The Treason of Isengard
Starting in July 2017, Mythgard Academy will present a free 15-week seminar series on the The Treason of Isengard, the seventh volume in the History of Middle-earth series chronicling the development of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium.
In previous Mythgard Academy seminars, we have reviewed the first six volumes in the HoME series: The Book of Lost Tales, Part I, The Book of Lost Tales, Part II, The Lays of Beleriand, The Shaping of Middle-earth, The Lost Road, and The Return of the Shadow. We have now past the midway mark of the HoME series – and all signs point to continuing on with the rest of the volumes, as well!
Originally published in 1989, Isengard takes its name from the discarded title for Book III of The Lord of the Rings, and it is the second volume of the four-book subset of the HoME series referred to as The History of the Lord of the Rings. It documents the development of the story as the Fellowship travels through Moria and into Lothlorien, continuing up to the breakup of the fellowship on the banks of the Anduin. It also covers events occurring in the first half of The Two Towers, including Merry and Pippen’s wanderings through Fangorn, Gandalf’s return – and, as the title implies, Saruman’s treachery against the Riders of Rohan.
Recommended edition of The Treason of Isengard
Mythgard Academy welcomes all attendees at no charge. Each week during the seminar, the first 100 participants will be able to attend live. Don’t worry if you can’t join us live, though – you can access the recordings for no charge on our iTunes U course and on the Signum University YouTube channel.
These sessions on speculative works are made possible due to the generosity of Mythgard Institute supporters. Those who contribute can vote for which books we explore in our discussions. So far this year, we have continued our journey through The History of Middle-earth series with Return of the Shadow, and after taking a short (but much anticipated!) side trip through Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy, we are returning again to the HoME series with The Treason of Isengard.
Our current seminar will takes us into the beginning of November, which means we’ll have time to start at least one more book before the new year. I’m excited to see the next book that will be chosen – and if you want to be a part of the nomination and voting process, there’s still time to donate! Visit our annual fund page to get in on the action!
– Dr. Corey Olsen
Participation Welcome!
To help participants support each other, Mythgard provides the following interaction opportunities:
- A live chatroom is available at the bottom right of this page where you can converse with other session attendees in real time.
- There is a little icon on the bottom left pane of the chat widget to open the chat in a separate window, which you should find useful.
- Also, we have a Mythgard Academy forum where donors can discuss topics related to this seminar. The forum is located in the Signum University Digital Campus within the Community Hearth. Our other Mythgard Academy activities, such as the Silmarillion Film Project can be found on our public forum. (Registration required.)
Also, please “like” the Mythgard Academy Facebook page and follow us on Twitter to get updates and reminders about each session. If you live-tweet the discussions, please use the hashtag #MythAcademy.
The History of Middle-earth, Volume 7 is available on Amazon.
Schedule
The Treason of Isengard discussions will be held on Wednesdays at 9:30 pm Eastern Time
Week 1: Let’s Start Again!
Read: Chapters I-II (1-39)
Attend: July 19, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 2: Back to Rivendell
Read: Chapters III-IV (40-80)
Attend: July 26, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 3: Errantry Evolved
Read: Chapters V (81-109)
Attend: August 9, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 4: Council of Elrond I
Read: Chapters VI (110-140)
Attend: August 16, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 5: Council of Elrond II
Read: Chapters VII (141-160)
Attend: August 23, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 6: Back to the High-Water Mark
Read: Chapters VIII-IX (161-189)
Attend: August 30, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 7: Balrogs and Beyond
Read: Chapters X-XI (190-216)
Attend: September 6, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 8: Return to Faerie
Read: Chapters XII (217-244)
Attend: September 13, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 9: The Fairy Queen
Read: Chapters XIII (245-266)
Attend: September 20, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 10: Leaving Lorien
Read: Chapters XIV (267-294)
Attend: September 27, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 11: New Frontiers
Read: Chapters XV-XVI (295-349)
Attend: October 4, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 12: Finally Finishing Book 1
Read: Chapters XVII-XVIII (350-377)
Attend: October 11, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 13: Farewell and Hello
Read: Chapters XIX-XX (378-407)
Attend: October 18, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 14: The Tree-Man
Read: Chapters XXI-XXIII (408-424)
Attend: October 25, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Week 15: Gandalf Returns
Read: Chapters XXIV-XXVI (425-451)
Attend: November 1, 2017, 9:30 PM EDT
Choose Future Seminar Topics
Do you want to support the work that the Institute does for fantasy and other imaginative literature? Would you like to help choose the books we discuss in future seminars? Donate today!
