More Real Than Real Life: Writing Fantasy That Reflects Ultimate Truth
The Gospel Is the Greatest Fairy Tale — And It’s True: Tolkien’s Final Word
What if fairy tales are more real than reality? In this final hangout on Tolkien’s On Fairy Stories, a group of Catholic fiction nerds from the LegendFiction community comes together to wrap up a months-long, heart-deep conversation. The epilogue sparks reflections on eucatastrophe—Tolkien’s word for the joyful twist that hits like grace when all seems lost.
And if that’s the mark of a true fairy tale, then the Gospel—Christ’s birth and resurrection—is the greatest fairy tale ever told. Except, it’s true. But how do we write stories like that? Stories that don’t just follow a formula, but feel like they matter?
The crew dives into what it means to earn a happy ending, how modern stories often fall flat when characters are too protected by “plot armor,” and why Christian storytelling can’t be about punching harder—it has to be about unexpected grace breaking in.
They explore what it means to suffer, to hope, to die to self—and how all of that can be mirrored in the best kinds of fantasy. It’s not about escaping the darkness. It’s about reminding readers that the Shadow is a passing thing—and that something good is beyond it.
That’s why we need more fairy tales. Not as numbing fluff, but as fierce, joyful acts of subcreation—participating in the ongoing work of God through story.
Because sometimes what looks like a fairy tale… is actually the most real thing of all.
TOLKIEN’S THEORY: EUCATASTROPHE & EVANGELIUM
Tolkien defines the fairy tale by its eucatastrophe—a sudden turn from despair to joy that reflects divine truth.
The Christian Gospel is not just a fairy tale—it is the ultimate fairy tale that has become history.
Christ’s birth is the eucatastrophe of man’s history; the Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the Incarnation.
Fairy tales aren’t less true—they’re glimpses of a deeper, eternal reality.
WHY MODERN STORIES FAIL US
Too many modern tales substitute “plot armor” for authentic transformation.
Happy endings fall flat when they’re manufactured, not earned.
Stories must carry the reader through death—internal or otherwise—so that resurrection has meaning.
When a character punches harder to win, we miss the truth that it’s grace, not effort alone, that saves.
WHAT MAKES A TRUE FAIRY TALE TODAY
A fairy tale reflects the entire arc of human life—not just the thrill, but the redemption.
It must carry the reader through suffering, fear, and change—and still end in joy.
The “miracle” can’t be cheap. It must feel like a grace from beyond—unexpected yet inevitable.
As Tolkien says, “Legend and history have met and fused.” That’s the heart of our calling as writers.
WHY WE NEED THESE STORIES NOW
In a world obsessed with what’s “real,” Tolkien reminds us: industrial noise and concrete aren’t more real than Narnia.
Fantasy breaks into a fogged-out culture like dandelions through concrete—it reminds us what’s real.
Subcreation can be a sacred act. When we write, we’re not escaping—we’re field-testing hope.
The true fairy tale doesn’t deny the Shadow—it points beyond it to the stars.