The value of the fairy tale in the past and in the present. The fairy tale as a creation originated by the combination between the depth of the human heart and universal processes

Abstract

After a brief reference to the origins and the role that the fairy tale has played in the societies of the past, the present work intends to linger over a particular interpretation that can be given to the fairy tale, that is, as a useful tool for the search, in one’s own interiority, of that awareness of the existence of man as an inhabitant not only of planet earth but of the entire universe, which primitive man had developed, but today has been lost. The desire, inherent in the human being, especially if of young age, to listen to a fairy tale, then brings us to the level of the teacher-student relationship. In particular, the analysis focuses on the role that the fairy tale can fulfill in the teaching of Steiner schools and on the opportunity to resort to the image and the representation of concepts for the success of educational communication, images that can prove to be full of expressive power. The image that the fairy tale can convey is fundamental for this type of communication, when it acts as a catalyst for the child’s imagination.