Exploring Tolkien

64. Movies are NOT Sub-Creation – On Fairy Stories, Part 4

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When Tolkien talks about Fantasy, he doesn’t simply mean fiction stories set in sword-and-sorcery worlds.  Fantasy is the highest form of sub-creation, the “most nearly pure form”–and the most potent. An art form that is “best left to words, to true literature.”

Michael, Dan, and I discuss this idea of Fantasy as the one form of Art that comes closest to true Enchantment.  We look at:

  • The difference between imagination and fantasy.
  • The ideal of “Faërian Drama”.
  • The problem with “modern” sensibilities in Fantasy–and how that ruins true sub-creation.
  • Why films will never match the power of true sub-creation.

    • Then in our members-only episode (https://theonering.com/members) we:

    • Did Peter Jackson’s films destroy Tolkien’s sub-creative vision?
    • Can Tolkien’s faith be separated from his sub-creation? Should it?
    • Is there a difference between determinative and discovery sub-creation?
    • “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”

      • 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)!

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      🔗 Episode Links

      Tales from the Perilous Realm (has “On Fairy Stories” essay)
      Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat

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      🔍 If You Like Tolkien

      The Silmarillion
      The Fall of Númenor
      The Fall of Gondolin
      The Children of Hurin
      The Atlas of Middle-earth
      The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

      🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice!

      🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

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