I’ve received an enquiry from someone currently in the midst of writing a screenplay who requested details of any essays on the topic of fairy tales, “specifically addressing the use of magical items, but from a Catholic perspective, not from a New Age or any other perverse viewpoint”. Here’s my response:
 
You should make a point of familiarizing yourself with Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy Stories”, as well as his poem “Mythopoeia” and his short allegorical story, “Leaf by Niggle”. The chapter entitled “The Ethics of Elfland” in Chesterton’s Orthodoxy is also invaluable. In addition, I would refer you to the chapter on “magic” in my bookFrodo’s Journey and suggest that you buy the collection of essays which I edited,Tolkien: A Celebration. The latest issue of the St. Austin Review (July/August) is a Tolkien theme issue, which has a couple of excellent articles dealing with Tolkien’s use of “magic”, highlighting how it differs from occult/new age approaches.