RT Article
T1 J.R.R. Tolkien’s sub-creation theory: literary creativity as participation in the divine creation
JF Church, Communication and Culture
VO 6
IS 1
SP 17
OP 33
A1 Del Rincón Yohn, María
LA English
PB Taylor & Francis
YR 2021
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1756635471
AB J.R.R. Tolkien is recognized as one of the great literary creators of fantastic worlds. The English author added to his literary work a reflection on the role of the fantasy writer in his theory of sub-creation. This literary theory –exhibited mainly in his essay ‘On Fairy-Stories’ and in his letters– is based on the author's own cosmovision, clearly influenced by his Catholicism, and contemplates literary creation as an analogy of divine creation. This article deals with the Christian foundation present in the idea of participation in Creation that we find in Tolkien's theory of sub-creation. It proposes an overview of the main theological questions that support this participation, taking especially into account the contribution that John Paul II makes on this issue in his ‘Letter to Artists’.
K1 John Paul II
K1 ARTISTIC creation
K1 Tolkien
K1 sub-creation
K1 Creation
K1 Literature
DO 10.1080/23753234.2021.1886860