All Program Dates May 4th, 2026 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET May 11th, 2026 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET May 18th, 2026 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET May 25th, 2026 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm ET Registration This program is subscription-only. General subscription for this program series is $100. Rosenbach members receive a 10% discount for this program. Not a member? Learn more. Please check your spam folder for your email confirmation. If you have questions, please call (215) 732-1600 or email rsvp@rosenbach.org. Subscribers can watch live on Mondays, or view the recordings, available (for subscribers only) until 30 days after the show finishes its run. Register Register Description Our Hobbit fun continues with this subscription-only show with two of the leading Tolkien scholars in the world, Michael D.C. Drout and Corey Olsen. In this four episode series we’ll explore the medieval works that influenced Tolkien, as well as his translations and famous essays. First up are two sessions on Beowulf and Tolkien with professor Drout, the author of the new book, The Tower and the Ruin: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Creation. Then The Tolkien Professor, Corey Olsen, joins us for two sessions on Tolkien’s 1947 essay, “On Fairy Stories,” and Tolkien’s translation of the medieval fairy poem, Sir Orfeo. And along the way, we’ll revisit The Hobbit’s connections with all of these works. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore the works that inspired Tolkien’s legendarium with these great scholars. This program will be the same format as our Biblioventures: The Hobbit program, with Drout and Olsen joining host Edward G. Pettit in conversation, but we will be fielding your questions from the chat. Unlike the Hobbit show, this will not be broadcast on YouTube and will available only to those who subscribe. All episodes will be recorded and you can watch them up to thirty days after the entire series has ended. Schedule All episodes air live on Mondays in May 2026, 7:00 - 9:00pm ET on Zoom. May 4, Beowulf with Professor Michael D.C. Drout Hwaet! We’ll explore the Anglo-Saxon heroic adventures of Beowulf as he fights the monster Grendel, Grendel’s even more ferocious monster-mother, and finally the dragon. Prepare by reading any translation of Beowulf. May 11, Tolkien and Beowulf with Professor Michael D.C. Drout Tolkien was greatly influenced by Beowulf and wrote perhaps the single most influential essay about the epic poem, “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” which changed the way scholars and readers experienced the poem. Tolken created his own prose translation of the poem, which was not published until after his death, and his contributions to the study of Beowulf are still relevant today. Prepare by reading Tolkien’s essay, “Beowulf: The Monster and the Critics.” Also recommended: Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf. May 18, Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories” with Professor Corey Olsen Originally given as a lecture in 1939, “On Fairy Stories” demonstrates how Tolki...
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