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In this week’s session, we fight for the soul of the Shire and find a new peace in the last three chapters of The Lord of the Rings.
Thank you so much for listening! For the slides accompanying this podcast, click here. Please join me in my new podcasts: Stars and Swords, and Shire Reckoning!
Show notes:* The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion (Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull) * LOTRProject * The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (edited by Humphrey Carpenter) * Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien (Matthew T. Dickerson and Jonathan Evans) * The Last Star In Hollywood * “Map of the US and Middle Earth superimposed showing the real size of Bilbo’s and Frodo and Sam’s journey.” (Reddit)
There And Back Again is a Point North Media production by Alastair Stephens, and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike license.
Happy New Year, and welcome to 2024! In this short update, I’ll share some plans I have for the end of the podcast, and talk a little about a new show you might like.
Download the mp3 here, subscribe on iTunes, on YouTube or via RSS!
Show notes:
- Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction
There And Back Again is a Point North Media production by Alastair Stephens, and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike license.
In this week's session, we return to Rivendell and say some fond farewells in chapters six and seven of Book Six of The Lord of the Rings.
This week, we continue our discussion of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with chapters three and four!
In this week's session, we crown King Elessar and begin our long farewells in chapters five and six of Book Six of The Lord of the Rings.
This week, we begin our discussion of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with chapters one and two!
In this week's session, we welcome Frodo and Sam back to the land of the living, and discuss the greatest romance in Middle-earth in chapters four and five of Book Six of The Lord of the Rings.
This week, we discuss the second half of TH White's The Sword In The Stone, with a focus on identity and the stories which bind and guide us.
In this week's session, the eagles are coming and the Ring is destroyed in chapters three and four of Book Six of The Lord of the Rings.
In this week's abbreviated session, we continue our summer holiday away from Hogwarts, and discuss the first part of TH White's The Sword In The Stone!
This week, we meet the Arthurian antecedents of Harry Potter, destroy the One Ring, and more!
This week, take a break from Hogwarts and spend some time with Mildred Hubble, The Worst Witch!
In this week's session, we approach the final fate of the ring with a discussion of heroism, strength and fortitude in the shadow of Mount Doom in chapter three of book six of The Lord of the Rings.
This week, we discuss the highs and lows of the 2005 movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!
This week, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the movie adaptation of Goblet of Fire, and the final fate of the One Ring.
In this week's session, we continue book six of The Lord of the Rings with more discussion of hope and despair, greatness and grace, and strong masculine relationships.
This week, we reach the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with a super-size discussion of justice and punishment, hope and darkness.
In this week's session, we begin book six of The Lord of the Rings with the return to Samwise Gamgee, the influence of the ring, and spontaneous poetry.
This week, we approach the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with a discussion of secrets revealed and powers uncloaked.
This week, we approach the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Dear Mr. Potter; in There and Back Again, we switch our focus away from the Battle of Morannon and catch up with Frodo and Sam in chapters one and two of Book Six of The Lord of the Rings; we […]
This week, we have a brief, spoiler-filled but surprisingly timely overview of Solo: A Star Wars Story!
In this week's session, we conclude book five of The Lord of the Rings with the march to Morannon, Aragorn's mercy, and Pippin's last stand.
This week, we discuss the identities of Death Eaters and the mechanics of Priori Incantatum during the Duel of Little Hangleton in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this week's session, we approach the end of book five of The Lord of the Rings with healing, debate and discussion, and the importance of gulls.
This week, we conclude the Triwizard Tournament with a tragic turn, and assemble the Death Eaters to witness a new threat to the wizarding world in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
It's been a long time -- a long time -- but Story And Star Wars is back with a whole new season of discussion. This week, The Last Jedi!
In this week's session, we discuss hope and despair at Denethor's pyre, and then bring athelas to the Houses of Healing.
This week, we conclude our exposition with the Pensieve, and begin the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this week's session, we conclude the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and discuss eucatastrophe, magical winds, and try not to weep openly.
In this session, we discuss dreams and memories in chapters twenty-nine and thirty of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this week's session, we ride with the Rohirrim to Minas Tirith and begin the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
In this session, we discuss the pernicious power of the media, then take a walk a in the Forbidden Forest with Viktor Krum in chapters twenty-eight and twenty-nine of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this week's session, we discuss hope and despair, the siege of Gondor, and the clash of Gandalf and the Witch-King of Angmar.
In this session, we hand out the points for the second task and speculate about Barty Crouch in chapters twenty-six and twenty-seven of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this week's session, we discuss the new The Fall Of Gondolin book, the muster of the Rohirrim, and the beginning of the Siege of Gondor.
In this session, we soak in the tub then take a dip in the lake in chapters twenty-five and twenty-six of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this unexpectedly abbreviated session, we discuss the role of women in Tolkien's world, and the conversation between Aragorn and Éowyn!
In this session, we begin the new year with mysterious clues and a deepening conspiracy in chapters twenty-four and twenty-four of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this session, we make it to the second chapter of The Return Of The King with discussions of oaths and oathbreaking!
In this session, we begin The Return Of The King with discussions of the White Tree of Gondor, high style and the nobility of hobbits.
In this session, we face the horrors of adolescent awkwardness and teen romance in chapters twenty-two and twenty-three of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this session, we discuss the future, Orc culture and the extensive history of the One Ring as we conclude The Two Towers.
In this long-awaited One Shot discussion, we'll most likely kill you in the morning with the 1987 movie adaptation of The Princess Bride!
In this session, we face dragons and consider goodness in the world of Harry Potter in chapters twenty and twenty-one of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
This week, we face our greatest challenge and begin the first test -- but murdered by pirates is good!
In this long-awaited One Shot discussion, we dive into the inconceivable brilliance of William Goldman's 1973 novel, The Princess Bride!
In this session, we study separation and despair as we reach the end of The Two Towers in Chapter Ten of Book Four, The Choices Of Master Samwise.
In this session, we discuss isolation and honesty in chapters 18 and 19 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In this session, we face opposition and isolation in chapters sixteen and seventeen of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, ""The Goblet of Fire" and "The Four Champions".
In this session, we talk about the power of stories with Sam, then face the evil of Shelob with the phial of Galadriel in chapters eight and nine of book four of The Lord of the Rings.
In this session, we meet the competition in chapters fifteen and sixteen of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, "Beauxbatons and Durmstrang" and "The Goblet of Fire".
Come and explore fantasy and folklore with the downloadable version of Point North's six-week Between Worlds class!
In this session, we catch up with Frodo and Sam as they leave Ithilien for the dangers of Mordor in chapters six and seven of book four of The Lord of the Rings.
In this session, we dive deep into the workings of magic, the Dark Arts, and the Unforgivable Curses in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
This week, we contemplate the unforgivable and the unforgettable in a week of new Point North podcasts!
This week, we celebrate our fiftieth session by running long and adding an extra session as we continue our exploration of book four of The Lord of the Rings!
In this session, we explore childhood, the magic of the natural world, and authenticity in Studio Ghibli's 1988 movie My Neighbor Totoro!
In this session, we continue our discussion of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with a long-awaited (but less than enthusiastic) return to Hogwarts.
This week, we discuss heroism and temptation from Hogwarts to Mordor, from mid-century Japan to Shakespeare's Athens!
In this session, we talk about the excellence of Faramir and Sam as we discuss chapter five of book four of The Lord of the Rings!
In this session, we continue our discussion of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with Death Eaters and the Dark Mark, Hufflepuffs Gone Bad and mysterious money.
This week, we're going back to Hogwarts and spending some time with the Best Man In Middle-earth!
In this session, we find solace in Ithilien and meet Faramir of Gondor as we discuss chapters three and four of book four of The Lord of the Rings!
In this session, we continue our discussion of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with the Quidditch World Cup, veela and leprechauns, and problems of agency.
In this session, we cross the Dead Marshes and discuss the second chapter of book four of The Lord of the Rings!
In this session, we continue our discussion of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with portkeys, apparition and Ton-Tongue Toffees.
This week, we wait for the world to warm up by escaping to the Burrow and the company of the Weasleys.
In this session, we begin our discussion of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with exposition, misdirection and secret cakes.
In this session, we reach the end of book three of The Lord of the Rings and discuss Pippin and the palantír.
In this session, we explore Victorian ideas about Christmas and the supernatural in Charles Dickens' immortal A Christmas Carol!
In this session, we conclude our discussion of A Wizard Of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin, and face down the shadow in the sunless land beyond the sea.
In this session, we discuss chapters nine and ten of book three of The Lord of the Rings.
In anticipation of The Last Jedi, we rewatch The Force Awakens with this live Story and Star Wars commentary!
In this session, we continue our discussion of A Wizard Of Earthsea, and talk about Ged's journey north into Faerie, the magic of Osskill, and the return of Serret.
In this session, we discuss chapter eight of book three of The Lord of the Rings, The Road to Isengard.
In this session, we continue our discussion of A Wizard Of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin, and talk about dragons, true names, and the unleashing of the shadow.
In this session, we are besieged with the Rohirrim in book three, chapter seven of The Lord of the Rings!
In this session, we continue our discussion of A Wizard Of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin, and talk about women's magic, light and shadow, and the inherent risks of power.