Literary Inclinations ~ Tolkien and the Art of the Fairy Tale

I have always loved fairy tales.  As a child, the classics fueled my rampant imagination.  As a teenager, I foolishly shut them inside a rather shabby mental box labeled "Youth," their influence then a mere whisper in daydreams during car rides to and from school.  Now, in my early twenties, I have ripped open that old box and let the tales run wild in my mind, so that driving has become time relished as an opportunity for adventure.

When I feel the need for channeling my imagination while I drive, I often turn to audiobooks.  My fiance (then boyfriend) graciously lent me his typically well-preserved copies of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings on CD when I expressed mild disgust and intense frustration with the music on the radio and my own lack of digitized music some time ago, and I have slowly made my way through them over the last year or so during my daily commute to the local university.  While I strongly favor the physicality of a book over a book read on a screen of some sort, I must say that I do so enjoy listening to audiobooks.  While the element of personal preference obviously influences my opinion, I think that there is certainly something to be said for the auditory medium as a way to tell a story, particularly with regard to Tolkien.  In my opinion, hearing his fanciful descriptions of characters, battles, and scenery serves to accentuate their vibrancy.  
  
As a lover of all things Tolkien-related, I remain on the look-out for articles, creative pieces, videos, etc. created by or about this author and his work.  I came across today's featured article just recently, and found it both enlightening and reassuring.  In addition to the eloquent excerpts of the man himself, the author includes many, varying, and delightfully whimsical fairy tale illustrations.

So, without further ado: J. R. R. Tolkien on Fairy Tales, Language, the Psychology of Fantasy, and Why There’s No Such Thing as Writing “For Children”.

How do you define a fairy tale?
What is your favorite fairy tale, and why?