Preview Tolkien wants us to understand the philosophical view of idealism; this is the view that all reality is mind dependent. I would like to put a spot light on Tolkien’s view on the fantasy word of sub creation in two different themes. The first will be the sub creation of fantasy and the second is the sub creation of art. Tolkien’s view on the word “fantasy” is the human act of creating something new, essentially connecting the word to “imagination.” J.R.R. Tolkien wrote on several different yet similar topics on his essay “On Fairy-Stories’ that allowed me as an onlooker to discover the ways of his thinking and the variety of ideas. Speaking for myself, this type of thinking does support the idealistic view that we can somehow enter a world that is ultimately created through our way of thinking. Through reading the passage I could understand why Tolkien …show more content…
Tolkien specifically focuses on art vs magic. His idea of magic is that it comes with intentions either you are seeking control over nature or power over people “supernatural beings of diminutive size, in popular belief supposed to possess magical powers and to have great influence for good or evil over the affairs of man.” Across, his idea of art is about creating things or you are creating something to please other people. This type of idea becomes important because he about the literary purposes of fantasy and the idea of fantasy as escapist “The escapist is not as subservient to the whims of evanescent fashion as these opponents.” There were many people who believed against the thought of art and viewed fantasy as a way of escape. Tolkien makes the point that people already view the primary world as a prison, so why would we criticize the prisoner for dreaming of escape. Tolkien believed that we as human beings are entitled to seek some level of escape that can relate to our personal fantasy of what things ought to
Fantasy – a series of made up images of the mind which create a world not bound by the rules of reality (Dictionary)
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.
I will attempt to answer the research question by using Bormann’s Symbolic Convergence Theory and Fantasy Theme. The goal of this paper is to “provide insight in the shared worldview of a group of rhetors” (Bormann as cited in Foss 121). I will also show repeated phrases that lead to different rhetorical visions. I will explain how fantasy types emerge and also how symbolism reflects the rhetorical visions.
The influences of Tolkien are many and great, but of them all, three stand out most; his great love of nature that sprung from his experiences as a youth in the English Countryside, his acute sensitivity and desire to master language, and his involvement in trench warfare in the Great War. Tolkien himself vehemently denied that the war affected his story at all. 'The real war does not resemble the legendary war its process or conclusion. If I had been inspired or directed in the development of the legend, then certainly the ring would have been seized and used against Sauron.';
When comparing the terms fantasy and reality, the adult mind categorizes the respective events of the two perspectives. Fantasy relates to the impractical while reality pertains to the facts and our experiences. In the mind of a child, there isn’t necessarily a distinction. Rather the lens in which children see through is an unrestricted view of the world that is not constrained by the rules of practicality. None better depicts the power to fantasize and imagine than the two films Beast of the Southern Wild and Pan’s Labyrinth.
Fantasy – a series of made up images of the mind which create a world not bound by the rules of reality (Dictionary)
Douglas Light said that our imagination is better than any answer to a question. Light distinguishes between two genres: fantasy and fiction. He described how fantasy stimulates one’s imagination, which is more appealing, but fiction can just be a relatable story. In the same way, books and movies are very different entities. In the short parable Doubt, the readers are lured in to the possibility of a scandalous relationship between a pastor and an alter boy.
While reading any of J. R. R. Tolkien’s major works, be it The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, or The Lord of the Rings, one cannot help but notice the amount of attention that is given to nature. There are numerous details given to describe each location, each character, even each tree. Tolkien did not claim to be an environmentalist, but by spending so much time in his books explaining the importance of nature, it is hard to say that he did not care about it. About the fantasy world that Tolkien recreated, Sherry Turkle argues, “The question is whether that prepares us to live in a world that's complex, where we need to be able to work in a structure where there are no rules and where we have to be really attentive to other people's cultures and other people's ways of seeing things” (qtd. in Grossman 4). Lev Grossman counters this point when he says, “If The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy, it's ultimately a fantasy about growing up and putting childish things aside” (5). Grossman believes that LOTR is a fantasy, but unlike Turkle, he thinks that the reader benefits with a lesson about growing up and sacrifice.
This is certainly true where the author consciously recognizes his archetype. If he has at all grasped its form and meaning, if the archetype has at all succeeded in working its way to his heart, then it must also work its way to his pen. The essence of the gospel and of fairy-tales is, in Tolkien's own words, Euchatastrophe--the surprising, hopeful turn in all man's despair and sorrow. Joy is the result, a brief glimpse springing out of the inherent evangelism of the genre. (4)This is the dominant note of, and even the apology for, fairy-tales.
J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) gained a reputation during the 1960’s and 1970’s as a cult figure among youths disillusioned with war and the technological age. His continuing popularity evidences his ability to evoke the oppressive realities of modern life while drawing audiences into a fantasy world.
As implied in On Fairies-Stories, the nature of the universe is served as a “Primary World”, where we actually live in. Through Fairies-Stories, we sub-create the “Secondary World” of imagination. These worlds, according to Tolkien, seemed to be different and unlikely, but in fact, closely connected to each other. Best practice of Secondary World should be focused on rationalization and logic. In another word, that is “the inner consistency of reality”.
Bettelheim, Bruno. "The Struggle for Meaning." The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Knopf, 1976. Print.
J.R.R Tolkien’s work of fiction The Lord of the Rings, have with the advent of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation brought the series to newfound heights of fame. As with many works of it’s kind, The Lord of the Rings depicts a battle between good and evil, with the main characters in the books striving to thwart evil’s plan. In many other works, the author’s personal belief system or worldview drives the narrative, with the message being paramount and the characters the vehicles of conveyance for the point of the story. C.S Lewis, a friend and contemporary of Tolkien’s, is a prime example of this. Lewis’ popular series The Chronicles of Narnia is an allegorical work, teaching Christian principles through the use of fiction. While raised as a Catholic himself, Tolkien does not explicitly promote his religious background, nor does he engage in allegory. However, Tolkien’s views of morality can be found throughout the work, specifically in the way in which evil is portrayed, the use of power and moral freedom of choice. Randel Helms writes in his book, Tolkien’s World, “Tolkien’s particular myth parallels his Christianity, … positioning a malevolent and corrupting outside influence, spiritual and probably eternal, against which man is doomed to fight, but which he has no hope of conquering” (67).
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. London: Thames and Hudson, 1976. Print.
In this essay, I aim to discuss the issue whether imagination is more important than knowledge. “For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know and understand” (Albert Einstein).