A short list of recommended reading: fairy tale and their power to shape us

A companion to my article at Positively Human.

COMMENTARY ON THE ROLE OF FAIRY TALES IN SPIRITUAL FORMATION:

Essays:

1. "On Fairy Stories" by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. "Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to be Said" by C.S. Lewis. Can be found in the book Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories
3. "The Fantastic Imagination" by George MacDonald

Books:

1. Orthodoxy by G.K. Gesterton. See chapter four, "The Ethics of Elfland"
2. Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Comedy, Tragedy and Fairy Tale by Frederick Buechner (caveat: I haven't read this book, but it's been recommended to me on multiple occasions. I intend to read it this Christmas)

RECOMMENDED FAIRY TALES:

Short Stories:

1.  "The Light Princess" by George MacDonald. Can be found in the book The Golden Key and Other Stories
2. "The Golden Key" by George MacDonald. Can be found in the book The Golden Key and Other Stories
3. "The Wise Woman" by George MacDonald. 
4. "Beauty and the Beast" by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont
5. "The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Andersen
6. "Little Red Cap" by the Brothers Grimm
7. "Cinderella" by the Brothers Grimm
8. "Snow White" by the Brothers Grimm
9. "Hansel and Gretel" by the Brothers Grimm

NOTE: The Classic Fairy Tales (ed. by Maria Tatar) has all of the traditional fairy tales with which we are most familiar (thanks to Disney) as well as variations of the tales by different authors in different eras and cultures.  It's a fun book to have. 

Books and Series:

1. Phantaestes by George MacDonald
2. Lillith by George MacDonald (C.S. Lewis said this book baptized his imagination)
1. What I'm trying to say here is that you can't go wrong with George MacDonald. ;)
3. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien 
6. The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
7. Till we Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
8. The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis
9. Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Do you have selections to add to the list? If so, please share!

© by scj