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Author
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Comment
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jsns
Registered User
(3/20/04 8:56 pm)
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Lord of the Rings - a fairy tale????
My son is doing a project at school about fairy tales and we want to know if the Lord of the Rings qualifies? Thanks for your help.
Edited by: jsns at: 3/20/04 9:11 pm
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Helen
J Pilinovsky
Registered User
(3/20/04 9:31 pm)
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Re: Lord of the Rings - a fairy tale????
Hrm, now that's what I would call a very interesting question. Now,
on the one hand, one could very definitely make the case for the
LotR possessing a fairy tale structure: it is most certainly predicated
by what Joseph Campbell called "The Hero's Journey," it
is based, in part, upon the Icelandic sagas, and many of the motifs,
from the enchanted ring to the band of brothers, can be related
to fairy stories. On the other hand, one could also argue that the
inherently literary nature - the originality, and the length - place
it squarely within the purview of the fantasy novel: in many ways
(Morris and Dunsany not withstanding) it is the seminal work of
the field. Before making a decision in either direction, I highly
recommend that you read J.R.R. Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories."
In it, he says that fairy tales are "stories about
Fairy, that is Faerie, the realm or state in which fairies
have their being. Faerie contains many things besides elves and
fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons: it
holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all
things in it; tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and
ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted." Among other
brilliant things. You may also want to consult the brilliant volume
of essays which came out approximately two years ago, which discussed
Tolkien's effect upon some of the infulential writers working on
fairy-tale retellings today (the name has slipped my mind, but an
Amazon search ought to bring it up). Good luck!
Best,
Helen
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Terri
Windling
Registered User
(3/24/04 7:51 pm)
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Re: Lord of the Rings - a fairy tale????
Helen: The book you're thinking of is Meditations On Middle-Earth,
edited by Karen Haber and published by St. Martin's Press.
JSNS: Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" is indeed, as
Helen says, the best place to start on this topic. I wrote a personal
response to that essay for Meditations on Middle-Earth,
which is also available on-line at: www.endicott-studio.com/fortolkn.html.
But it's far better to track down Professor Tolkien's excellent
original essay.
Edited by: Terri Windling at: 3/24/04 8:07 pm
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wrightales
Registered User
(3/27/04 8:05 am)
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Re: Lord of the Rings - a fairy tale????
"On Fairy Stories" is readily available (thanks to the LOTR fervor) in The Tolkien Reader published by Del Rey in paperback ISBN 0-345-34506-1 for $6.99
wrightales
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silentgothicpixie
Registered User
(3/31/04 5:12 am)
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Re: Lord of the Rings - a fairy tale????
Hmmm....
As already said, it's an interesting question.
Personally I should think the sheer length of it counts it out of the traditional fairy tale 'box' as it were.
Perhaps 'The Hobbit' is more appropriate and I would think 'Smith Of Wooton Major' most certainly qualifies.
'On Fairy-Stories is also part of Tree and Leaf which contains a short story called 'Leaf By Niggle' too - I think to demonstrate.
Gem
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meb12
Unregistered User
(4/18/04 8:33 pm)
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RE: Lord of the Rings - a fairy tale???
It really depends on your definition of a fairy tale. In my english
class, we were told that in order for it to be a fairy tale it must
be a "short, gripping narrative." According to that definition,
Lord of the Rings doesn't qualify. However, I'm sure you could argue
against that, too. Find out what your son's teacher has said; maybe
that might help.
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meb12
Unregistered User
(4/18/04 8:41 pm)
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defining fairy tales
Check out Kevin Yee's "Fairy Tales Defined"
www.mouseplanet.com/fairy...011217.htm
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redtriskell
Unregistered User
(4/22/04 2:48 pm)
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is Lord of the Rings a fairy tale
Well, I'm new to this site, and am not a scholar, but I think LotR is not a fairy tale. For the simple reason that the ending is not exactly happy. Perhaps this is a simplification on my part, but the best and most easily defined quality of the fairy tale is that the hero is happy by the end. And while Frodo was successful in his quest, I don't believe he was happy. Just an opinion.
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