This was so interesting to listen to. I’ve been reading a lot of Montessori and they do not recommend reading fantasy to children under 6 years old and that didn’t sit right with me. You articulated it so beautifully.
Oh, such a good question. We stick with the old ones: Grimms, Andersen: Blue, Yellow, etc. Fairy Book. But if we think about enchanted stories, I would include so many from Narnia and beyond! I do recommend reading "On Fairy Stories" by Tolkien because he nails what is a fairy, a fairy story, a fairytale, and Fäerie. (He'd honestly not be pleased with how little I defined my terms here! Ha!!)
This is what I love so much about the Mason method. When kids learn about trees for example - they don’t do so through a diagram of the parts of the tree or a dry textbook, they instead get Arabella Buckley writing delightful words about the life of a tree as if it were a person. It’s beautiful because it opens the eyes of the child (and mother in a lot of cases) to the deep interest of literally *everything* that exists in the world. A passionate teacher can make literally any subject as enchanting as a fairy tale and THAT is what is so special about “living” books. Also - I thought the new camera looked great actually as soon as I saw the thumbnail. What is it?
100%. The living books show our children how to see Reality in their midst. I can't imagine not giving them to my kids! And thank you! So good to hear. It's the Sony A7Riv. I'm a wedding photographer, so I have real gear but I've been using a vlogger point-and-shoot since I'm less familiar with video. I decided to start using my professional gear and get to work on learning the ropes of video settings and editing! I expect the learning curve to be worth it!
I'm an atheist, but I find so much wisdom in your videos. I find it interesting about your idea of the bible being the ultimate story and maybe that would be one of the reasons that some people cannot believe the bible to be true if it seems like a story with frameworks where good always wins like we are used to reading in fiction.
Hmm. I could see the modern cynicism making it difficult to reconcile a good God with evil in the world or the hope of Good winning in the end, for sure. But I'd still point back to the mythic and moral imaginations which come alive in most people when they engage with story: You know Frodo is the hero, not Sauron. And you hold out for hope no matter how dark the story becomes. I think if you work backwards you'll also find that all stories echo certain truths (across time, place, and people) which reach their fullness in the story of Christ, the God-man. If you'd actually like to do some more reading on this, I recommend Lewis' "When Myth Became Fact" or "The Abolition of Man"!
Here's a can-of-worms-opening connection I made to your points in discussions with my husband over recent weeks (spurred in part by Kevin Vanhoozer's book on hermeneutics, Is There a Meaning In This Text?): the worldview within parts of the Christian community that says that one should avoid non-factual truth (i.e., fairy tales, Narnia, etc.) is the same one that has not only swallowed an oversimplified form of Enlightenment Baconianism, but also hasn't realized that it has done so and thus claims to interpret Scripture solely by "the plain meaning of the text" which turns out to be in line with predetermined views on said text. Thank you so much for this video!
Oh, Hannah! YES. I was having a similar conversation with a friend while reading into IA Richards' "close reading" (for our reading of The Abolition of Man). There is a strain of treating the Bible like a text without any external reference to tradition, history, art, socio-cultural conditions, etc. We're tracking!
How do you determine which fairy tale editions to get? I know language and original sources are important but how important are good illustrations as well?
Ah, this is so hard! I have so many bad copies of Grimms! I will usually do a Google search to get a feel for editions people recommend. (Our curriculum, the CMEC, actually provides this information now which I love!) I think illustrations are very important and I've found that the better editions also come with better illustrations!
I really like the end about the dragons, I never thought of that and it's beautiful. I've been thinking more about that recently since I started listening to Jordan Peterson, he uses dragon imagery a lot.
A patron shared some of his thoughts on dragons and I thought they were spot on! And another patron (So many smart patrons! Ha!) uses the phrase "truer than true" with her kids because dragons are real; they may be archetypes, metaphors, or literal, but they are true and lift the veil of our limited world to show us Reality.
thank you for this video! would love to have book recommendations that get into these topics in more detail. esp. on truth vs. fact and the enlightenment. thank you!
Ooh yes. It's a whole world! I'd recommend reading a lot of Lewis, Tolkien, and Chesterton to get your head around truth/fact. Then I recommend Joshua Gibbs' new book, Love What Lasts, for some helpful commentary on the Enlightenment within this classical conversation.
Hi Autumn! Thank you for your video, this might be my favorite so far! Have you ever watched the video series How Should We Then Live by Francis Schaeffer? I believe you would enjoy it. Also, what are your thoughts on those who just plain do not enjoy fairy tales? Is there something else that can fill the void of fairy tales? I have a few friends like this and they find my ideas very hard to engage with because they feel zero draw to books like Narnia. It makes me sad for them - it seems like they are missing out on so much!
It's on my shelf and I believe that I would enjoy it too! I keep meaning to get to it! Ah, those who have grown cold towards fairytales. Yes, it is sad. But not without hope! As Lewis said, we're all old enough fairytales again one day. I recommend starting with really good novels. Getting lost in a story (or, the ability to be self-forgetful) is a necessary part of enchanted tales too and something kids are so good at, while we adults struggle to enjoy Otherliness.
Looking forward to your next video on magic. I find myself having that conversation often with moms who don’t know if they should let their kids read books with magic in it, usually Harry Potter is the debated topic. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
I didn't grow up as a Christian so it was a great surprise to me when I learned that HP was a THING within the Christian conversation! But yes, the next video will touch on the magic itself!
Great question and one I think a lot of us ask! I think it helps to consider education as one's "natural inheritance". Just like we can understand the natural law that "water flows and fire burns", we can understand certain educational laws that work with our nature/flourishing like in nature. (Ie. A plant needs good soil, water, and sun. A child needs certain things to grow.) Education should meet those needs (the natural laws designed by God). Just like we can reasonably expect a plant to grow if we adhere to natural laws, we can reasonably expect a child to grow toward wisdom and virtue. * But * just like we adhere to the natural laws of growing things, we must pray for God to give growth beyond our responsibility. I think that's where education meets prayer/salvific work. The "gospel seed" must come from God, but the soil into which it drops is prepared by "education" in all life. Education focuses on preparing good soil to enlarge the soul to receive the gospel.
So often when you speak of magic and the enchantedness of our real world, I hear ND Wilson! So funny to hear you quote one of his sisters. Also, my classical self wanted write you a letter to say thank you! I’ve listened to so much of what you have to say about CM, classical learning in general, but especially fairy tales. The well had run dry over here on story for us, and then it hit me! Saint George! We listened/watched the Caldecott winning picture book on a RU-vid story reading podcast, and my 3 year old son loved it. (And who wouldn’t?!) It has been so informing to me as a mother to a son, but also has strengthened his little heart so much already. My heart is full and we will most definitely be celebrating St. George’s Day in April! 🗡🐉
St. George! A true hero in this house! I’ve never read ND Wilson but I did listen to What Have You for years! (I no longer have a smartphone so I rarely listen to anything.) I loved their conversations.
The first exposure I hate to ND was his book Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl. His defense of magic sounds much like yours, and has said a few helpful things re: Harry Potter in his podcast Stories Are Soulfood that I’ll have to revisit when we decide whether or not we’ll let our children read those.
@@lindsaybarlow7946 Lovely! My guess is we’re both echoing the same beloved writers. I always love how ideas can be bridges between people and shared threads to weave a larger picture!
I could NOT agree and love this more. Thank you for sharing so many wonderful points on this subject. A little off topic but -- would you mind sharing your new camera details? do you love it? I'm switching to a flip phone next month and will sell my medium format film camera to buy something small to carry around to document, as I would a phone. I just don't know what to choose! ...trusting your recommendation as a fellow photographer. :)
Of course! It's actually my photography camera: Sony A7Riv! I was using a Sony vlogger camera before since it did some of the video legwork for me. (Video is a different ball game than photo, you know?) I'm actually looking into a Pentax K1000 to carry around in lieu of my smartphone camera. Do you want to go digital or have you considered a smaller film?
I actually do have a film point and shoot! It’s so fun and I love that medium. I’m just looking for something to use for every day video and photo digitally…do you like your blogging camera for that? Any recommendations? 🙈
