Click here to read “On Myth & Life”.
The following is my first essay for “Lewis & Tolkien: The Making of Myth”, my spring class I’m currently taking with the Mythgard Institute. Our assignment was to note what we believed to be the most important or significant point of comparison or contrast between C.S. Lewis’ and J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary theories: that is, how they understood the nature of fantasy literature.
This is a bit of a workout for a three page paper. The idea was not so much to come to a definitive conclusion, but to wrestle with the issues, paying close, careful attention to the text and walking alongside the reader to discover together that which you desired to teach through the essay. The emphasis here is on an inductive reading of the texts.
I chose to focus on the ways myths or fairy-stories orient us to perceive truth, reality, or life in new ways. In a sense, it’s my bachelor thesis condensed to three pages! The introduction starts off a bit slow, and I purposefully rerouted some of the best statements from each of the paragraphs to serve better in the conclusion.
So happy reading! And as always you are more than welcome to leave any questions or comments you might have.
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