The Victory of Hope: Magic, Enchantment, and the True Nature of Power in The Lord of the Rings

dc.contributor.authorLeFave, Anselm Gerard
dc.date.accessioned2020-09-29T22:05:22Z
dc.date.available2020-09-29T22:05:22Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description53 pages
dc.description.abstractThis thesis is an extended analysis of power in the fantasy writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, principally The Lord of the Rings. In it, I argue that the supernatural power which would colloquially be identified as “magic” can be distinguished into two fundamentally different kinds of power. The first kind is the power of evil, of Sauron and his servants, and is properly called “magic.” Magic, in this sense, arises from lust for power and dominance, and is used to enslave, conquer, and deceive. Magicians like Sauron use their power for no one but themselves and no purpose but their own. The second kind is the power of good, of the heroes of the story, and following Tolkien I call it “enchantment.” Enchantment arises from a subordination of one’s will to a higher purpose, coming from a person or reality higher than one’s self. Enchantment manifests in the world when a character chooses in accordance with that purpose which they have received from beyond themselves. When that happens, they wield power which overcomes the evil which stands in the way of that quest or mission to which they are choosing to subordinate themselves. These choices are “eucatastrophic,” participating in and instrumentally causing the ultimate and final defeat of evil in the world.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1794/25774
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Oregon
dc.subjectLiteratureen_US
dc.subjectComparative Literatureen_US
dc.subjectMagicen_US
dc.subjectTolkienen_US
dc.subjectPoweren_US
dc.subjectEnchantmenten_US
dc.subjectHopeen_US
dc.subjectEucatastropheen_US
dc.titleThe Victory of Hope: Magic, Enchantment, and the True Nature of Power in The Lord of the Rings
dc.typeThesis/Dissertation

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