In J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy Stories and his short story “Leaf by Niggle” illustrate his concept of sub-creation. The two works complement each other very well. Particularly, the story presents Tolkien’s thoughts about art, expressing oneself, and responsibility toward neighbors. “Leaf by Niggle” illustrates an insightful depiction of the author himself, it also manifests the view of secondary worlds. Furthermore, it presents inspiration for artists, writers, scholars, and all who engage in constructive labor, and provides guidance to those who are under the pressure of too much work. The origins of fairy stories are as ancient as language itself. In the “On Fairy Stories”, J.R.R. Tolkien attempts to provide answers to the questions …show more content…
The most obvious one is the artist Niggle and how in many ways, he is a representation of J.R.R. Tolkien himself. One evident connection between them is their imaginative thinking process and works. Tolkien strived to create something similar to Niggle’s painting, something monumental and exalted. For a long time, Tolkien has been working on the intricate history, the elaborate mythology and the multifarious language of Middle-earth. He kept adding, removing, and modifying certain parts and/or characters. Similarly, Niggle also worked tediously on his painting. Niggle is described as exceeding his limit, he tries to paint pictures “too large and ambitious for his skill” (Tolkien 81, “Leaf by Niggle”). Similarly, Tolkien was tentative about his own skills and ability to finish the colossal project he had started. In the tale, Niggle’s hard work and determination finally paid off and was praised, just like Tolkien. If an artist keeps ploughing on, he or she can bring their vision into a reality. On the other hand, Niggle throughout his first life procrastinates. He has a plethora of chores and tasks to do, but lacks the energy and patience to do them in a fashionable manner. As a penalty, Niggle is sent to a place where he is forced to do chores in his second life; he must complete all the tasks he “put off” and/or abandoned during his first life. Continuing this long and drab process, Niggle starts to feel contentment at completely finishing these small tasks. Eventually as a sub-creator, he understands that he must care for and assist those around him, even though he once did not. Once Niggle comes to completing these tasks, he may pick up where he left off and finish his painting. At the end of the tale, Niggle’s leaf cultivates into “a Tree that was alive, its leaves opening, its branches growing and bending in the wind” (Tolkien 94, “Leaf by
Imagine yourself in a pre-industrial world full of mystery and magic. Imagine a world full of monsters, demons, and danger, as well as a world full of friends, fairies, good wizards, and adventure. In doing so you have just taken your first step onto a vast world created by author and scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien became fascinated by language at an early age during his schooling, in particularly, the languages of Northern Europe, both ancient and modern. This affinity for language did not only lead to his profession, but also his private hobby, the invention of languages. His broad knowledge eventually led to the development of his opinions about Myth and the importance of stories. All these various perspectives: language, the heroic tradition, and Myth, as well as deeply-held beliefs in Catholic Christianity work together in all of his works. The main elements of Tolkien’s works are Good versus Evil, characters of Christian and anti-Christian origin, and the power of imagination.
...n” is a great example of an old myth or tale reconstructed and adapted for a modern audience in a new medium. It is a progression on one hand in its use of modern language, setting, and style but it is also the product of the old myths in that it is essentially the same on the thematic level. In addition, the level of self-awareness on the part of the narrator and, by extension, the author marks it out as an illustration of the very notion of evolutionary changes of myths and fairy tales. Adaptation is the solution to the fairy tale, and fairy tales have been endlessly changing themselves throughout history and, by some strange transforming or enchanting power endlessly staying the same.”
Miller, David M. “Narrative Pattern in The Fellowship of the Ring.”A Tolkien Compass. Ed. Jared Lobdell. La Salle Il.:The Open Court Publishing Company, 1975.
The simplicity of fairy tales and non-specific details renders them ideal for manipulation allowing writers to add their own comments often reflecting social convention and ideology. Theref...
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Vintage, 2010. Print.
Fairy Tale Text & Motif. Prod. Distribution Access. Distribution Access, 2001.Discovery Education. Web. 1 December 2001. .
Bettelheim, Bruno. "The Struggle for Meaning." The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Knopf, 1976. Print.
“The fairy tale, which to this day is the first tutor of children because it was once the first tutor of mankind, secretly lives on in the story. The first true storyteller is, and will continue to be, the teller of fairy tales. Whenever good counsel was at a premium, the fairy tale had it, and where the need was greatest, its aid was nearest. This need was created by myth. The fairy tale tells us of the earliest arrangements that mankind made to shake off the nightmare which myth had placed upon its chest.”(Walter Benjamin). For generations fairy tales have brought happiness to hundreds of people. Through childhood to adults, people still enjoy the mysteries of fairytales. In society, fairytales are a great way of connecting
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. London: Thames and Hudson, 1976. Print.
..., Maria. “An Introduction to Fairy Tales.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens, Leonard J. Rosen. Toronto: Longman, 2013. 230-235. Print.
In the procedure of growing up, the fairy tales played a very important role in my life. I always think that childhood is too short for people to prepare for growing up. Even your parents can’t teach you all the things they’ve ever learned, so I have to admit that most of the life lessons I was taught by the fairy tale. And even now, I’m already an adult. And I’ve already realized what “real life” is, but to be honest I never blame the fairy tale which makes me believe how wonderful life is. Because all the lessons that fairy tales taught me still benefit me for life. And there are three fairy tales I would like to discuss about: The theme of The Little Mermaid, the character of Snow White, and the setting of Peter Pan.
Fairytale is one of the intricate genres in literary history. It is impossible to say exactly when the first fairytale was created. They have been in practice since the beginning of time. The famous scholar Jack Zipes agreed that evolution of fairytales could not be determined. In his book The Irresistible Fairytales, he says: “It is impossible to trace the historical origins and evolution of fairytales to a particular time and place; we do know that humans began telling tales as soon as they developed the capacity of speech. They may have even used sign language before speech originated to communicate vital information for adapting to their environment”
Zipes, Jack. Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.
Urang, Gunnar. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Fantasy and the Phenomenology of Hope" Fantasy in the Writing of J. R. R. Tolkien. United Press, 1971
Normally, when one was a child, our parents would tell us fairy tales as bed time stories, or to simply entertain us. This is a worldwide tradition in which every parent tells their child the stories they were told when they were little, or new stories. There are infinite stories to be told as well as infinite stories that have already been written or told. The stories told by our parents have influenced us and still influence us in our beliefs and values today. Throughout our childhood, we have been told many stories that teach us to be brave and courageous, respect others, love ourselves and others, to obey orders, and even to help and