I haven't read any of the "Good News Meditations Kids" series you mention, but I remember feeling deeply encouraged by C.S. Lewis's insight that school stories are more deceptive than fairy tales. It helped me see that my love for fairy tales was a longing for divine truth, not just wishful thinking.
A lot of the realistic fiction I was given in school, like Kaye Gibbons's "Ellen Foster" or J.M. Coetzee's "Boyhood," was pretty grim. Nihilism and an unhealthy obsession with the inner life were a part of it, but many of those books also portrayed crimes without justice or forgiveness. It often felt like they were trying to leave their readers in a state of helpless anger. Reflecting on it now, I think they were trying to point readers towards meaning, but an earthbound meaning of manmade justice and righteousness.
Noelle, what specific fairy tales & fairy tale collections informed your reading journey?
True confessions Alicia, I haven't read the series I linked either. I think the titles are enough for me to work with though. And YES I am planning to write an article soon on that exact thing that Lewis said about how we are deeply and wrongly deceived by "true" stories. I haven't read the other stories you mentioned but I think your observations are true for many many stories we give our kids today.
As far as what stories have informed my journey I would include Greek myths, Grimm's fairy tales, Lewis and Tolkien of course, Fairy Queen, George McDonald, and many more. I meant to make a note of this in the article but there are some "realistic" stories I would even include. I actually think Austen followed a fairy tale pattern in her stories, for example. How about you? Thanks so much for the thoughtful feedback as always!
I look forward to another article on Lewis's insight about "true" stories! Mmmm, yes, love the ones you mentioned . . . I can think of others but the full rabbit trail of good books to read cannot fit into one comment. :) Yes, I hope to look more at fairy tale patterns in Austen, so fascinating! Shakespeare and Charles Dickens do that, too.
Yes, I was shaped by all the stories you mention - I might throw in "Popular Tales from the Norse," Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series, Lynne Reid Banks' "Farthest-Away Mountain," Edward Eager's books, Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie, and the American Girl books. But the list is long. Usually, as long as there was a good quest, adventure, or battle of some kind where good was rewarded, justice was done, and there was a happy ending, I was happy!
I haven't read any of the "Good News Meditations Kids" series you mention, but I remember feeling deeply encouraged by C.S. Lewis's insight that school stories are more deceptive than fairy tales. It helped me see that my love for fairy tales was a longing for divine truth, not just wishful thinking.
A lot of the realistic fiction I was given in school, like Kaye Gibbons's "Ellen Foster" or J.M. Coetzee's "Boyhood," was pretty grim. Nihilism and an unhealthy obsession with the inner life were a part of it, but many of those books also portrayed crimes without justice or forgiveness. It often felt like they were trying to leave their readers in a state of helpless anger. Reflecting on it now, I think they were trying to point readers towards meaning, but an earthbound meaning of manmade justice and righteousness.
Noelle, what specific fairy tales & fairy tale collections informed your reading journey?
True confessions Alicia, I haven't read the series I linked either. I think the titles are enough for me to work with though. And YES I am planning to write an article soon on that exact thing that Lewis said about how we are deeply and wrongly deceived by "true" stories. I haven't read the other stories you mentioned but I think your observations are true for many many stories we give our kids today.
As far as what stories have informed my journey I would include Greek myths, Grimm's fairy tales, Lewis and Tolkien of course, Fairy Queen, George McDonald, and many more. I meant to make a note of this in the article but there are some "realistic" stories I would even include. I actually think Austen followed a fairy tale pattern in her stories, for example. How about you? Thanks so much for the thoughtful feedback as always!
I look forward to another article on Lewis's insight about "true" stories! Mmmm, yes, love the ones you mentioned . . . I can think of others but the full rabbit trail of good books to read cannot fit into one comment. :) Yes, I hope to look more at fairy tale patterns in Austen, so fascinating! Shakespeare and Charles Dickens do that, too.
Yes, I was shaped by all the stories you mention - I might throw in "Popular Tales from the Norse," Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series, Lynne Reid Banks' "Farthest-Away Mountain," Edward Eager's books, Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie, and the American Girl books. But the list is long. Usually, as long as there was a good quest, adventure, or battle of some kind where good was rewarded, justice was done, and there was a happy ending, I was happy!