Eucatastrophe

In a classic use of eucatastrophe, the prince arrives to break the spell that has kept Sleeping Beauty and her kingdom asleep for 100 years. 1897 illustration by Gustave Doré

A eucatastrophe is a sudden turn of events in a story which ensures that the protagonist does not meet some terrible, impending, and plausible and probable doom.[1] The concept was created by the philologist and fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien in his essay "On Fairy-Stories", based on a 1939 lecture. The term has since been taken up by other authors, and by scholars.

  1. ^ Mazur 2011, p. 174.