“I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which ‘Escape’ is now so often used. Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?”

― J.R.R. Tolkien

QUEST LITERATURE

A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Although in Lord of the Rings case allegory is not the issue while Tolkien dislikes allegory highly.

“I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history – true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.”

J. R. R. TOLKIEN

Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of every nation and ethnic culture. In literature, the object of a quest requires great exertion on the part of the hero, who must overcome many obstacles, typically including much travel. The aspect of travel allows the storyteller to showcase exotic locations and cultures (an objective of the narrative, not of the character).  In Lord of the Rings, this aspect of quest literature serves as a great gateway to introduce to vast lands of Middle Earth.

The hero normally aims to obtain something or someone by the quest, and with this object to return home. The object can be something new, that fulfills a lack in his life, or something that was stolen away from him or someone with authority to dispatch him. Our heros’ aim is to destroy the one ring and return home from the journey. The moral of a quest tale often centers on the changed character of the hero. Differently from many other examples of quest literature, journeys in Lord of the Rings often ends up with the damaged psychology or deformed body of the characters.

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HOW TO INTRODUCE A STORY

As the author sets the environment to conduct their story, they need a method to process their stories. There are two main methods to do that: phychological storytelling and sociological storytelling.

In the examples of quest literature or in general fantastic literature we often come across with this method. While they should embrace phychological aspect bacause those examples use certain individuals and the phychological position to deliver a story. Those phychological position are for example the responce of the protagonist to the events of the journey, backstory and personality of the characters or even the total structure of the journey is based on the personal developement or the life of the main characters. In short, it is a storytelling method which events and developments revolves around one certain individual or a group of characters that personalities are highlighted.

IT IS NOT YOUR AVARAGE PHYCHOLOGICAL STORYTELLING!

It is important to understand that storytelling of Lord of the Rings is different from the phychological storytelling structure. Tolkien uses a different method called sociological storytelling.

In sociological storytelling, the characters have personal stories and agency, of course, but those are also greatly shaped by institutions and events around them. The incentives for characters’ behavior come noticeably from these external forces, too, and even strongly influence their inner life. 

The hallmark of sociological storytelling is if it can encourage us to put ourselves in the place of any character, not just the main hero/heroine, and imagine ourselves making similar choices.”Yeah, I can see myself doing that under such circumstances” is a way into a broader, deeper understanding. 

REFERENCES

• Michael D. C. Drout. (2007). J.R.R. J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. Retrieved from
• Francesca Polletta, Pang Ching Bobby Chen, Beth Gharrity Gardner, and Alice Motes Department of Sociology, University of California, (2011). The Sociology of Storytelling . Retrieved from http://faculty.sites.uci.edu/polletta/files/2011/03/Polletta-et-al-ARS-Sociology-of-Storytelling.pdf
• Zeynep Tüfekçi, (2019), On sociological storytelling , Retrieved from https://twokindsofintelligence.blog/2019/05/21/on-sociological-storytelling/