The Mysteries of Life and Children's Literature

In this episode I speak with Professor Vigen Gurioan about the revised and expanded edition of his book Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Imagination. We discuss the power of stories, how they help can us develop self-knowledge, and how fairy tales and classic stories are essential for education and moral formation for children — and for adults. Fairy tales and classic stories can impress upon us profound philosophical and often theological insights about life and death, the good and beautiful, the value of courage and nobility, and importance of self-sacrifice for love. Stories, themes, and thinkers we we discuss include

• Hans Christian Anderson

• The Little Mermaid

• Beauty and the Beast

• Grimm’s Fairy Tales

• George McDonald

• Pinocchio, honor, honesty, and the responsibility of children to their parents

• The Ugly Duckling, courage, and the desire for beauty

• The Wind and the Willows, Charlotte’s Web, and friendship of equality and friendship of mentors

• Good Wishes and Bad Wishes

• Joseph Pieper and Dietrich von Hildebrand on joy as a the superabundant fruit of love and self-gift

• Charles Dickens

• C.S. Lewis

• Edmund Burke

• Aristotle on Friendship and more