About "Carnap Finds the One Ring"

ℑt should come as no surprise that I read webcomics, perhaps more avidly than is good for me. I am, after all, a nerd, as the simple fact of my having written here and having returned to writing here (after far longer than should have been the case, I admit) indicates. But then, it's not a bad thing to be a nerd, and it is at least the case that my focus and attention doesn't result in much that can be used to do harm.

One subject of the comic
Image from Wikipedia, here,
and presumably public domain

In any event, as I was reading the webcomics I regularly read (and there are a few of them), I came across Existential Comics #611, "Carnap Finds the One Ring." For obvious reasons, it piqued my interest; for similarly obvious reasons, I thought a discussion of it here might be fitting. (If I'm wrong, I don't think I want to know.)

The comic itself pokes fun at both Carnap and Tolkien. The former is of a piece with the webcomic series as a whole; the entire premise of Existential Comics is that it presents philosophers and their works and ideas as somewhat absurd, something that no doubt finds much agreement among the reading public (and likely would among the non-reading public did they bother to look at the comic--but as non-readers, they would hardly be expected to do so). Carnap's struggle towards wholly objective language is made no more or less silly by the comic than is Plato's concept of ideal forms or the inevitability of certain puns in the context of philosophy. The latter is perhaps less common in my experience; those I've encountered who decry Tolkien's works rarely do so from a place of having actually read them in any detail but often on the grounds of disliking fiction or fantasy fiction or "that old shit," generally.

So much said, the comic does raise some good points.  One is that riddles depend for their effect on a tension between exactness and ambiguity of meaning. Indeed, I recall one of my professors at UL Lafayette, the late James E. Anderson, remarking that they were used in early English scriptoria specifically to help teach multi-level thinking. I know that in my own teaching, my use of riddles with students worked to that end, and generally well. (I've written about it more formally, for those interested; it's in Ballad of the Lone Medievalist, and an abstract can be found here.) For someone who strives toward exactness and away from ambiguity, engagement with riddles is an easy way to make a joke; addressing them in such a manner as is presented usefully points out the limitations of the riddle as a genre--namely that there is always another possible answer to them, depending on the approach taken.

Another point is that it is somewhat absurd that the riddle-game in The Hobbit happens at all. "For some reason" is, admittedly, something of a misrepresentation of the interaction between Gollum and Bilbo in the damp darkness under the Misty Mountains--both of them had good reason to stall for time, and riddling offers them both opportunity for such--but moving to such a game also admittedly can strike more modern audiences than those original to the novel as an oddity. Playing along with a threat to gain time for assessment makes sense; a word-game as the means for doing so, perhaps less so.

Of course, it must be remembered that the comic is a comic. The point is to get money for the comic-writer make a joke, and so misrepresentation can be excused in the service of that point so long as it does not proceed to the extent of making the subject matter unrecognizable. It does not in the present case. Indeed, the comic does work, or at least it did for me; I laughed at it when I read it, even if doing some dissection on it kills the humor later on.

There is this, too: the treatment of Carnap and Gollum is not the only time Existential Comics has taken up Tolkien...but I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go there at the moment. Another time, perhaps?

An Irregular Update

ℌello once again, all! Thank you for continuing to check in on this webspace, infrequent as updates to it have been. We'll try to be better about getting material up here, and we appreciate your ongoing indulgence.

There are a few points to note. One of them is that Dennis Wilson Wise's New Poets of Rum-Ram-Ruf series, which began here, has a new entry out on Forgotten Ground Regained, "The New Poets of Rum-Ram-Ruf: Charles R. Sleeth." As always, Wise's writing is a pleasure to read, and Society members will likely find much of interest in the online journal as a whole. The upcoming Summer 2026 issue will be particularly prominent for it, being focused on Alliterative Verse in Arda.

Another is that the Society's CFPs for the upcoming International Congress on Medieval Studies remain open. Details are here; as ever, Society members are encouraged to submit and are asked to disseminate information on the proposals widely. Voices from outside traditional academic structures and from historically marginalized communities are especially welcomed.

A couple of other CFPs from Society membership and that may be of interest have also been noted. They have been posted to the Society's Facebook page; for those not on that social media platform, glosses follow here:

• The UNICORN Virtual Museum of Medieval Studies and Medievalism is having a virtual poster session at the 2026 International Congress on Medieval Studies. The UNICORN remarks "This poster session is for offering proven strategies for incorporating various types of games into the medieval classroom" and "Suggestions for participants include submit standard poster-size slides (using Canva or Powerpoint) and/or short videos that can be accessed throughout the conference. During the session, participants will introduce posters and be available for questions." Additionally, the CFP description reads "This virtual poster session will explore how we use games to enhance student engagement with and understanding of the Middle Ages and medievalism. Posters can present highlights from effective classroom use of various types of games, including board games, role-playing games, and virtual games. This session can explore how gaming enhances classes taught in various delivery modes, including face-to-face, hybrid, and online asynchronous courses." It's Session 7182, and submissions may be made on Confex.
• The International Society for the Study of Medievalism has a CFP for a virtual conference treating Medievalisms in Time and Space. Noted by them are " We welcome submissions considering aspects of Medievalisms in Time (any temporalities or relationships between them) and Space (inner spaces, Outer Space and outer spaces, contested spaces, geographies real and imagined, trans-temporalities); Trans-medievalisms of all kinds (such as transgender medievalisms, transformative medievalisms, transgressive medievalisms)" and "While we encourage proposals covering these key themes, we welcome papers addressing any aspect of Medievalism." Submissions are requested via Google Form at https://forms.gle/NvsV1vxaVbiiNaNo6.

One more point to bring up: we are always looking for submissions to this blog. Form and format vary, although there is a focus on short-form medievalist scholarship. (For ideas about what that is, see here and here.) Ideas or whole pieces can be emailed to talesaftertolkien@gmail.com under subject line "Post for the TaT Blog"; we're happy to hear from you and work with you to get your work out into the world.

Again, we're working to get things going here once again, and we hope both to hear from you and to have your eyes on what we do!

Getting Going for #Kzoo2026

ℌappy July, all!

The Society is pleased to report that we have THREE offerings for the 2026 International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo! All three are online. The first of them is co-sponsored with Tolkien at Kalamazoo, the roundtable Adaptations of Tolkien: Medieval Traces in Movies, Games and Other Transmedial Texts. Building upon the #Kzoo2025 work of the Society, it's session 7564, and the description the Congress has of it is

This roundtable explores enduring medieval influences in adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's works across various media, including films and television, table-top and video games, and other transmedial texts. Roundtable panelists will examine how Tolkien's deep engagement with medieval literature, history, and mythology continues to shape modern interpretations, from the visual aesthetics and world-building in cinematic adaptations to the narrative structures and mechanics in interactive games and other media. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the discussion will address ways medieval motifs are preserved, altered, or reimagined in these adaptations, considering both creative intentions and audience reception.

The second session, a paper session, is Off of the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms. It's session 7569, and the description the Congress has of it is

While the pop culture landscape of books and films often borrow from and are inspired by "the medieval period"–as well as frequently disseminated, propagated, and influenced by neo-medievalist works such as those by Martin, Jordan, Sanderson, and Hobb–relatively little discourse focuses on how other types of contemporary works pull from the same and/or similar influences. With the increasing popularity of medievalism in games, music, etc., this paper panel seeks to prompt, deepen, and explore the study and discussion of the less commonly talked about–yet no less consumed–works and how they look to and use popular mis/understandings of the medieval.

The third, another paper session, is Bad Medieval/ism: Mis/Uses of the Medieval in Contemporary Fiction. Originally subtitled "I Know It's Wrong, But I Want to Have Fun," it's session 7572, and the description the Congress has of it is

This session seeks to examine the misuses and misapplications of the medieval within any fictional media from 1974 forward. Sometimes, accessibility to contemporary audiences requires deviation from what is known to scholarship; sometimes, narrative demands impose changes to particular interpretations of source material. Sometimes, however, things are flatly wrong. Effects on audiences differ, but it is clear that many audiences and authors use contemporary fiction as a means to understand earlier periods. This session seeks to explore what they get right, what they get less right, and why it matters to our ongoing understanding of the belief about the medieval.

Dear members, and dear readers, please publicize this widely; tell your friends, tell your colleagues, tell your students who have them! And get your own abstracts ready; we'd love to have your work!

Update: submissions for each are due no later than 15 September 2025 via Confex. Details are still forthcoming of the AGM.

So, About #Kzoo2025 and Looking at #Kzoo2026

ℌello, all; we hope you are and continue to be well!

At the 2025 International Congress on Medieval Studies, held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Society cosponsored a paper session with Tolkien at Kalamazoo: Return of the Franchise: Twenty-First-Century Continuations of Tolkien's Medievalism. The session, taking place at 3:30pm local time on 10 May 2025, was organized by Yvette Kisor (Ramapo College) and Society President Rachel Sikorski and presided over by Society member Kris Swank (University of Glasgow); it consisted of four papers.

The first was "Dice of the Rings: Reflections on a Particular Tabletop Roleplaying Game Set Amid Tolkien's Legendarium," by Geoffrey B. Elliott (Society Social Media Officer). Elliott writes of it "Among the many adaptations of Tolkien's Legendarium are many tabletop roleplaying games. These include the principal example of the genre, Dungeons & Dragons. They also range to several licensed tabletop roleplaying games. The adaptations necessary to such games illuminate both Tolkien's continued reception and popular mis/use of the medieval." A copy of the text of his paper is available at his website, Elliott RWI, and is linked here.

The second paper was "'Do not touch the water!': Gendered Materiality in Tolkien's Visual Frames," by Benjamin E.C. Shotton (University of Bristol). Shotton writes "This paper articulates the systematic and morally fraught processes of vision and visuality in The Lord of the Rings by considering how the materiality of both the Mirror of Galadriel and the Palantíri construct and enforce gendered modes of looking."

The third paper was "Peace(ful) Bywater: Exploring 'Tales of the Shire' and Analyzing the Rise of Cozy Media within the Lord of the Rings Franchise," by Rachel Sikorski. Sikorski writes "By analyzing 'Tales of the Shire and its marketing material,' this paper aims to identify and explore the thematic, aesthetic, and narrative elements that make a piece of work ‘cozy.’ Additionally, it will examine why Tolkien’s oeuvre provides an ideal backdrop for such a game within the current pop-culture landscape."

The final paper was "Rings of Power: Narrative Framing and Past Feminist Critique of Tolkien's Works," by Julie Loveland Swanstrom (Augustana University). Swanstrom writes "As Tolkien’s works are explored, examined, and expanded upon, some properties like Rings of Power seem to deal directly with several critiques levied at Tolkien’s works, namely a lack of gender and racial diversity. Centering on women and normalizing characters of color utilizes some existing Tolkienian to include more fans."

Delivery and discussion of the papers went well, with ample audience participation in the latter. It is hoped that subsequent Congresses will be able to build upon the work done.

A privately hosted annual general meeting followed the paper session at 6pm local time that same day. Owing to late notice and the scheduling concerns occasioned by the same, attendance at the meeting itself was limited, with only Rachel Sikorski and Geoffrey B. Elliott in attendance. Discussion at the scheduled meeting therefore treated matters only of immediate interest.

The first of them was cosponsoring a session with Tolkien at Kalamazoo--"Adaptations of Tolkien: Medieval Traces in Movies, Games and other Transmedial Texts (A Roundtable)"--at the 2026 Congress. The text of the session proposal is "This roundtable explores enduring medieval influences in adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's works across various media, including films and television, table-top and video games, and other transmedial texts. Roundtable panelists will examine how Tolkien's deep engagement with medieval literature, history, and mythology continues to shape modern interpretations, from the visual aesthetics and world-building in cinematic adaptations to the narrative structures and mechanics in interactive games and other media. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the discussion will address ways medieval motifs are preserved, altered, or reimagined in these adaptations, considering both creative intentions and audience reception." Given the success of the day's paper session, it was determined that the Society would cosponsor the session.

The second matter of immediate interest was re-addressing the meeting. Since notice had not gone out in a timely fashion, it was determined that matters of interest that would normally have been treated in an annual general meeting would be addressed via online survey distributed via the Society email list and discussed in responses to the same, as well as the Society Discord.

Said survey was drafted and disseminated, if with some challenges, with over a week afforded members to respond. The transmission of the email was noted on the Society Facebook page, with a call for members who did not receive their copy of the same to request it be sent to them again. Seven responses were received, with minimal differences among them.

The survey asked the following:

• Luke Shelton has offered to remain VP (USA) for the 2025-2028 term. Do you approve?
• If and only if you do not approve of Luke Shelton as VP (USA), whom would you nominate for the position? The nominee must be a member in good standing and must not presently hold two committee positions in the Society.
• Geoffrey B. Elliott has offered to remain Social Media Officer for the 2025-2028 term. Do you approve?
• If and only if you do not approve of Geoffrey B. Elliott as Social Media Officer, whom would you nominate for the position? The nominee must be a member in good standing and must not presently hold two committee positions in the Society.
• The Society offers to propose as a paper session at the 2026 ICMS the following
  
  Off the Printed Prose Page: Multimodal Medievalisms
  "Other media than literature, ranging from the obvious movies to video games and music, among others, make much of the medieval and the kinds of ideas of the medieval that are promulgated and propagated by Tolkienian-tradition works. Rich as other arts are, and borrowing from the medieval as they do, there is relatively little discourse that focuses on how contemporary works in multiple media make use of the medieval, as such. The proposed paper session seeks to open conversations about how non-literary works look to popular mis/understandings of the medieval, making use of and influencing commonplace perceptions of the medieval."
  
  Should the Society propose the paper session?
• The Society offers to propose as a paper session at the 2026 ICMS the following
  
  Bad Medieval/ism: Mis/Uses of the Medieval in Contemporary Fiction; or, I Know It's Wrong, But I Want to Have Fun
  "That much contemporary fiction looks to the medieval for inspiration is clear. That that fiction gets a lot of the medieval wrong is also clear. Why the wrongness persists, what forms it tends to take, and what functions the particular errors serve may not be quite as clear--and so they bear examination, which the proposed paper session purposes to foster."
  
  Should the Society propose the paper session?
• If the Society should *not* propose either of the listed paper sessions, what should it propose and why?
• Is there other business you would like the Society to consider? Please let us know!

All respondents affirmed that Shelton and Elliott should remain in their positions; no other nominees were proposed.

Six of the seven respondents affirmed that the Off the Printed Prose Page session should be proposed. The lone dissenter noted difficulty filling multiple sessions and emphasized that the Bad Medieval/ism session should be proposed.

All respondents affirmed that the Bad Medieval/ism session should be proposed.

Consequently, the Society will be submitting proposals for a cosponsored roundtable with Tolkien at Kalamazoo, as well as two paper sessions. The intent, to facilitate attendance, it to have all sessions take place virtually. Similarly, the Society will ask for formally hosted virtual space for its 2026 annual general meeting at the 2026 Congress; expected agenda items will be the election of a Vice-President At-large (term ending 2029), the election of a Secretary (term ending 2029), and the determination of offerings for the 2027 Congress. Details of submissions and scheduling will follow as they become available.

AGM at #Kzoo2025

With apologies for the late notice: 

AGM to happen at the following Zoom link, https://us05web.zoom.us/j/84395462130?pwd=EW4q8mLqQSzc828gcAMiAZcaVugtW5.1, at 6pm K'zoo time after our panel. Agenda:

• Determination of offerings for the 2026 ICMS
• Election of a Social Media Officer, 2025-2028; and
• Election of a Vice-President (USA), 2025-2028.
• Other business brought before the membership, as time permits

The offices of Social Media Officer and Vice-President may, be any member of the Society in good standing who does not currently hold two offices on the Committee. Nominations, including self-nominations, may be emailed to talesaftertolkien@gmail.com.

Moving towards #Kzoo2025

ℌello, again, all, and may you continue to be well!

The Tales after Tolkien Society is pleased to report that the program for the upcoming 2025 International Congress on Medieval Studies is up, here, and that the Society's hybrid session--number 405, "Return of the Franchise: Twenty-First-Century Continuations of Tolkien’s Medievalism"--will take place at 3:30pm US Eastern Time on Saturday, 10 May 2025. For those on site, it will be in Sangren 1320.

 No business meeting is scheduled among Congress proceedings; details of the AGM will be forthcoming.