On Fairy-Stories
Videos
"On Fairy-Stories" is a 1947 essay by J. R. R. Tolkien which discusses the fairy story as a literary form. It was written as a lecture entitled "Fairy Stories" for the Andrew Lang lecture at the Unive
In the essay, Tolkien distinguished fairy tales from what he considered separate genres like beast fables and dream stories. Illustration for Helena Nyblom's fairy tale "The Ring" by John Bauer, 1914
An illustration in Andrew Lang's The Green Fairy Book
"Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" was a 1936 lecture given by J. R. R. Tolkien on literary criticism on the Old English heroic epic poem Beowulf. It was first published as a paper in the Proceed
On Fairy-Stories
…contains Tolkien's explanation of his philosophy on fantasy, and his thoughts on mythopoeia and sub-creation or worldbuilding. Alongside his 1936 essay "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics", it is his most influential scholarly work. Several scholars have used "On Fairy-Stories" as a route to understanding Tolkien's own fantasy, The Lord…
Title page of "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics", 1936
Tolkien's essay repeatedly responds to comments by William Paton Ker. Late 19th century portrait by Johnston Forbes-Robertson
First folio of the Beowulf manuscript, c. 975-1025
The poet and Beowulf translator Seamus Heaney praised The Monsters and the Critics.