What do The Lord of the Rings, Winnie the Pooh, and the Christmas Story share in their narrative framework? Eucatastrophe. A term coined by J.R.R. Tolkien in his article, ”On Fairy-Stories,” eucatastrophe finds its place as a literary trope throughout literary history. But how does it fit with the Christmas story? And how can we see the coming of the Christ child as the most remarkable example of eucatastrophe in history? Buckle up for a new episode of Classical Et Cetera as the Goon Squad (Dan Sheffler, Jon Christianson, Mitchell Holley) dives into the Great Catastrophe of the Christmas Story and unpacks Tolkien‘s Eucatastrophe.

Merry Christmas from Classical Et Cetera!