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The Hobbit

The Hobbit. Eucatastrophe vs. Deus ex machina. Sources: Fluit , Chris. “ Eucatastrophe .” 2008 . Olsen, Corey. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit . 2012. Rahel , Julie. Tolkien’s Eucatastrophe . 2013. Tolkien, J.R.R. “On Fairy Stories.” 1937. Deus ex machina.

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The Hobbit

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  1. The Hobbit Eucatastrophe vs. Deus ex machina Sources: Fluit, Chris. “Eucatastrophe.” 2008. Olsen, Corey. Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. 2012. Rahel, Julie. Tolkien’s Eucatastrophe. 2013. Tolkien, J.R.R. “On Fairy Stories.” 1937

  2. Deus ex machina • Deus ex machina – God from the machine • Refers to Greek theater when a god was introduced through a mechanism onto the stage to resolve the plot • The hero is saved from doom • Viewed negatively • Shows a lack of creativity • Is not believable • Strains suspension of belief • Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined the phrase suspension of belief in 1817

  3. Deus ex machina: Examples • MacGuyver • The Wizard of Oz • National Treasure • Jurassic Park • SpongebobSquarepants Movie • Toy Story

  4. Eucatastrophe Defined • Greek eu- "good" and catastrophe "destruction“ • “The sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears (which I argued it is the highest function of fairy-stories to produce)” (Letter 89).

  5. Eucatastrophe • Sudden turn toward good and joy (but not random) • Glimpses of hope • Adds the elements of Providence and purpose • Bilbo was meant to find the Ring

  6. Eucatastrophe: An Example • C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe • The arrival of Father Christmas with gifts

  7. Deus ex machina • Eucatastrophe • Unbelievable • Doesn’t fit with the story • Comes from the outside • Happy ending • Loose ends neatly tied • Hope is not a factor • Artificial • Random and forced • Trite • Lacks originality/freshness due to overuse; cliché • Believable • Fits with the story • From within the story • No true happy ending • Sadness is mixed in • Hope prevails • Natural • Organic part of story • Not trite • Not overused

  8. Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories” • Eucatastrophe is… • the consolation of fairy-stories • the good catastrophe and sudden joyous “turn” • There is no true end to any fairy-tale • “Redeemed Man is still man. Story, fantasy still go on, and should go on… The Christian has still to work, with mind as well as body, to suffer, hope, and die” (Tolkien 13).

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