Interesting synchronicity as I have just read SWM in the extended edition. In the essay about the story Tolkien explains the physical relationship of faerie with Wootton Major: they are in the same geographical area, as Tolkien says his symbol for Faerie is the forest, which is on the outskirts of the town.
The essay's first sentence is
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Tolkien
This short tale is not an "allegory", tough it is capable of course of allegorical interpretations at certain points. It is a 'Fairy Story', of the kind in which beings that may be called 'fairies' or 'elves' play a part and are associates in action with human people, and are regarded as having a 'real' existence, that is one in their own right and independent of human imagination and invention. It is cast in an imaginary (but English) countryside, before the advent of power-machinery. . .
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Dimitra Fimi, in
Tolkien, Race and Cultural History offers a very interesting study of Tolkien's changing concepts of fairie, from BoLT through all the various forms of the Legendarium in HoMe, to SWM. Tolkien began within the tradition of fairy in Victorian popular culture but moved to his concept of Elves before attempting in SWM to write a story about how any experience of faerie is valuable. Worth looking up her book--she's a very fine contemporary scholar.