Richard Rohlin
New Member
Continuing our summer series of journal introductions, here's Mythlore, as presented to us by our own Leslie Reece:
Summary
Mythlore was founded in 1969 by Glenn GoodKnight, who had founded the Mythopoeic Society two years earlier. In its first incarnations Mythlore was more of a “fanzine,” featuring art and fiction alongside columns and book reviews. The articles gradually became more formal, and by 1999, with GoodKnight’s retirement as editor, Mythlore became a peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the Mythopoeic Society. Mythlore now publishes twice a year, running from seven to ten articles of 5-10,000 words per issue with perhaps a dozen book reviews and two or three short notes.
Mythlore’s subtitle is “a journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature,” all subjects with which Signum students will be quite familiar. Mythopoeic literature, according to the website, is “literature that creates a new and transformative mythology, or incorporates and transforms existing mythological material.” In other words, that leaves plenty of room for pieces involving Harry Potter or A Song of Ice and Fire alongside articles on the works of authors like Neil Gaiman, Ursula K. LeGuin, H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelley—even a few you might not expect, like George Orwell or T.S. Eliot. Of course, given the rest of the subtitle, there are also numerous pieces on virtually every aspect of the Inklings and their oeuvre. There are some limits: for example, Mythlore does not publish any articles focused exclusively on invented languages, whether they are Tolkien’s or someone else’s (authors of papers on invented languages are referred to the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship, which is a special interest group within the Mythopoeic Society.)
Unlike most other journals, Mythlore solicits book reviews, which according to the website should be “more than 500 words but less than 5000.” Books available for review are posted on Mythlore’s Facebook page in the Notes section: there is no fiction; most books are critical studies involving mythopoeic works and/or the works of the Inklings. It is required that potential reviewers contact the editor before beginning their reviews.
Submissions to Mythlore
Submission to Mythlore is electronic, and authors must register for a free account in order to submit material. A detailed statement regarding Mythlore’s editorial policy as well as links to the style guide and other submission details are available on the Mythopoeic Society website at http://www.mythsoc.org/mythlore/mythlore-submissions.htm. All articles are in English, and the required style for citation is MLA 8th ed. Here are a few other things to watch out for.
· Preferred editions: the preferred edition for Lord of the Rings is the 50th anniversary one-volume edition, printed in 2004 or later. Mythlore asks that authors cite quotations by book and chapter number: LotR VI.5.937 refers to Book 6, Chapter 5 “The Steward and The King,” page 937. There are no preferred editions for The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, or the Space Trilogy.
· Editorial policy: the Statement of Editorial Purpose (available at the link above) is worth reading, as it fully explains the term mythopoeic as well as the idea of what Glenn GoodKnight called “The Middle Way”: that is, among other things, the idea that while the Inklings were all religious men, Mythlore will neither promote religion nor deny the importance of it in the Inklings’ lives and work.
You should submit to Mythlore if…
· You have written an original, in-depth article—perhaps your MA thesis?—on any of the Inklings’ works or on a topic in mythopoeic literature.
· You are willing to have your work reviewed by experts in the field before it is accepted for publication. Keep in mind that revisions may be necessary before your work is accepted.
· You wish to review one of the available titles listed on the Mythlore Facebook page and you have contacted the editor before beginning.
Summary
Mythlore was founded in 1969 by Glenn GoodKnight, who had founded the Mythopoeic Society two years earlier. In its first incarnations Mythlore was more of a “fanzine,” featuring art and fiction alongside columns and book reviews. The articles gradually became more formal, and by 1999, with GoodKnight’s retirement as editor, Mythlore became a peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the Mythopoeic Society. Mythlore now publishes twice a year, running from seven to ten articles of 5-10,000 words per issue with perhaps a dozen book reviews and two or three short notes.
Mythlore’s subtitle is “a journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature,” all subjects with which Signum students will be quite familiar. Mythopoeic literature, according to the website, is “literature that creates a new and transformative mythology, or incorporates and transforms existing mythological material.” In other words, that leaves plenty of room for pieces involving Harry Potter or A Song of Ice and Fire alongside articles on the works of authors like Neil Gaiman, Ursula K. LeGuin, H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelley—even a few you might not expect, like George Orwell or T.S. Eliot. Of course, given the rest of the subtitle, there are also numerous pieces on virtually every aspect of the Inklings and their oeuvre. There are some limits: for example, Mythlore does not publish any articles focused exclusively on invented languages, whether they are Tolkien’s or someone else’s (authors of papers on invented languages are referred to the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship, which is a special interest group within the Mythopoeic Society.)
Unlike most other journals, Mythlore solicits book reviews, which according to the website should be “more than 500 words but less than 5000.” Books available for review are posted on Mythlore’s Facebook page in the Notes section: there is no fiction; most books are critical studies involving mythopoeic works and/or the works of the Inklings. It is required that potential reviewers contact the editor before beginning their reviews.
Submissions to Mythlore
Submission to Mythlore is electronic, and authors must register for a free account in order to submit material. A detailed statement regarding Mythlore’s editorial policy as well as links to the style guide and other submission details are available on the Mythopoeic Society website at http://www.mythsoc.org/mythlore/mythlore-submissions.htm. All articles are in English, and the required style for citation is MLA 8th ed. Here are a few other things to watch out for.
· Preferred editions: the preferred edition for Lord of the Rings is the 50th anniversary one-volume edition, printed in 2004 or later. Mythlore asks that authors cite quotations by book and chapter number: LotR VI.5.937 refers to Book 6, Chapter 5 “The Steward and The King,” page 937. There are no preferred editions for The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, or the Space Trilogy.
· Editorial policy: the Statement of Editorial Purpose (available at the link above) is worth reading, as it fully explains the term mythopoeic as well as the idea of what Glenn GoodKnight called “The Middle Way”: that is, among other things, the idea that while the Inklings were all religious men, Mythlore will neither promote religion nor deny the importance of it in the Inklings’ lives and work.
You should submit to Mythlore if…
· You have written an original, in-depth article—perhaps your MA thesis?—on any of the Inklings’ works or on a topic in mythopoeic literature.
· You are willing to have your work reviewed by experts in the field before it is accepted for publication. Keep in mind that revisions may be necessary before your work is accepted.
· You wish to review one of the available titles listed on the Mythlore Facebook page and you have contacted the editor before beginning.