Opinions on "On Faerie Stories"

[Ruthiel]

Hello! :) I was just wondering what peoples opinions were on Tolkien's other works? I want to read "Faeries" by J.R.R. Tolkien, but I wanted to get some opinions first. Please reply to this message and tell me what you thought if you've read any of his other books.:rolleyes:

[Sindarin]

Although I haven't read "Faeries", I've read some of Tolkien's other books.

"Smith of Wooton Major" was an extremely well-written story. "Farmer Giles of Ham" was an equally good book as well.

Another one of my favorites would be "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil".

[Ruthiel]

Ok, I got a message from Mirkgirl and she told me that my question about "Faeries" doesn't really make sense. So I'm here to fix it. I'm pretty sure I mean "On Faerie Stories". Which (if my info is correct) written by Tolkien. I heard somewhere (a really long time ago) that he also wrote a book called "Faeries". I may be wrong. I found some information on the second book on the internet. It was probably wrong, seeing as the internet is almost corrupted.
A thank you goes out to Mirkgirl for bringing this to my attention. Hope it was clarified.

[Iorethdttr]

Hello Ruthiel! So glad to see your question about "Fairy Stories" as that's one of my favorites.
This is my first post on this forum, so nudge me if I get things wrong, plz!

"On Fairy Stories" is a long essay based on a lecture Tolkien gave, and it's included in A Tolkien Reader along with lots of great stories, the ones Sindarin mentioned plus "Leaf by Niggle" (a really good one).

The essay goes a long way in explaining what Tolkien was trying to do with LOTR and why he wrote his stories. I especially remember the section where he argues that "Fantasy is a natural human activity...a human right," and he lists the uses or benefits of Fantasy as:

--Recovery, as in a return and renewal of health and regaining a clear view of things as we were meant to see them;

--Escape, as from a prison, from the ugliness and evils of the world or from Death;

and

--Consolation, lifting the heart in a happy ending or a sudden and miraculous turn of events, "giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief."

Altogether a wonderful essay and should be required reading for any English literature class, as it has been a great influence on many modern writers. Terry Pratchett, for instance, said this in his book Hogfather :


HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little--"
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
"So we can believe the big ones?"
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.


What makes Tolkien's tales so wonderful is the way they stretch your heart to make room for hope and strength and a belief in the power of stories to change the world.


:evil: :battle:


notworthy