What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1939 lecture on fantasy called?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1939 lecture on fantasy was called On Fairy-Stories.

Tolkien first delivered On Fairy-Stories as the Andrew Lang lecture at the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 1939. He later revised it for publication. The essay examines what fairy stories are, what kinds of audiences they can serve, and why they should not be dismissed as material only for children.

The essay is especially known for Tolkien’s discussion of recovery, escape, and consolation. He also describes the “eucatastrophe,” his term for a sudden turn from sorrow toward joy. These ideas help explain the emotional structure Tolkien valued in myths, legends, and fantasy narratives.

On Fairy-Stories was published in the collection Essays Presented to Charles Williams in 1947 and later appeared with the related story Leaf by Niggle in the volume Tree and Leaf. It is often read alongside The Monsters and the Critics, but that is a separate lecture and essay.