The Value Of Fantasy

This thesis grew out of my love for the fantasy literature. I was greatly attracted by the supernatural but true Middle-earth of Tolkien's writing when the first time I read the Chinese language version of The Lord of the Rings several years ago. And my interests of studying this famous work was further aroused after reading many adverse comments. In view of these negative attacks, this thesis intends to prove that The Lord of the Rings should be considered a serious modern mythology rather than an entertainment, and it merited all the praise which had been given to it. Tolkien intended a"moral"to his story, and wrote this story with the human nature as a constant philosophical concern. In the long epic monumental work, Tolkien made a minute analysis on the complexity of the human nature through the depiction of the war and the exploration of the characters'inner world. The Lord of the Rings also offers an insight into human struggles—the struggle with moral relevance to everyday life. This thesis starts with the analysis and study of the themes of this fantasy fiction—the self-discovery and the self-struggle of human beings, combines Tolkien's Secondary World Theory and the values and functions of the fairy-stories he offers in On the Fairy-Stories, through the study of the characteristics of this fantasy fiction, tries to present the high value of this novel in terms of theme study, means of expression and the reflection of reality.This thesis is divided into six chapters.The First Chapter is an introduction to Tolkien's experience and his great fantasy fiction The Lord of the Rings. Because so much of the focus has been on his two most famous literary works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien appears to the reader as nothing more than an author of fantasy literature. In fact, he is a very distinguished linguist and scholar. This chapter gives a brief introduction to Tolkien's life and writing experience, and then introduces the general idea of The Hobbit, the main idea and the background knowledge of The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's creative inspiration of this novel.