Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Enchantment: A Teleology, Nathanael S. Toth
Enchantment: A Teleology, Nathanael S. Toth
Senior Honors Theses
Despite the highly developed nature of his fictional world, Middle-earth, Tolkien never formally laid out a tabulated magic system for his fantasy creation. Nevertheless, unlike many stories by others in the fantasy genre, the magic he does include is far from just a shallow, world-building mechanism. Instead, it encapsulates the core theme of his fiction and the purposes which Ilúvatar (the God of Middle-earth) has given to the story’s many characters.
This paper will examine the nature and function of this magic from many angles: the identification of good magic with art and evil magic with domination; the delineation between …