Tolkien and the Recovery of the Imaginal
Abstract
In a culture that prizes literalism, the imaginal is under siege. We live in an era that confuses image with illusion, imagination with escapism, and myth with fiction. But this has not always been the case. The ancient world understood that imagination is not fantasy—it is revelation. It is the faculty through which we encounter the soul. And few modern figures have done more to recover the sacred dignity of the imaginal than J.R.R. Tolkien.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Themes in Literature Analysis
Cultural and Mythological Studies
Folklore
Mythology
and Literature Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 46–47
- Publication date
- 12 March 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter