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Thesis
Applying anthropology to fantasy: A structural analysis of The Lord of the Rings
University of West Florida
Master of Arts (MA), University of West Florida
2015
Abstract
The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Star Trek are but a few modern mythologies that have become woven into the tapestry of our western culture. We have not only embedded these modern myths into our culture, but many people know these modern mythical cultures better than they do their own mundane, "real" culture. Although this study is unconventional in the field of anthropology, this thesis analyzes J.R.R. Tolkien's work of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The purpose of this thesis is to provide the evidence that fictional cultures are reflections of western ideals; that fictions can be studied like any other non-fictional culture using anthropological approaches; and that modern fictions are modern mythologies. In this thesis, the famous The Lord of the Rings series is analyzed using the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss's structural perspective and his model of defining the meaning of myth to demonstrate how Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings canon can be successfully analyzed in the same fashion.
Details
- Title
- Applying anthropology to fantasy
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Contributors
- Margaret W. Huber (Committee Member)Kristina Killgrove (Committee Member)John E Worth (Committee Member) - University of West Florida, College of Arts, Social Sciences, and HumanitiesRobert Philen (Committee Chair)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida
- Format
- text
- Number of pages
- 119
- Copyright
- © 2014 Christina C. Estep
- Identifiers
- 99380090748406600
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Master of Arts (MA)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), University of West Florida