This has me thinking! Yes, I wonder if our society has become too timid to stake a claim to moral truth or right and wrong for the sake of holding up each individual’s definition of moral values. I had to laugh when you described the offense at a character or person described as having an inner “nobility” but then realized this mirrors the degradation of articulating values which explain our better nature in favor of words which uphold moral relativism. With the loss of story and language, we lose these deep, beautiful words that can touch the soul of a reader— words that allow us to tap into the nature of humanity. I’m a teacher and am inspired to order 15 copies of Grimm’s for my middle school students and dive in. Thank you for defending the nobility of fairy tales and myth.
Oh that’s a wonderful idea, I absolutely hope you order Grimm’s for your students!! Those stories are simultaneously wholesome and nuanced and spooky, and I’m sure middle schoolers especially would love them ❤️
“I wonder if our society has become too timid to stake a claim to moral truth or right and wrong for the sake of holding up each individual’s definition of moral values”
This is precisely what it is. I’ll sometimes notice someone saying that this word means this or this contradicts this and someone will respond “let people define it how they want” I especially notice this when it comes to the lgbtq.
This is so interesting. I’ve noticed an increase in characters being marketed as “relatable”. It seems that relatability has become taken priority in character development and storytelling. It’s interesting to me that your friend said she couldn’t be “noble” because she was “relatable”. It is sort of an empty statement that is so dependant on the experience of the reader rather and takes importance off the intent of the author and paying attention the greater moral themes or archetypes that a character plays into.
Very important take. Good fairy tales ought to be more than instruction but they shouldn't be less. They are the earliest and most accessible means of cultivating a moral imagination.
Also worth reading are old tellings of myths (not Percy Jackson, sorry to my gen Z brethren). They have an ancient pagan's sense of morality (duh), and you have to live with that. Still, they have a lot of life to them because there are actual judgements made. You think you're better than the gods, just because you're a good weaver? Guess what little bitch, you're a spider now, so go weave for eternity in hell!
There really isn't anything quite like reading folklore and fairy-tales as you said, I love it and find it more inspiring than almost any other read. Really loved this essay!
I could not agree more. We have lost in our change of language, our sense of the inner truth of the world, that pervades everything. Fairytale are a great way to resurrection this lost understanding. Bravo.
I loved this piece Susanna. I think the increase in meaningless language is a mirror to the world we currently inhabit. It's superficial, narcissistic, Victorian esque. It demands no depth of thought because it desires no questions to be asked. They're blanket statements. That you must accept without probing deeper.
I liked your discussion of the word 'empowerment', you're so right in that anyone can be empowered to do anything, both good and evil. I wonder if this is why it has become such a popular word, anyone can appear to be doing something, to be taking action. We only find out later, sometimes much later, if this 'something' was wicked or virtuous.
Also, thank you for bestowing the word 'obfuscate' on me, I love it and added it to my word book. I've never really been one for fairy tales, but after reading this delightful piece, fairy tales will become a bigger part of my literature world.
So much of this is meaningless unless experienced though?
The word “devotion” meant absolutely nothing to me - until it sang softly in my heart and flesh. It became a pillar of my life before the word truly landed in my cognitive brain.
The word “noble” only carries weight in me because its presence has buckled my knees in humbleness and awe. Unlike your friend who had only a string of stuffy words only to attach to it. No life. No sweat of hers got spent in its learning.
She hasn’t earned intimacy with the word yet.
She doesn’t get to enter its inner sanctum.
I find it an eternal paradox - that words get us close to things we’ve never lived…
Rudolf Steiner, Goethe and the pet Novalis all talked of the fairy tale being the most essential element of childhood education... The foundation of a moral future. Incidentally, Steiner described morality as objective, which was a lovely eye opener for me thanks for your post.
You are speaking my language! I just wrote an article about the importance of reclaiming archetypes from classic fairy tales and made a similar point. It's a classic language that we have sadly lost.
I relate to this so much. I read a lot of fairytales and find myself describing people using fairytale language. People correct me a lot for it. For example, in Spanish, being “noble” can also mean “innocent”. Once, I described a person as “noble” (which of course I meant in a fairytale sense, as in noble of heart). They took offense, as if I were calling them naive. “Noble”, then, has received a bad connotation in the Upside-Down world you mention, where people are required to be cunning, always alert and mistrustful. We need fairytales to make a come back!
This has me thinking! Yes, I wonder if our society has become too timid to stake a claim to moral truth or right and wrong for the sake of holding up each individual’s definition of moral values. I had to laugh when you described the offense at a character or person described as having an inner “nobility” but then realized this mirrors the degradation of articulating values which explain our better nature in favor of words which uphold moral relativism. With the loss of story and language, we lose these deep, beautiful words that can touch the soul of a reader— words that allow us to tap into the nature of humanity. I’m a teacher and am inspired to order 15 copies of Grimm’s for my middle school students and dive in. Thank you for defending the nobility of fairy tales and myth.
Oh that’s a wonderful idea, I absolutely hope you order Grimm’s for your students!! Those stories are simultaneously wholesome and nuanced and spooky, and I’m sure middle schoolers especially would love them ❤️
“I wonder if our society has become too timid to stake a claim to moral truth or right and wrong for the sake of holding up each individual’s definition of moral values”
This is precisely what it is. I’ll sometimes notice someone saying that this word means this or this contradicts this and someone will respond “let people define it how they want” I especially notice this when it comes to the lgbtq.
Yes, agreed. I thought to myself… I wonder if this has anything to do with society’s reluctance towards commitment?
This is so interesting. I’ve noticed an increase in characters being marketed as “relatable”. It seems that relatability has become taken priority in character development and storytelling. It’s interesting to me that your friend said she couldn’t be “noble” because she was “relatable”. It is sort of an empty statement that is so dependant on the experience of the reader rather and takes importance off the intent of the author and paying attention the greater moral themes or archetypes that a character plays into.
Very important take. Good fairy tales ought to be more than instruction but they shouldn't be less. They are the earliest and most accessible means of cultivating a moral imagination.
You might enjoy the book “Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Moral Imagination” by Vigen Guroian
Also worth reading are old tellings of myths (not Percy Jackson, sorry to my gen Z brethren). They have an ancient pagan's sense of morality (duh), and you have to live with that. Still, they have a lot of life to them because there are actual judgements made. You think you're better than the gods, just because you're a good weaver? Guess what little bitch, you're a spider now, so go weave for eternity in hell!
There really isn't anything quite like reading folklore and fairy-tales as you said, I love it and find it more inspiring than almost any other read. Really loved this essay!
I could not agree more. We have lost in our change of language, our sense of the inner truth of the world, that pervades everything. Fairytale are a great way to resurrection this lost understanding. Bravo.
Wonderful reflections! Thank you for sharing.
I loved this piece Susanna. I think the increase in meaningless language is a mirror to the world we currently inhabit. It's superficial, narcissistic, Victorian esque. It demands no depth of thought because it desires no questions to be asked. They're blanket statements. That you must accept without probing deeper.
I liked your discussion of the word 'empowerment', you're so right in that anyone can be empowered to do anything, both good and evil. I wonder if this is why it has become such a popular word, anyone can appear to be doing something, to be taking action. We only find out later, sometimes much later, if this 'something' was wicked or virtuous.
Also, thank you for bestowing the word 'obfuscate' on me, I love it and added it to my word book. I've never really been one for fairy tales, but after reading this delightful piece, fairy tales will become a bigger part of my literature world.
So much of this is meaningless unless experienced though?
The word “devotion” meant absolutely nothing to me - until it sang softly in my heart and flesh. It became a pillar of my life before the word truly landed in my cognitive brain.
The word “noble” only carries weight in me because its presence has buckled my knees in humbleness and awe. Unlike your friend who had only a string of stuffy words only to attach to it. No life. No sweat of hers got spent in its learning.
She hasn’t earned intimacy with the word yet.
She doesn’t get to enter its inner sanctum.
I find it an eternal paradox - that words get us close to things we’ve never lived…
… but only so far. Only still quite far?
True and not true.
Slippery subject.
Rudolf Steiner, Goethe and the pet Novalis all talked of the fairy tale being the most essential element of childhood education... The foundation of a moral future. Incidentally, Steiner described morality as objective, which was a lovely eye opener for me thanks for your post.
Yeah, my son is only four but even now I try to read him fairy tales and old folk tales, the wide vocabulary is good for his development
That was a great article! Thank you very much!
You are speaking my language! I just wrote an article about the importance of reclaiming archetypes from classic fairy tales and made a similar point. It's a classic language that we have sadly lost.
This is a beautiful, important reflection. Thank you!
You know what's crazy? I just had this *same* conversation with someone about the word nobility!
We’re on the same brainwaves! :)
I relate to this so much. I read a lot of fairytales and find myself describing people using fairytale language. People correct me a lot for it. For example, in Spanish, being “noble” can also mean “innocent”. Once, I described a person as “noble” (which of course I meant in a fairytale sense, as in noble of heart). They took offense, as if I were calling them naive. “Noble”, then, has received a bad connotation in the Upside-Down world you mention, where people are required to be cunning, always alert and mistrustful. We need fairytales to make a come back!