Minor Works -- 3 - Smith of Wootton Major - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Bêthberry · 07-25-2021, 11:57 AM

Posting some general thoughts in reply to everyone posting on the issue of who can enter Fairie.

It is true that Tolkien's thoughts about what a proper fairy story is developed in response to his attempt to write an introduction to MacDonald's "The Golden Key", which Tolkien no longer found as satisfying as he once did. However, that does not mean that Tolkien's "Smith" imitates or follows MacDonald's story or as a story owes specific intertextual details.Other than the woods of course, but they are plentiful in fairy stories anyway.

MacDonald's Golden Key involves two protagonists, Tangle and Mossy. Both are "sent" into fairy. Several of MacDonald's other fairy stories also involve several protagonists, Princess Irene and Curdie.

And of course one of the original stories of Tolkien's Legendarium involves Beren and Luthien.

So there is quite a bit of evidence that fairie in other stories is not limited to a sole protagonist.

Sorry, RL calls me away, with just a stunted post. Au revoir.

07-25-2021, 11:57 AM	#18
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 5,979	Posting some general thoughts in reply to everyone posting on the issue of who can enter Fairie. It is true that Tolkien's thoughts about what a proper fairy story is developed in response to his attempt to write an introduction to MacDonald's "The Golden Key", which Tolkien no longer found as satisfying as he once did. However, that does not mean that Tolkien's "Smith" imitates or follows MacDonald's story or as a story owes specific intertextual details.Other than the woods of course, but they are plentiful in fairy stories anyway. MacDonald's Golden Key involves two protagonists, Tangle and Mossy. Both are "sent" into fairy. Several of MacDonald's other fairy stories also involve several protagonists, Princess Irene and Curdie. And of course one of the original stories of Tolkien's Legendarium involves Beren and Luthien. So there is quite a bit of evidence that fairie in other stories is not limited to a sole protagonist. Sorry, RL calls me away, with just a stunted post. Au revoir. __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.