Chatterton's forged manuscripts created an imaginary persona and a pseudo-medieval 'secondary' world. The impact on his career can be compared to that of Macpherson's Ossian poems, and other comtemporary feigned documents, often linked to the pursuit of national identity. J.R.R. Tolkien's 'secondary' world of Middle-earth can be read as part of the same legacy of forged/faked/feigned manuscripts, giving his invented cosmos a sense of historically that goes beyond imagination. This talk will therefore explore the tensions between 'real' and imaginary, feigned and forged, history and fantasy.  With Dr Dimitra Fimi (University of Wales Institue, Cardiff).

http://mshed.org/whats-on/events/uwe-history-seminar-15-march/

- wellinghall