#FairyTaleFlash

On May 18, 1939, Professor Tolkien gave his famous lecture “On Fairy Stories” at the University of St Andrews. There he argued that fairy tales and myths are deeply human stories, not childish distractions. He believed fantasy allows people to experience wonder again, recover a sense of beauty in ordinary things, and find hope. One of Tolkien’s most famous points was his defence of “escape” in storytelling. He argued there is nothing shameful about wanting to escape darkness, famously asking: “Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home?” Here is an excerpt: “The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow sharp as swords. In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of the traveller who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gate should be shut and the keys be lost.”