eucatastrophe
Sign in to savethumb|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 ]]
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thumb|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. 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.