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The STUDIA UNIVERSITATIS BABEŞ-BOLYAI issue article summary
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Abstract:
The German poet Schiller wrote: “Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught by life.” How can this be? Bettelheim says: “These tales start where the child really is in his psychological and emotional being. They speak about his severe inner pressures in a way that the child unconsciously understands and ... offers examples of both temporary and permanent solutions to pressing difficulties.”Parents longing to protect their children from evil, scary things in the world do well to remember that this is the world to which we are preparing them to face. By hiding that world from their awareness, by trying to postpone or color the harsh realities of life, we are doing them a great disservice. Studying the genesis of the tales we find out that mankind requires tales because the tales provide a surplus. From time immemorial, the spoken word has been a major influence on human development. The Bible is the master example of frankness and the revealing and candid exposing of evil in its many forms. God did not censor murder, betrayal, cruelty and even sexual passion from the pages of His word. Parents may argue that a young child does not need to learn about these things, and it is true-there is a time and season for all things, and some are best to cover when a child may be more mature to under¬stand and emotionally deal with some of these things.In the Holy Scripture we find many literary genres, which all transmit God’s message. Such literary genres are: the myth, saga, legend, parabolic short story, dialogic scene, anthem, love song, proverb and riddle, and also a symbolical tale: the fable of Jotham.Decoding the figurative sense of the symbols of the tales require work and give us strength. A symbolical tale in a psychological sense gives the possibility to learn about culture, about the society’s values, ethics and expectations, about their roles in society and about the choices open. We learn empathy and morality. The most im¬portant element in tales (and also in Jotham’s fable) is the moral choice presented to the hero (and also to the reader). The child learns that choices have consequences, and the child can choose what kind of person he/she wants to be.The fairy tale is future-oriented and guides the child, so that instead of escaping into a world of unreality, he/she is given tools to help her develop character and courage to face what the world presents to him/her. Often the hero is lost, alone, frightened. These are feelings a child identifies with. Yet, her hero is guided and given help along the way because of his determination and courage. In this way, fairy tales work their own kind of magic, for in reading them, the child feels understood and enriched, giving the child what Bettelheim says is “an enchanted quality just be¬cause he does not quite know how the stories have worked their wonder on him.The tradition of story-telling is one of the earliest forms of teaching and inspiring chil¬dren. It is important in developing their memories. Furthermore, because they are hearing an unillustrated story, the listeners are forced to create the pictures in their own minds. This increases their ability to visualize which helps their creative imaginations grow.
Keywords: creative imagination, figurative sense, Holy Scripture, tales, fables, myths, decoding symbols, moral choice
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