For Tolkien, fairy stories are not stories about fairies, but stories that take place in Faerie. And in doing so, they make Faerie present. They are not escapist fantasies but disclosures of a real mode of being and invitations to live in that mode. In this episode, Phil and JF explore the great writer’s radical claims about the nature of story, life, and reality.

Upcoming Events

Erik Davis and JF's six-week course on Herman Melville's Moby-Dick begins on January 20th. For details and to enroll, visit the Weirdosphere.

For information on the upcoming Weird Academia events in Bloomington (Jan 27-29), visit the symposium web page at the Center for Possible Minds.

Music in this Episode

"What a Load of Gnosis," from Weird Studies: Music from the Podcast, Volume I

"Springtime on Ganymede," from Weird Studies: Music from the Podcast, Volume II

References

J. R. R. Tolkein, “On Fairy Stories”

Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason

Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Idea

Franz Liszt, Transcendental Etude No. 4: Mazeppa (played by Lazar Berman)

Dogen, "Instructions for the Cook"

Jeff Kripal, Mutants and Mystics

Eric Wargo, From Nowhere

J.F. Martel, Review of “From Nowhere” for Journal of Scientific Exploration

Richard Wagner, Parsifal

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How to Flip Your Wardrobe with Rati Sahi Levesque, Co-CEO at The RealReal