"On Fairy Stories," Part 2 ("Origins")
* I found this section a little confusing, to be honest. Tolkien talks a lot about what the origins of fairy-stories are not, but he doesn't speculate much about what he thinks they are, aside from the fact that he believes they all have their roots in human experience. People could not imagine things if they had not seen or felt something similar.
* First mention of "sub-creation"! It's kind of exciting to see it just leap out like that.
* I find this comment interesting: "Not all [of the visions of 'fantasy'] are beautiful or even wholesome, not at any rate the fantasies of fallen Man." I'm intrigued by the delicate balance in the tone between accepting that these unwholesome visions exist without approving or embracing them, and yet there's a whiff of compassion there too for human limitations. It's a balance I've sensed in JRRT's writing as well.
* JRRT may never have studied fairy-stories academically, but he had studied language, of course; I suppose he probably had to read some of Müller's work when he was studying, actually! And he must have thought a lot about the relationship between language and myth, especially since he was "sub-creating" myths to go with his own imaginary languages.
* Another interesting statement:
"The nearer the so-called 'nature myth,' or allegory, of the large processes of nature is to its supposed archetype, the less interesting it is, and indeed the less is it of a myth capable of throwing any illumination whatever on the world."
Is this perhaps the reason why Tolkien disliked allegory so much? Also, I suppose that a too-close allegory doesn't offer real explanation of whatever natural process it is, but merely mimics it.
* Tolkien's meditations on the believability of stories is very interesting, though I'm not quite sure what his point is. Unless it's simply that reader response is based on a complex set of factors.
* The bit about putting historical figures "into the soup" made me think of fanfiction--particularly RPF (Real Person Fanfic). Is there a move to put people into the soup earlier and earlier?
* Tolkien is in favor of giving folk-tales to children "straight," with all the horrors intact. Perhaps some children have strong enough stomachs for that, but I was quite a wimp about scary things as a child. I didn't like too much blood or gore or scary stuff. I was always relieved when I got the version of "Little Red Riding Hood" where the woodsman was able to cut open the wolf and rescue the grandmother, for example!
So if anybody's reading this, I have a couple of questions, because I'm curious whether I'm typical or not...
Did you like fairy tales as a child?
Did you like them with lots of blood and gore?
Useful Link:
Information on Max Müller
* First mention of "sub-creation"! It's kind of exciting to see it just leap out like that.
* I find this comment interesting: "Not all [of the visions of 'fantasy'] are beautiful or even wholesome, not at any rate the fantasies of fallen Man." I'm intrigued by the delicate balance in the tone between accepting that these unwholesome visions exist without approving or embracing them, and yet there's a whiff of compassion there too for human limitations. It's a balance I've sensed in JRRT's writing as well.
* JRRT may never have studied fairy-stories academically, but he had studied language, of course; I suppose he probably had to read some of Müller's work when he was studying, actually! And he must have thought a lot about the relationship between language and myth, especially since he was "sub-creating" myths to go with his own imaginary languages.
* Another interesting statement:
"The nearer the so-called 'nature myth,' or allegory, of the large processes of nature is to its supposed archetype, the less interesting it is, and indeed the less is it of a myth capable of throwing any illumination whatever on the world."
Is this perhaps the reason why Tolkien disliked allegory so much? Also, I suppose that a too-close allegory doesn't offer real explanation of whatever natural process it is, but merely mimics it.
* Tolkien's meditations on the believability of stories is very interesting, though I'm not quite sure what his point is. Unless it's simply that reader response is based on a complex set of factors.
* The bit about putting historical figures "into the soup" made me think of fanfiction--particularly RPF (Real Person Fanfic). Is there a move to put people into the soup earlier and earlier?
* Tolkien is in favor of giving folk-tales to children "straight," with all the horrors intact. Perhaps some children have strong enough stomachs for that, but I was quite a wimp about scary things as a child. I didn't like too much blood or gore or scary stuff. I was always relieved when I got the version of "Little Red Riding Hood" where the woodsman was able to cut open the wolf and rescue the grandmother, for example!
So if anybody's reading this, I have a couple of questions, because I'm curious whether I'm typical or not...
Did you like fairy tales as a child?
Did you like them with lots of blood and gore?
Useful Link:
Information on Max Müller