Up@dawn 2.0 (blogger)

Delight Springs

Monday, May 3, 2021

Final Blog Post: J.R.R. Tolkien's Philosophy of Fantasy

Haley Flanagan, Section 7

“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 as sharp as swords.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, Tolkien on Fairy-stories


J.R.R. Tolkien is recognized as one of the most defining fantasy authors in history and is credited with sparking the widespread popularity of the genre. Tolkien's technique for creating fantasy worlds; or "secondary worlds" as he called them, was part of his philosophy regarding fantasy. He believed that fantasy worlds should be a way to provide a new perspective on the real world, while still being a mode for escapism. In his written works, The Lord of The Rings trilogy is one of the most recognized titles and includes universal themes which relate to the real world. Tolkien believed that industrialization or progress in inventions to be somewhat harmful and thought that they were marring mankind. Often pointing towards the ideas of corruption in his works of fiction, Sauron, the main villain of Lord of The Rings, was a character of evil manifest. The land of Mordor in which he lived was a dark and barren wasteland, and Sauron employed Orcs to forge weapons and cut down trees to create an army. Tolkien's personal disdain for industrialization is shown through his writing, and his belief of what was evil also coincided with a desire for power.

                                           

The one ring, forged by Sauron, was used to control, and destroy the land of middle earth. From his writing and character profile of Sauron, we can see that Tolkien's idea of evil was greediness, harming the earth, and having an unstoppable desire for power. Parts of Tolkien's life were also a driving force his writing, being a war veteran himself, he fought in the Battle of The Somme in World War One, and also had his childhood home surrounded by the effects of industrialization. His Lord of the Rings trilogy also included themes of PTSD, shown in the main character Frodo when he returns home from the war of the ring. However, not all of his themes were negative. A very important part of his writings are the relationships and struggles that his characters possess. Frodo and Sam, being the two main characters of his trilogy, have a very special bond of friendship and loyalty to each other, and Sam himself is an allegory for what Tolkien found to be most important in life. The character Samwise Gamgee is a gardener and works for Frodo (the protagonist) at the beginning of the trilogy. This ties to Tolkien’s reverence for his own orderly that worked for him while he served in the war. He personally admired working class people, and Sam was given these characteristics. Sam was a gardener, who cared for the earth, and all of the simple things in life. He is loyal, caring, and helps his friends and family out of love, and not for personal gain of any kind.

                                  

Tolkien’s fantasy stories never sought to prove a point, and he very much disliked the idea of allegory. His stories included a very detailed framework and set of laws which created much world-building, that gave his worlds life and realistic qualities. Tolkien believed this system separated his works from typical fairy tales, because they were not purely escapist fantasies. His stories included the harsh realities mirrored in our own world, which he showed through a fantastical perspective and lens that he developed through creating mythology and history for his secondary worlds. Tolkien personally believed that escapism through fantasy ultimately benefitted readers, because it allowed them to gain new perspectives about their own worlds, and thus gave them a new outlook on life. He called this process “recovery” in which the reader would return to their own life with a new insight to help them face the troubles of the world.


“Fantasy is a natural human activity. It certainly does not destroy or even insult Reason; and it does not either blunt the appetite for, nor obscure the perception of, scientific verity. On the contrary. The keener and the clearer is the reason, the better fantasy will it make. If men were ever in a state in which they did not want to know or could not perceive truth (facts or evidence), then Fantasy would languish until they were cured. If they ever get into that state (it would not seem at all impossible), Fantasy will perish, and become Morbid Delusion. For creative Fantasy is founded upon the hard recognition that things are so in the world as it appears under the sun; on a recognition of fact, but not a slavery to it. So, upon logic was founded the nonsense that displays itself in the tales and rhymes of Lewis Carroll. If men really could not distinguish between frogs and men, fairy-stories about frog-kings would not have arisen.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, Tolkien on Fairy-stories

 Given all of these examples, we can see that Tolkien wanted his themes to be relatable, and they ground his fictional stories into the real world through their themes. Tolkien’s method of writing fantasy is why his works have remained relevant for more than 60 years, and he has shaped what we think of as “true fantasy”. For Tolkien, fairy stories were never merely just stories, they were written to help us become better people. His characters and themes helped us discover what is most valuable to us in real life and gave us new perspectives of the world. Light cannot exist without darkness, and every great fairy tale includes elements of both.

Below are some videos which further explore the topic or relate to some things I mentioned previously.




https://tolkienaboutpod.podbean.com/ - Here is a podcast I personally enjoy & recommend if you're interested in learning more about Tolkien's work! 

Sources:

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Philosophy of Fantasy |. 18 June 2014, theologygaming.com/j-r-r-tolkiens-legacy-fantasy-genre/. Accessed 4 May 2021.

“Tolkien on Fairy-Stories Quotes by J.R.R. Tolkien.” .Www.goodreads.com, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/58418323-tolkien-on-fairy-stories#:~:text=Tolkien%20on%20Fairy-stories%20Quotes%20Showing%201-25%20of%2025 Accessed 4 May 2021.

J R R Tolkien. Lord of the Rings. 01 : The Fellowship of the Ring : Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings. Boston, Bmariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

J R R Tolkien. The Two Towers : Being the Second Part of the Lord of the Rings. New York, Del Rey/Ballantine Books, 2018.

J R R Tolkien. The Return of the King : Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings. New York, Ballantine Books, 2012.

“The Philosophy of J.R.R. Tolkien: Why Things Keep Getting Worse – Wisecrack Edition.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-sTbaH-aA0&t=456s.Accessed 4 May 2021.

“Sam Gamgee: A Character Study.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpveI56Izbo&t=363s. Accessed 4 May 2021.


Grand Total of posts:
Responded to questions on Jan 1
Responded to questions on Jan 28
Responded to questions on Feb 11
Responded to questions on Feb 18
Responded to questions on Feb 25
Responded to questions on March 2
Responded to questions on March 9
Responded to questions on March 23
Responded to questions on March 25
Responded to questions on March 30
midterm blog post posted March 30
Responded to questions on April 1
Responded to questions on April 13
Responded to questions on April 15
Responded to questions on April 20
Responded to questions on April 22
Final blog post posted May 3rd

1 comment:

  1. "Tolkien’s fantasy stories never sought to prove a point"... But perhaps the point is that reason and fantasy, when properly proportioned, are mutually supportive and contribute to a healthy and happy experience of life. Too much of one or the other threatens to land us either in "Fantasyland" OR turn us into un-feeling robots.

    "For Tolkien, fairy stories were never merely just stories, they were written to help us become better people." Right. And that would seem to be the point of his work.

    ReplyDelete