Thesis Theater: Tyler Swope – Fate and Free Will in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien

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Thesis Theater Recording

Event Announcement

On Wednesday, Monday, January 29, at 4 PM ET, recent graduate of Signum University’s M.A. in Language & Literature Tylor Swope will present his thesis.

Thesis Abstract

The works of J.R.R. Tolkien have been examined through many lenses and from several different angles throughout the years since their publication and many scholars have made a career out of their Tolkien studies alone. Even with all this academic examination, however, one of the least-mined tunnels of Tolkien studies is Tolkien’s depiction of how fate and free will function in his secondary world. Though this topic has been studied by several scholars, most of these scholars have only taken a brief look at particular characters’ decisions and how those decisions immediately affect them and the characters around them. Using Tolkien’s creation account found in The Silmarillion as the framework for the entire analysis of fate and free will in Tolkien’s legendarium, “Fate and Free Will in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Music, the Motives, and Ilúvatar’s Ultimate Plan” takes a long term view of how characters’ decisions affect the entire history of Middle-earth by choosing seven of Tolkien’s characters who make impactful choices and taking a close look at how these freely made decisions affect the predetermined history of Middle-earth written by Ilúvatar.

About the Presenter

Tyler Swope is from a small town in Eastern Oklahoma called Inola. After graduating from Inola, he attended Rogers State University in Claremore, OK, and earned a Bachelors Degree of Liberal Arts with an emphasis in English. After earning a Bachelors Degree, Tyler taught English in Claremore for two years before being hired to teach English at Inola. He currently teaches and coaches volleyball in Inola.

Tyler Swope will present his MA thesis, “Fate and Free Will in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Music, the Motives, and Ilúvatar’s Ultimate Plan.”