J.R.R. Tolkien published his essay “On Fairy-Stories” in 1947.
The essay developed from the Andrew Lang lecture Tolkien delivered at the University of St Andrews in 1938. It was first published in the scholarly volume Essays Presented to Charles Williams, which appeared in 1947. Tolkien used the essay to examine what fairy stories are, what they can do, and why adults should not dismiss them as merely children’s entertainment.
Tolkien identified several important functions of fairy stories, including recovery, escape, and consolation. He also discussed the idea of “eucatastrophe,” his term for a sudden joyous turn in a story. These ideas help explain the moral and emotional structure of his own fiction.
The essay is often associated with Tree and Leaf, a later collection that also included Tolkien’s story “Leaf by Niggle.” That association can cause confusion about the original publication date. The essay first appeared in 1947, while Tree and Leaf was published later.