J. R. R. Tolkien is one of the greatest fantasy writers in history. He gave a lecture titled “Fairy Stories,” which was later altered into an essay retitled “On Fairy-Stories.” The thesis of his argument explores the concept of fantasy and the profound belief that there is no such thing as writing for children. In Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy-Stories” he argues that it is not necessary to be a child to enjoy and read fairy tales.
At the beginning of “On Fairy-Stories,” J.R.R Tolkien starts the literary work by defining what a fairy tale is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. However, it does not mention any words with the combination fairy-story, and it also is useless on the topic of fairies. In the Supplement, a fairy tale is said to be (a) a tale about fairies, or generally a fairy legend; with developed senses, (b) an unreal or incredible story, and (c) a falsehood. Tolkien’s definition of a fairy-story:
A “fairy-story” is one which touches on or uses Faerie, whatever its own main purpose may be: satire, adventure, morality, fantasy. Faerie itself may perhaps most nearly be translated by Magic — but it is magic of a peculiar mood and power, at the furthest pole from the vulgar devices of the laborious, scientific, magician. There is one proviso: if there is any satire present in
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the tale, one thing must not be made fun of, the magic itself. That must in that story be taken seriously, neither laughed at nor explained away (Tolkien 114). To J.R.R. Tolkien, fairy tales should not be seen as primarily for children. Children are adolescent and are likely to believe whatever they are told, thus their imagination is much grander than an adult’s and is capable of seeing things that others would not see when presented with a fairy tale. Adults read fantasy and write creative literature to recapture some of that magic lost when they grew up, and the magic and stories contained in fairy tales are not for us. When reading these stories, adults must disregard reality and places themselves in the “Secondary World” created by the story. Adults are incapable of fully immersing themselves, they are preoccupied with the ideas and knowledge they have learned as they have grown up, with life experiences and responsibilities. Only children have the true power to immerse themselves in these tales and therefore understand the mystical world presented to them. While adults have the intelligence and the vocabulary to tell these fairy tales, only children have the ability to fully imagine and understand them (Tolkien 132). Fairy tales, while a form of literature, should not be scrutinized and looked at critically like with novels or essays. He says that adults put more skepticism and critique into reading fairy tales, therefore they get more out of it than children can (Tolkien 130). It should not be seen in this way. One does not simply put more into a fairy tale; one can only get a story and a sense of wonder out of it. It should not be said that adults are too stubborn for this, but that they have seen the world and are educated about it, therefore the sense of wonder is absent which is essential for reading a fairy tale. Tolkien also states: “I will now turn to children, and so come to the last and most important of the three questions: what, if any, are the values and functions of fairy-stories now?
It is usually assumed that children are the natural or the specially appropriate audience for fairy-stories. In describing a fairy-story which they think adults might possibly read for their own entertainment, reviewers frequently indulge in such waggeries as: “this book is for children from the ages of six to sixty.” But I have never yet seen the puff of a new motor-model that began thus: “this toy will amuse infants from seventeen to seventy”; though that to my mind would be much more appropriate” (Tolkien
129-130). J.R.R. Tolkien is declaring that anyone from any ages can read fairy tales. The audience should not be directed towards children, but rather towards everyone. A Fairy story is one which talks about or uses fairies, whatever its own main purpose is, whether it is a satire, an adventure, a morality, or a fantasy work. “On Fairy-Stories” defends that fairy tales are for all ages, it also enlightens the reader about Tolkien’s views of fairy stories and his own definition. J.R.R. Tolkien believes that fairy tales should be read by everyone, adults and children.
Ownership is a symbol of control. As human beings, we tend to put labels on things, believing that everything must belong to someone or something. This issue of ownership does not exclude the world of fairy tales. Fairy tales, much like birds, follow no rules and are free, but can be over ruled by potential superiors. In Donald Haase’s essay entitled, “Yours, Mine, or Ours?” and Lawrence R. Sipe’s case study, “Talking back and taking over: Young children’s expressive engagement during storybook read-alouds”, both scholars claim that children holds the baton of ownership over fairy tales. Although Haase and Sipe lay out an appealing theory and practice for children’s literacy, a story like “The Juniper Tree” by the Grimms brothers suggest skepticism
Children can identify themselves with fairy-tale characters; they imagine themselves as heroes, who are capable of killing dragons, or simpletons, who demonstrate the superiority over clever people. Fantasies based on the fairy tales are extremely important part of the children’s lives, and this is not only because they describe threatening situations that resemble main fears of a young child such as the fear of getting lost, fear of wrong decisions, fear of monsters or evil animals. Happy endings, which are always present in fairy tales, give children the confidence that despite all their fears they will be able to win in the end. This knowledge helps them to prepare for the difficulties of life, regardless whether they are real or imagined (Doughty, 2006).
...n” is a great example of an old myth or tale reconstructed and adapted for a modern audience in a new medium. It is a progression on one hand in its use of modern language, setting, and style but it is also the product of the old myths in that it is essentially the same on the thematic level. In addition, the level of self-awareness on the part of the narrator and, by extension, the author marks it out as an illustration of the very notion of evolutionary changes of myths and fairy tales. Adaptation is the solution to the fairy tale, and fairy tales have been endlessly changing themselves throughout history and, by some strange transforming or enchanting power endlessly staying the same.”
Warner, Marina. From the Beast to the Blond on Fairy Tales and Their Tellers. New York: Chatto & Windus, 1994. Print.
The simplicity of fairy tales and non-specific details renders them ideal for manipulation allowing writers to add their own comments often reflecting social convention and ideology. Theref...
Imagine yourself in a pre-industrial world full of mystery and magic. Imagine a world full of monsters, demons, and danger, as well as a world full of friends, fairies, good wizards, and adventure. In doing so you have just taken your first step onto a vast world created by author and scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien became fascinated by language at an early age during his schooling, in particularly, the languages of Northern Europe, both ancient and modern. This affinity for language did not only lead to his profession, but also his private hobby, the invention of languages. His broad knowledge eventually led to the development of his opinions about Myth and the importance of stories. All these various perspectives: language, the heroic tradition, and Myth, as well as deeply-held beliefs in Catholic Christianity work together in all of his works. The main elements of Tolkien’s works are Good versus Evil, characters of Christian and anti-Christian origin, and the power of imagination.
Rollin, Lucy. “Fear of Faerie: Disney and the Elitist Critics.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly Volume 12. Number 2. 1987. Retrieved 18 Dec. 2013 from < http://muse.jhu .edu/journals/chq/summary/v012/12.2.rollin.html>.
Throughout history people have always been telling stories, whether it is how some ones day went or something strange they saw. One place that has a particularly strong connection with storytelling is Ireland. Telling stories in Ireland was usually for entertainment told at a bar or by the fire in a friend’s home to hear what someone else saw or experienced leaving one with new knowledge. Fairy- legends were stories that were told quite often in conversational type settings telling people something they had heard of experienced about the fairies. The people of Ireland used to strongly believe in the fairies during the nineteenth century. Fairies are not human but look somewhat similar to us except that are usually a lot paler. They live their
We all grew up hoping that we were the princesses who met the dreamy prince and lived ‘happily ever after’ like in a fairytale.People debate over whether or not Disney fairytales are beneficial for children. Like Melissa Taylor the author of the piece ‘10 reasons why kids need to read non disney fairy tales’, I am against disneyfied fairy tales. In this essay I will argue on why kids should not only watch disney fairytales but also the real versions.
..., Maria. “An Introduction to Fairy Tales.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens, Leonard J. Rosen. Toronto: Longman, 2013. 230-235. Print.
While fairy tales are entertaining stories and can be used to educate children of the normal social manners of reality; however, it can be used to entertain and educate people of all ages. It can be used as a method of escaping the real world or to teach valuable life lessons than just the normal social mannerisms of society.
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. London: Thames and Hudson, 1976. Print.
Normally, when one was a child, our parents would tell us fairy tales as bed time stories, or to simply entertain us. This is a worldwide tradition in which every parent tells their child the stories they were told when they were little, or new stories. There are infinite stories to be told as well as infinite stories that have already been written or told. The stories told by our parents have influenced us and still influence us in our beliefs and values today. Throughout our childhood, we have been told many stories that teach us to be brave and courageous, respect others, love ourselves and others, to obey orders, and even to help and
Zipes, Jack. Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.
The Impact of ICT on Society I will talk about how ICT has effected people from all walks of life, how it has effected jobs and living conditions. = == == ==