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April 10, 2026Children's Literature Association quarterly0 citations

Daytripper

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CHCharles Hatfield

Key Points

  • The essay aims to explore the concept of ecstatic reading and its emotional depths through a personal anecdote.
  • Reflective essay based on a personal memory of reading at age ten.
  • Analysis of key elements that contribute to ecstatic reading, such as plot and surprise.
  • Discussion of Tolkien's concept of eucatastrophe.
  • Identifies ecstatic reading as rooted in pleasure and emotional engagement.
  • Highlights the importance of surprise and reversal in storytelling.
  • Proposes that reading can create transformative experiences akin to eucatastrophes in narratives.

Abstract

Abstract: This essay reflects upon the adventure of reading by thinking back to the day when, at age ten, the author read Tolkien’s Hobbit in one long, uninterrupted sitting. Based on that memory, the essay proposes a model of ecstatic reading that has everything to do with the pleasure of plot, of surprise, reversal, and (in Tolkien’s sense) eucatastrophe.

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Cite This Study

Charles Hatfield (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69d894ec6c1944d70ce05e37https://doi.org/10.1353/chq.2025.a987754
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