Tolkien and Fairy Stories
As much as possible, I will make this file into a skeleton on which to hang sub-files.
Table of Contents
Before Reading a Single Word
Even before looking at Tolkien’s essay, read this under-file to learn:
- where (chronologically) the essay fits into T’s creative career;
- the various versions of “On Fairy-Stories” and which you can/should use;
- typos in the Tolkien Reader version;
- how we will refer to it;
- what other texts by JRRT (if any) to read in conjunction with it.
First Notions
Read through the essay once (if you have never done so), then go through this under-file, which deals with, among other things, how to transform yourself into the kind of audience Tolkien had in mind.
What Fairy Stories Are
In this under-file What Is a Fairy-Story? we not only look at the part of the essay focussing on this question (§§4-22), but also examine notable examples of the genre. In addition, we sound the meaning of “fairy” (countable noun, plural “fairies”) and “Fairy” (non-countable noun, also spelled “Faerie,” “Faërie,” etc.).
Their Origin
In addition to examining the content of §§23-41, we say a little about the history of fairy stories and consider the issue of “literary” versus non-literary fairy stories.
Their Uses
Paragraphs 42-101 of the essay ostensibly deal with the uses of fairy stories; in fact, only the third and last part (Recovery, Escape, Consolation) examines uses as such.
Children
This part (§§42-64) deals, not with what fairy stories are good for, but who they are good for.
Fantasy
Similarly, this part (§§65-80) deals, not with a use of fairy stories, but with the human faculty that makes them possible.
Recovery, Escape, Consolation
At last (§§81-101), we get to the uses of fairy stories. Interestingly, the ones Tolkien has in mind turn out to be temporally bound.
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