Ep. 53 Vigen Guroian Tending the Heart of Virtue — Fairy Tales, Classical Learning, and The Moral Imagination

In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Professor Vigen Guroian 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

Resources - Book Recommendations

Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination

Mysteries of Life in Children's Literature Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian

Wind in the Willows (Wordsworth Collector's Editions)

The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales

The Red Fairy Book: By Andrew Lang Original Classic with Illustrated, Annotated Editor by Amanda Publishing By Lang, Andrew

A CHILD S GARDEN OF VERSES. By Stevenson, Robert Louis

Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales

Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening By Guroian, Vigen

The Adventure of Pinocchio (Annotated and Illustrated): with original translated from the Italian(Carlo Collodi) by Carol Della Chiesa By Collodi, C.

Charlotte's Web: A Newbery Honor Award Winner (Trophy Newbery) By E. B. White

The Blue Fairy Book (Dover Children's Classics)

The Book of Virtues By Bennett, William J.

Winnie the Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh Book 1) By Milne, A.A.

The Complete Works of George MacDonald (Illustrated Edition): The Princess and the Goblin, Phantastes, At the Back of the North Wind, Lilith… By MacDonald, George