Word of the day
eucatastrophe (coined by J.R.R. Tolkien)
“The sudden turn of events at the end of a story which result in the protagonist’s well-being”. While frequently confused with deus ex machina, eucatastrophe differs slightly in that “eucatastrophes fit within the established framework of the story”.
“[Tolkien] did point out that literal-minded folk who object to fairy stories as escapist mistake the wartime escape of the deserter (bad) for the wartime escape of the prisoner (necessary and good). Fairy tales represent the latter, Tolkien continued, and correspond to the primordial human desire—in a world of poverty, injustice and death —for the “consolation of the happy ending.” Tolkien even coined a word—eucatastrophe—for this happy quality.
Eucatastrophe gives the reader “a catch of breath, a beat and lifting of the heart, a piercing glimpse of joy and heart’s desire.”
