Otherworldly but not the Otherworld: Tolkien's Adaptation of Medieval Faerie and Fairies into a Sub-creative Elvendom

Through a comparative analysis of Lothlorien and the medieval stories of Lanval and Sir Orfeo, this article attempts to shed some light on how the inherently pessimistic and recursive nature of Tolkien's subcreation affects his adaptation of medieval Faerie into a sub-creative elvendom born of the creative instincts of the elves. In doing so, the article also questions Tolkien's adherence to parameters of Faerie and characteristics of elves as laid out in OFS. Additional Keywords Lord of the Rings; J.R.R. Tolkien; Sub-creation; Faerie; Fairy; Galadriel; Lothlorien; Lanval; Sir Orfeo; Marie de France; Medieval literature; Marie de France. Lanval; Tolkien, J.R.R.-Characters-Galadriel; Tolkien, J.R.R.-Settings-Lothlorien; Tolkien, J.R.R.-Theory of sub-creation; Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings
As a meoievalist, Tolkien's 'Cauloron of Story' was unsurprisingly brimming with medieval tropes (Tolkien, 'On Fairy-stories' [OFS] 44). What is more, in the resulting 'soup,' the fairy and Faerie motifs [...]