How to Write a Fairy Tale (Rhetoric Writing)

We live in a world of paradoxes: Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Spirit and Body, Reason and Emotion. Our God is a God of paradoxes - God became flesh and dwelt among us; He died but rose again. Also, He gave us a way to comprehend these seeming contradictions: our imagination. "Imagination both expresses and trains the reason and the will" said Vigen Guroian in Rallying the Really Human Things. We tend to think of the imaginings of children as quaint and silly, but in reality, they are engaged in the act of comprehending the paradoxes of our world. In a sin-filled world that is so large and full of complexity, fairy stories allow us to step “further up and further in” to smaller worlds, with sharper edges and more clearly-defined boundaries. In stories of magic beyond reality, of impossible virtue, perfect evil, and other-worldly creatures we can see allegories of our fallenness, our God, and His miracles. These imagined places delight our souls because we see His Glory through them as through a window.

In this course, we will journey through several great works of literature seeking after the Truth hidden within all things - otherwise known as the Ideal Type, natural law, objective truth, the Tao... We will start with a study of classic fairy tales which simply shine with virtues, vices, and lessons to be gleaned, before we head into classic works of fiction, ready to mine for the same shards of Truth. Then, we may begin to create our own stories. "Art is the imitation of nature achieved through the synthesizing, ordering, and illumining work of the imagination," Guroian aptly states.

This 32-week course will be held in 4, 8-week quarters. Students will be required to complete weekly readings before attending our weekly lecture and recitation. There will be two exams, two fairy tales, and multiple short essays. A commonplace book is required for this class.

Course Objectives:

1. Learn to analyze literature using color-coded highlighting, outlining, and discussion to seek key truths and themes.
2. Gain a grasp of the concept of the Ideal Type and learn how to pinpoint it in reading.
3. Adopt a practice of thoughtful, restful reading.
4. Demonstrate understanding of poetic terms and forms; develop characters, fill plots, and create themes within a story.
5. Refine writing techniques in the practice of imitative writing; communicate great ideas and beautiful thoughts with clarity.

Texts:

• The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis 978-0060652944
• Rallying the Really Human Things by Vigen Guroian 978-1932236507
• Grimms’ Fairy Tales 978-0141331201
• The Complete Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault 978-0395570029
• The Little Mermaid and Other Fairytales 978-1435163683
• Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde 978-0451531070
• The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 978-0001720299
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 978-0679734505
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 978-1451673319
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 978-1500295790
• On Fairy Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien 978-0007582914

Required Materials:

• A commonplace book (see links below)