What is the name of J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay on the fairy-story genre?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay on the fairy-story genre is titled “On Fairy-Stories.”

Tolkien developed the essay from a lecture delivered at the University of St Andrews in 1938. It was published in an expanded form in 1947. The essay examines what fairy-stories are, where they belong, and why they matter, while challenging the idea that they are merely stories for children.

Tolkien identifies several functions of fairy-stories, including recovery, escape, and consolation. He also discusses the “fairy-story” as a literary form connected with the realm he calls Faërie. His arguments helped establish a lasting critical framework for discussing fantasy literature.

The title is sometimes confused with Tolkien’s essay “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” which concerns Old English literature rather than fairy stories. “On Fairy-Stories” is also associated with Tolkien’s explanation of the eucatastrophe, the sudden joyful turn that he considered central to fairy-story consolation.