There and Back Again: A Philosophy of Revision for Fictional Narrative

While popular culture offers the unexamined terminology of “reboots,” “retcons,” and “sequels,” we determine the necessary and sufficient conditions of each and their rejections, thereby articulating a philosophy of revision for fictional narrative. Our example texts, Tolkien’s first two editions of The Hobbit and his three-novel The Lord of the Rings, exemplify how authors restart, reinterpret, and expand narratives—which readers then accept or reject.