{"id":1937037,"date":"2023-05-24T12:02:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T16:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-a-wise-guide-to-fairy-tales-that-can-help-illuminate-the-meaning-of-life\/"},"modified":"2023-05-24T12:09:10","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T16:09:10","slug":"meet-a-wise-guide-to-fairy-tales-that-can-help-illuminate-the-meaning-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-a-wise-guide-to-fairy-tales-that-can-help-illuminate-the-meaning-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover a Wise Fairy Tale Guide for Life&#8217;s Meaning."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmeet-a-wise-guide-to-fairy-tales-that-can-help-illuminate-the-meaning-of-life%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1937037&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Reviving the English Major: Unlocking the Power of Fairy Tales<\/h2>\n<p>For decades, the English major has been dead in the West. But there is hope for those who still seek to understand human and divine natures through literature. Vigen Guroian, a retired professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, offers a master class in his book, &#8220;Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child\u2019s Moral Imagination.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Guroian focuses on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyt-columnist-cartoon-skunk-pepe-le-pew-perpetuates-rape-culture\/\" title=\"NYT Columnist: Cartoon Skunk Pep\u00e9 Le Pew Perpetuates Rape Culture\">fairy tales<\/a> that seem ancient in heart, illustrating virtue and its opposite. He argues that these stories can teach morals in a way that reaches deep into the heart, not just the intellect. And he does this without overly psychologizing the tales, a welcome relief from today\u2019s story-murdering post-Freudian, post-Jungian, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-a-wise-guide-to-fairy-tales-that-can-help-illuminate-the-meaning-of-life\/\" title=\"Discover a Wise Fairy Tale Guide for Life's Meaning.\">post-modern crit-lit \u201canalysis<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Richness Descended from Faith<\/h3>\n<p>Guroian nourishes a key quality that many postmodern academics disdain: Orthodox Christianity. It makes him a faithful and awe-inducing unlocker of tales. His analysis transcends denominational ties and bears the commonality of other beloved Christian writers such as C.S. Lewis, whom he cites at several appropriate points.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the book, Guroian pays close attention to how the stories we listen to shape our habits, into either virtue or vice. He explains why the Disney versions of the old Grimm\u2019s fairy tales subvert the original moral meanings in the stories, and turn them into at best metaphysical pablum and at worst poison. On these grounds, he takes a few swipes at figures such as Charles Perrault.<\/p>\n<h3>Small Plot Changes Can Matter a Lot<\/h3>\n<p>Guroian examines fairy tales that he argues aim to develop our virtue. He helps explain exactly how such a complicated and delicate thing could be done using plot points such as mirror shards in a little boy\u2019s eyes and a nightingale\u2019s song. <\/p>\n<p>For those who enjoy stories and wonder what makes them work, Guroian&#8217;s work is a real treat. It is accessible and delightful, unlike the self-described \u201cexperts\u201d whose main trick is lavish incoherence. Stories shape our souls, and Guroian shows us how to unlock their power.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Discovering the Power of Christian Worldview in Fairy Tales<\/h2>\n<p>Have you ever wondered why some fairy tales resonate with us more than others? Vigen Guroian, in his book <em>Tending the Heart of Virtue<\/em>, explores the idea that the worldview of the storyteller plays a significant role in the power of the tale. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Perrault neither hints nor suggests that there is a lasting filial devotion of daughter to mother. In the Grimms\u2019 fairyland, however, as in the Christian world, birth and death are conjoined, even as they also are in counterpoint to each other. It is not foreordained that after her death Cinderella\u2019s mother should drop out of her daughter\u2019s life. In other words, in the Grimm\u2019s fairyland there exists a communion not only among the living but also between the living and the dead. Death, though it is real and final, is not meaningless, and the dead have a role in the lives of the living.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Guroian&#8217;s Christian piety has fertilized his understanding of fairy stories, making his explanations richer and more satisfying than those of other scholars. The Bible and Christian traditions are full of archetypes, which Christians would call the original archetypes. Scripture is rich with analogies, word pictures, and metaphors &#8211; all forms of embodied word. One who has steeped themselves in its true mythology is well-prepared to understand other forms of truth expressed in word pictures.<\/p>\n<h3>Rediscovering the Lost Path to Wisdom<\/h3>\n<p>Western literature and arts are now dead because those who call themselves its guardians have detached themselves from the source of all culture: religion. This is why the humanities are dead in most universities. However, great literature lives eternally for all who know where to look. Guroian&#8217;s <em>Tending the Heart of Virtue<\/em> is one guidebook for rediscovering this lost and ancient path to wisdom.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n  Joy Pullmann is executive editor of The Federalist, a happy wife, and the mother of six children. Her just-published ebook is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/a2Jzp\">101 Strategies For Living Well Amid Inflation<\/a>.&#8221; Her bestselling ebook is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/R1JL\">Classic Books for Young Children<\/a>.&#8221; Mrs. Pullmann identifies as native American and gender natural. Her many books include &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Education-Invasion-Parents-Control-American\/dp\/1594038813\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1486730068&#038;sr=8-1&#038;keywords=education+invasion\">The Education Invasion: How Common Core Fights Parents for Control of American Kids<\/a>,&#8221; from Encounter Books. Joy is also a grateful graduate of the Hillsdale College honors and journalism programs.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/academia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Academia<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/archetype\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">archetype<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/brothers-grimm\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Brothers Grimm<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/c-s-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-christmas-present-for-you-gop-lawmakers-defy-president-trump-as-2000-checks-for-all-americans-fails-thanks-to-pelosis-tricks\/\" title=\"No Christmas Present for You! \u2013 GOP Lawmakers Defy President Trump as ,000 Checks for All Americans FAILS \u2013 Thanks to Pelosi\u2019s Tricks\">lewis<\/a>\/&#8221; class=&#8221;btn btn-black btn-small&#8221;>C.S. Lewis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cinderella\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Cinderella<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fairy-stories\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">fairy stories<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fairy-tales\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">fairy tales<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fantasy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">fantasy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/higher-education\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">higher education<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/literary-analysis\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">literary analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/literary-canon\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">literary canon<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/literary-criticism\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">literary criticism<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/literature\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">literature<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/moral-imagination\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/are-schools-contributing-to-skyrocketing-adhd-diagnoses-im-a-pediatrician-and-i-think-so\/\" title=\"Are Schools Contributing To Skyrocketing ADHD Diagnoses? I\u2019m A Pediatrician, And I Think So\">moral imagination<\/a><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/stories\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">stories<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tending-the-heart-of-virtue\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Tending the Heart of Virtue<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/vigen-guroian\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Vigen Guroian<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/virtue\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">virtue<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/western-literature\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Western literature<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>English major in the West, but its purpose has shifted from understanding human and divine natures to seeking their destruction. Despite its survival in name, the humanities, including English, have been dead for decades. Pursuing an English major now means a different aim than before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":519,"featured_media":1937038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[9504,17978,6519,27502,8806,5867,8972],"class_list":["post-1937037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-discover","tag-fairy","tag-guide","tag-lifes","tag-meaning","tag-tale","tag-wise"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1937037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/519"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1937037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1937037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1937038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1937037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1937037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1937037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}