The word eucatastrophe (good catastrophe) was coined by J.R.R. Tolkien to describe what he believed was the essence and highest function of fairy-stories.
It is the sudden, unexpected joyous turn.
Tolkien explains, “In such stories when the sudden ‘turn’ comes we get a piercing glimpse of joy, and heart’s desire, that for a moment passes outside the frame, rends indeed the very web of story, and lets a gleam come through” (‘On Fairy-Stories’, 61).
Our latest content:
Black Forest Torte
by Emily Wert @QueenNellie1 Ingredients Death by Chocolate Cake layers: 3 oz unsweetened chocolate 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 2 1/4 cups brown sugar 3 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 (8 oz) carton sour cream 1 cup boiling...
Gollum, Gandalf, and Gratitude
This particular Tolkien quotation is plastered all over the internet: “Not all those who wander are lost.” It originates in a poem that Bilbo wrote after meeting Aragorn, a poem that appears twice in The Lord of the Rings. Contra Peter Jackson’s cinematic take,...
Candy Cane Bread
by Emily Wert @QueenNellie1 Ingredients 1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots 2 cups boiling water 2 pkgs dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water (105º to 115º) 2 cups sour cream 1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp sugar 1/4 cup butter 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs, beaten 6 to 6 1/2 cups flour, divided 1...
Interview with the Late Dr. Michael N. Stanton, Tolkien Scholar
Interview The Late Dr. Michael N. Stanton, Tolkien Scholar by Dan Cruver This interview was originally published September 2006 Here’s a little biographical information about Dr. Stanton: EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: He received a B.A. in English from the University of...
SLAYING MONSTERS
This week we bring a fascinating article back from the archives. Originally written in July of 2015, this one bears a read again this month during our Gratitude theme! *Note: both J.R.R. Tolkien and Beowulf were orphans (see approx. 2nd and 38th paragraphs below....
Gollum and Gratitude – Interview with Lisa Coutras
Interview by Dan Cruver and John PletcherLisa Coutras Lisa Coutras is a theology scholar, author, and speaker. She holds a Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies from King's College London in an M.Th. in Applied Theology from the University of Oxford. She also...
Precious Tidbits
Well, the following recipe might seem a bit more exotic than what one might expect in a hobbit cookbook, but I was taking Gollum pretty literally. Post-Ring, Gollum is mad about raw fish, so how does one make raw fish palatable? Sushi, of course. I obsessed over sushi...
Fire and Darkness
We had only just managed to get across the bridge when the Balrog attacked. I had followed Boromir across the chasm of Khazad-dûm, but like him, I attempted to head back and aid Gandalf once the halflings were safely across. Had someone told me that fire could be...
On the Topic of Balrogs!
Zoom Interview - Dan Cruver, John Pletcher and Joseph PearceJoseph Pearce is Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative. A native of England, Mr. Pearce is Director of Book Publishing at the Augustine Institute, editor of the St. Austin Review, editor of Faith...
