories transform across different media, using The Lord of the Rings as a primary case study. The curriculum covers game theory, romance literature conventions, and the evolution of storytelling in digital spaces. Special attention is given to the analysis of space, time, and point of view in different media forms, along with in-depth studies of classic literary works that influence modern gaming narratives.
Game on! The History and Theory of MMOs
Module 1 · 2 Hours to complete
LOTRO and Tolkien
Module 2 · 3 Hours to complete
Romance and Realism
Module 3 · 3 Hours to complete
Space and Time in Three Media
Module 4 · 4 Hours to complete
Pwning Spenser's Faerie Queene
Module 5 · 2 Hours to complete
The Holy Grail: A Good End Game
Module 6 · 4 Hours to complete
Fee Structure
Payment options
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Instructor
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English at Vanderbilt University
Jay Clayton is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English at Vanderbilt University, where he also directs the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy. Previously chairing the Department of English, he has received prestigious fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Institutes of Health, along with accolades for his teaching. Clayton's scholarship explores the interplay between narratives across different domains, examining how poetry influenced the novel in Romantic Vision and the Novel, how fiction shaped postmodern culture in The Pleasures of Babel, and how Victorian literature and science contributed to our contemporary digital landscape in Charles Dickens in Cyberspace. His recent research interests focus on the culture of gaming and the representation of genomics in literature and film, highlighting the ethical and social implications these topics present.
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4.6 course rating
191 ratings
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