Eucatastrophe

When I learned that neither of my college roommates had seen the Harry Potter movies, I bought a projector, sound bar, and the 8-film collection on Blu-Ray for a marathon week of magic. Initially meant to just be the three of us, word spread across the dorm and our small theater grew as guys brought their own chairs and snacks to huddle around a poorly projected image on a crudely painted, yellowing wall.

I love fantasy. Stories of magic, courage and whimsy have always entranced and inspired me. In contrast, many of the guys in that group grew up in fundamental Christian homes and weren’t allowed to read most fantasy growing up. I found it confusing and frustrating that parental decisions about which fantasy was appropriate felt completely arbitrary and random. It didn’t seem based in much critical thinking or in “good Christian theology”.

Not long after this movie marathon, I set out on a journey of thinking about fantasy more critically. I initially began with the goal of making a case for fantasy to Christians. I interviewed other students, read the works of fantasy authors and theologians, and ended up writing my capstone senior essay on a Biblical perspective of fiction. Though I’m not currently a part of the church, the entire process developed the foundation for core elements of my worldview. I’ve come to believe that fantasy is one of the greatest depictions of the most admirable elements of the human spirit.

The title of the paper I wrote in college is now the title of this website.

Eucatastrophe is a made up word (like all good words are) by JRR Tolkien. After a lecture on the topic of fantasy and world-building in 1939, he published an essay titled “On Fairy-Stories”, where the word first makes an appearance. The full essay is worth chewing on - I think it’s quite beautiful - and Tolkien offers wisdom on creativity, escapism and story-telling. However, it is his definition of eucatastrophe that I find most profound. He says:

But the “consolation” of fairy-tales has another aspect than the imaginative satisfaction of ancient desires. Far more important is the Consolation of the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert that all complete fairy-stories must have it. At least I would say that Tragedy is the true form of Drama, its highest function; but the opposite is true of Fairy-story. Since we do not appear to possess a word that expresses this opposite—I will call it Eucatastrophe. The eucatastrophic tale is the true form of fairy-tale, and its highest function.

In short, eucatastrophe is the anti-tragedy. Tolkien describes it as a “Turn”, a climactic moment where goodness, courage, and hope surge forth. This ought to call to mind familiar and heroic imagery from our youth. They are moments when heroes find the strength to wield a sword once thought too heavy. They are moments when the cowardly find their heart, when loyalty is proven, and light prevails.

Good fantasy is not bereft of tragedy and drama, by any means - but good fairy tales often contain this climactic moment (or moments) of victory where good triumphs over evil, even if only momentarily. Tolkien goes on to say that eucatastrophe “does not deny the existence of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance. It denies universal final defeat… giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief”

It’s Tolkien’s understanding of eucatastrophe that bolsters his bold claim that the Bible has more in common with fantasy than any other genre. This isn’t a statement about the historicity of the Bible, but about the story of scripture, which he argues is chalked full of eucatastrophe. Anyone who has seen The Prince of Egypt would likely agree that it makes an incredible fantasy story- whether or not they think the Biblical events it depicts are untrue or dramatized. Tolkien even calls the Incarnation of Christ the “eucatastrophe of human history”.

I suppose it was Tolkien’s work that turned my appreciation for fiction into a deep reveling in the enjoyment of myth. He gave words to my feelings that fantasy could be more than just entertainment, but that it could be a tool to connect with my emotional and spiritual self.

Something I find unique about eucatastrophe is that it doesn’t bring about the end of the story. Tolkien calls it a “joyous turn” because he argues that there is no true end to a fairy tale. Similarly, a surge of hope, a sudden victory, does not always offer a permanent end to grief and sorrow- it may only hold evil off for a little while. Little victories give you hope that you aren’t just a victim of circumstance, but have agency in changing your fate. Neil Gaiman quotes fantasy author GK Chesterton when he writes, “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

I’ve long wrestled with depression. I was experiencing a season of hopelessness several years ago and found comfort in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series, which features a protagonist with depression. In a climactic turn when all seems lost and the character is at his lowest, he’s met with a mysterious figure who tends to his wounds and offers wisdom which ends with these encouraging words:

“It will get worse. But then it will get better. Then it will get worse again. Then better. This is life, and I will not lie by saying every day will be sunshine. But there will be sunshine again, and that is a very different thing to say. That is truth. I promise you… you will be warm again.”

Bolstered by these words, the character is able to surpass his limitations. His depression is not cured, but the insurmountable force ahead of him seems conquerable. He starts to believe that “the dragon can be beaten”. He accepts that his internal battle will likely be one he’ll fight for the rest of his life - but realizes that each sunrise, each moment of warmth, will return and is worth fighting for. It is this courage to continue that “denies universal, final defeat”.

As I’ve begun the journey into professional counseling, I’ve wondered what place this creative work has in therapy. In exploring theoretical orientations, I’ve been interested in aspects of narrative therapy. It encourages individuals to reexamine the narrative of their lives to identify recurring storylines and dominant themes. It equips people to zoom out of their present situation to gain perspective and “re-author” their story. It seems that at its most basic function, it helps folks gain perspective - but more than that, it can help people find purpose. And purpose, as Dr. Arthur Brooks puts it, is one of the “macronutrients of happiness.”

If you were to re-author your story, what genre would you want it to be? I wouldn’t want mine to be a drama or cautionary tale. I wouldn’t want it to be a comedy, or even a romance. I’d want it to be a fairy-story. I’d want to be a flawed, yet determined protagonist who lives an inspired life. I’d want to be a character who, despite his rather ordinary upbringing, demonstrates extra-ordinary character. I'd want to be someone who is not defined by his depression, but is defined by the lifestyle he lives in defiance of it. I’d want to be a person who notices, participates in, and creates the joyous turns of life that give us “joy beyond the walls of the world”.

In short - the title of this website is meant to remind me of the little victories that make life magical and worth fighting for.