The original essay continues to be absolutely brilliant every time I read it. Tolkien applied clear thinking that makes his critique and proposals resonate decades later—in fact, some of his points feel more relevant now. I would like to ask him about his views on theater, as that's the one moment in the essay when I feel a disconnect. Tolkien clearly did not have a high regard for theater (or at least, for fantasy and fairy-story presented in live theater), and I wonder what he had seen in that...

Loved it! I'm pleased to remark that our class readings for this semester are surprisingly interesting and enjoyable. This is something I would choose to read in my free time as well. Although I've never read Tolkien (just not my cup of tea), I found his musings on fairy tales very captivating and thought-provoking.

It's hard to imagine a more thorough and accessible critical treatment of a single work than Flieger & Anderson put together here. There are not many short works so robust as Tolkien's original essay as to deserve a book-length treatment, and few of those have authors so popular that a mainstream publisher would take on the commercial risk of supporting such a book.Having grown up reading an oddly truncated (and partly incomprehensible) early draft version of the essay misprinted in an ancie...

Well, this the first time I can say that an academic essay has made me cry. As Tolkien would say, it has whet my desire.

(Floats away dreamily into a fantasy world)

I read this for my Tolkien University class. That class was so much fun and I will never forget it.

Vidis li onaj uzan puteljak
Sto uz planinu vjuga tamo
To je put u carstvo vila majusnih
kud ti i ja nocas tumaramo <3

This is a really dense essay, and Tolkien has a habit of following intellectual rabbit trails. If you don't mind taking a long time to read a short piece, it is definitely worth the effort. He discusses not only the history, purpose and misconceptions of fairy tales, he also discusses with great passion and importance how they relate to the nature and soul of man.

Tolkien first defines “Faerie” as a place, and a type of story. According to him, fairies are not required, but a belief in the other world typifies “Faerie.” This belief is not a mock-reality, of what he calls our “Primary Reality,” but a secondary reality, just as real. This is not a place to make-believe, but to truly believe, and here you find the reason children are more apt to like these stories. Children trust, and believe, without the complication of big words and deeper meanings to hide...

A must read for anyone who loves fairy stories or tales of enchantment. An essay on the craftsmanship, delights and misapprehensions we have about tales in this genre. I particularly liked his evocation and description of 'eucatastrophe'.But the “consolation” of fairy-tales has another aspect than the imaginative satisfaction of ancient desires. Far more important is the Consolation of the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert that all complete fairy-stories must have it. At least I wou...