Of Magic Rings and Talking Lions

The social function of fairy tales according to J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis

Autores/as

  • Fabian Quevedo da Rocha Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9826.literartes.2019.163272

Palabras clave:

fairy tales, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien

Resumen

This article discusses J. R. R. Tolkien's and C. S. Lewis's understanding of the social function of fairy tales. The topic is approached through the study of Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" and Lewis's book On Stories: and other essays on literature. To illustrate these scholars' arguments, this research draws on examples from their fictional works The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. At the end of the work, it is argued that the everlasting appeal and relevance of fairy stories are connected to specific characteristics inherent to the genre.

Biografía del autor/a

  • Fabian Quevedo da Rocha, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

    Professor Me. (UFRGS). Bolsista (CAPES) e Doutorando em Estudos de Literatura pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. E-mail: <fabianway07@gmail.com>.

Referencias

ATTEBERY, Brian. Stories about Stories. New York: Oxford, 2014.

FLIEGER, Verlyn. There Would always Be a Fairy Tale: more essays on Tolkien. Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2017.

LEWIS, C. S. On Stories. San Diego: Harvest Books, 2002.

LEWIS, C. S. The Chronicles of Narnia. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.

RUUD, Jay. Critical companion to J. R. R. Tolkien. New York: Facts on File, 2011.

SHIPPEY, Tom. J. R. R. Tolkien: author of the century. London: Harper Collins, 2001.

NICOLAY, Theresa Freda. Tolkien and the Modernists: literary responses to the dark new days of the 20th century. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, 2014.

TOLKIEN, J. R. R. Tree and leaf. London: Harper Collins, 2001.

TOLKIEN, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. 2. ed. London: Harper Collins, 2007.

ZIPES, Jack. Fairy tales and the art of subversion. New York: Routledge, 2012a.

ZIPES, Jack. Why fairy tales stick: the evolution and relevance of a genre. New York: Routledge, 2012b.

Publicado

2019-12-30

Cómo citar

ROCHA, Fabian Quevedo da. Of Magic Rings and Talking Lions: The social function of fairy tales according to J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. Literartes, São Paulo, Brasil, v. 1, n. 11, p. 179–193, 2019. DOI: 10.11606/issn.2316-9826.literartes.2019.163272. Disponível em: https://revistas.usp.br/literartes/article/view/163272.. Acesso em: 7 jan. 2026.