“On Fairy-Stories” is J.R.R. Tolkien’s scholarly essay about the value and nature of fairy stories. It developed from a lecture delivered at the University of St Andrews in 1938 and was published in revised form in 1947.
In the essay, Tolkien argues that fairy stories are not merely childish entertainment. He examines their relationship to fantasy, recovery, escape, and consolation, and he defends the imaginative importance of invented worlds. His ideas became influential in discussions of fantasy literature and helped readers understand the principles behind his own fiction.
The essay is especially associated with Tolkien’s explanation of “secondary worlds,” imaginary realms with their own internal consistency. He also discusses the eucatastrophe, a sudden joyful turn that provides a glimpse of hope within a serious story.
“On Fairy-Stories” was later published in the collection Tree and Leaf. It is frequently confused with Tolkien’s famous lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” which concerns Old English poetry rather than fairy-story theory.