Which Tolkien essay examines the purpose and value of fairy-stories?

On Fairy-Stories is J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay examining the purpose and value of fairy-stories.

Tolkien first delivered the material as the Andrew Lang lecture at the University of St Andrews in 1938. The essay was later published in expanded form in 1947 and became one of his most influential discussions of fantasy, imagination, and literary tradition.

He argues that fairy-stories are not merely children’s entertainment. Tolkien describes several valuable functions, including recovery, escape, and consolation. He also presents the idea of the “eucatastrophe,” a sudden turn toward joy that he regarded as a defining feature of the best fairy-stories.

The essay is often connected to Tolkien’s fiction because it explains principles visible in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is distinct from “The Monsters and the Critics,” his famous lecture and essay about Beowulf.