63. Kids Ruin Everything – On Fairy Stories, Part 3

63. Kids Ruin Everything – On Fairy Stories, Part 3

This week we discussed “Children” from the “On Fairy Stories” by Tolkien. He pushes back against the coupling of fairy-stories and children, making the point that, “If fairy-story as a kind is worth reading at all it is worthy to be written for and read by adults.”

We talk about:

  • Suspension of Disbelief vs Literary Belief
  • How fairy-stories are not to be relegated to nurseries
  • How children ruin everything (even fairy-stories) if we leave it alone with them
  • The “covert sniggering” that happens when adults write stories FOR children
  • Is the Hobbit too “silly” for Middle-earth

Then in our members-only episode (https://theonering.com/members) we:

  • Did Tolkien approve or enjoy tragedies?
  • Discuss our interview with Nick Groom last week, and why we weren’t more confrontational.
  • We did, in fact, react with quiet disbelief at some of Professor Groom’s answers to our Confessions from the Comfy Chair!

🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)!

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🔗 Episode Links
Tales from the Perilous Realm (has “On Fairy Stories” essay)
Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat

🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast
Get the Extended Podcast
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🔍 If You Like Tolkien
The Silmarillion
The Fall of Númenor
The Fall of Gondolin
The Children of Hurin
The Atlas of Middle-earth
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice!

🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

Episoder(163)

159. Boromir’s Slippery Slope : Film Change #48 (and Stephen Colbert’s Lord of the Rings movie!?)

159. Boromir’s Slippery Slope : Film Change #48 (and Stephen Colbert’s Lord of the Rings movie!?)

In this episode, we examine the insertion of Boromir’s ring-handling scene on the slopes of the Misty Mountains–though it was completely invented, how close was it REALLY to the books? … and THEN we d...

31 Mar 54min

159. One DOES Simply Walk Into Mordor : Film Changes #46 and #47

159. One DOES Simply Walk Into Mordor : Film Changes #46 and #47

In this episode, we dig into two crucial scenes: the iconic formation of the Fellowship and the bridge-side tryst between Aragorn and Arwen. Drawing from both book and film, we examine what’s gained (...

18 Mar 0s

158. An Interview with Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee)

158. An Interview with Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee)

Here’s another episode in our series of interviews from the December 2, 2003 roundtable discussions! In this interview–just before The Return of the King was released–Sean Astin reflects on wrapping u...

4 Mar 23min

157. Is this the BEST Change in The Lord of the Rings Films? : Film Changes #44 and #45

157. Is this the BEST Change in The Lord of the Rings Films? : Film Changes #44 and #45

Orc pods and Uruk-hai origins: lore-breaking or the best possible changes? In this episode, we dig into Peter Jackson’s “orc pod” scenes and the cinematic invention of Lurtz, the alpha Uruk-hai, We al...

18 Feb 0s

156. The Cringiest Line in Lord of the Rings : Film Changes #42 and #43

156. The Cringiest Line in Lord of the Rings : Film Changes #42 and #43

In this episode, we look at two of the most unloved film changes from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: Arwen replacing Glorfindel and making Arwen the only one with power and agency in The Flight to...

3 Feb 44min

155. The Infamous Messenger Moth : Film Changes #39, #40, and #41

155. The Infamous Messenger Moth : Film Changes #39, #40, and #41

We’re back to going through ALL the changes in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings!  This week we discuss Aragorn’s sword substitions, changes at Weathertop, and that infamous messenger moth: Was Arago...

22 Jan 0s

154. Tolkien Wrote the Ultimate Retcon – The Hobbit #38

154. Tolkien Wrote the Ultimate Retcon – The Hobbit #38

Most people haven’t read how Tolkien actually wrote how The Hobbit precisely connects to The Lord of the Rings.  In The Quest of Erebor (first published in Unfinished Tales) Tolkien explains precisely...

6 Jan 59min

153. The Christmas Eucatastrophe (and is The Lord of the Rings a Christmas movie?)

153. The Christmas Eucatastrophe (and is The Lord of the Rings a Christmas movie?)

We turn our attention from The Hobbit to a long-hidden Tolkien gem: his 1936 Christmas poem, “Noel.”  We take a look at the history of the poem’s rediscovery, its deep-rooted Tolkien-esque imagery, an...

23 Des 20250s

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