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).
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Impressionist Jamie Costa’s Gandalf vs Dumbledore Wizard Showdown
Enjoy Jamie Costa’s impression of Gandalf in his new short film. Dumbledore is performed by Brady E. Amundson. Jamie Costa is an impressionist who graduated from a university just miles from where I live here in Travelers Rest, SC.
Oxford’s Influential Inklings
About the profound influence Oxford’s Inklings had on the course of imaginative literature, Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski write: “By the time the last Inkling passed away, on the eve of the 21st century, the group had altered, in large or small measure, the course of imaginative literature (fantasy, allegory, mythopoeic tales)…”
JRR Tolkien translation of Beowulf to be published after 90-year wait
Almost 90 years after JRR Tolkien translated the 11th-century poem Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings author’s version of the epic story is to be published for the first time in an edition which his son Christopher Tolkien says sees his father “enter[ing] into the imagined past” of the heroes…
Tolkien Manuscripts at Bodleian Library
______________ J.R.R. Tolkien frequented Oxford's Bodleian Library, which now holds a large collection of Tolkien manuscripts.
Dr. Joseph Pearce on How Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ Can Change Us
Youtube video: Tolkien expert Dr. Joseph Pearce on how ‘The Hobbit’ can change us
The Professor: Celebrating His Twelvety-Three Years of Brilliance
As most Tolkien enthusiasts know January 3rd would have been J.R.R. Tolkien’s 123rd birthday — or, as Tolkien would have us put it, his twelvety-third birthday. To honor and celebrate The Professor, Tolkien fans around the world toasted the brilliant creator of Middle-earth…
There Really is a Tree: Leaf by Niggle
Timothy Keller on the importance of Tolkien's Leaf by Niggle for persistence in whatever our vocation is today.
Evan Palmer’s Adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Ainulindalë
Adapted from Tolkien’s amazing words, the first chapter of The Silmarillion spans the mythological creation of Middle-Earth and its gods. Told here with loving care and reverence in 54 full color pages. Original story by Tolkien, not owned by Evan Palmer.
Book Worth A Look: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Chronicles: Art & Design
Working closely with the film’s production staff, the award-winning team at WETA brings together more than 240 pages of spectacular four-color visuals, including hundreds of images of concept artwork, photographs, development paintings, and more created by the artists and designers working behind the scenes. Movie photography and finished imagery accompany the sketches and drawings, showing how the artists’ vision was realized from design to final product.
