Free creativity and the moral imperative in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle”
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikpsy-2026-3-6
- Pages
- 57-64
Abstract
The aim of the present study is to examine J. R. R. Tolkien’s artistic ethics and aesthetic ideas based on the short story “Leaf by Niggle.” The writer’s artistic philosophy is analyzed in the context of Immanuel Kant’s classical practical philosophy. The article examines the main formulations of Kant’s categorical imperative in comparison with the maxim of prudent self-love as understood by the Königsberg philosopher. It is suggested that Kant’s universal ethical imperative may be regarded as a sufficiently accurate formulation of the fundamental moral law in the fictional world of Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle.” The choice of Kant’s imperative, autonomous from religious and cultural tradition, is primarily determined by the English writer’s well-known aspiration to avoid elements of religious preaching in his own literary texts and, secondly, by Tolkien’s unquestionable knowledge of Kant’s practical philosophy. The theme of free creative activity in “Leaf by Niggle” is examined in the context of Kant’s moral imperative, as Tolkien’s narrative presents a conflict between the freedom of creative self-expression and the virtuous life of the protagonist. The study concludes that, in Tolkien’s artistic worldview, the meticulous adherence of a creative individual to the moral law spiritualizes free creativity, endowing the artist’s work with genius and a unique character of supreme reality in the style of medieval realism.