Which Tolkien essay introduced the term “eucatastrophe”?
Answer
On Fairy-Stories
Tolkien introduced the term “eucatastrophe” in his essay On Fairy-Stories.
He presented the essay as the Andrew Lang lecture at the University of St Andrews in 1938, and it was published in revised form in 1947. Tolkien used “eucatastrophe” for the sudden joyful turn at the end of a story, especially when it brings unexpected hope after apparent disaster.
The word combines the Greek prefix eu-, meaning “good,” with catastrophe, which refers to a story’s decisive turn. Tolkien argued that this kind of ending is not mere sentimentality but a central feature of fairy-story structure.
He connected the idea with what he called the “最高” or greatest example of a eucatastrophic tale: the Christian Gospel. The essay was later published with Leaf by Niggle in the volume Tree and Leaf, but that collection is not the essay that introduced the term.