By: Gabe King

Gabe King — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:57:19 +0000

Hi Dr. Glyer! You may (or may not) remember me, but I took your Comparative Authors: C. S. Lewis & J. R. R. Tolkien course @ APU in the Spring of 2003. We were the guinea pigs of that class and it was the objective of the course to ultimately publish a book, with each member or group-of-2 contributing a chapter. In the end we did not pursue the publication of an entire book, but rather we elected a few of the papers to be submitted to Myth for review. I remember my chapter was a comparison/contrast of Gandalf and Aslan. Now, 6 years later, as I think back about it, I have to say that was probably my favorite class. I really enjoyed the enthusiasm it engendered as we pored over the popular works (Narnia & LOTR) as well as lesser known titles (Faerie and An Experiment in Criticism). I can honestly say that this class has perpetuated a lifetime of interest and scholasticism towards these great authors that I am all too proud to bestow upon my 5-year old son and next child (who is on the way!). Every now and then I flip through our 'book' that you provided at the end of semester and reminisce about the projects we worked on along the way: the ungainly folders we generated as we searched out all possible websites related, however remotely, to CSL and JRRT; the weekly quizzes that tested our abilities to wade through pages and pages of reading; the seriously rough drafts we created at the start of our journey through the worlds of Lewis & Tolkien. I think I left that class a better writer. I hope APU has continued this course to the present, thereby allowing you to reach generations of APU students and helping them garner a deeper appreciation for some of the most popular works of fiction this world has enjoyed. Hope to hear from you soon!

Comments on: College Writing Courses: What Were You S’posed to Learn?

By: Gabe King