Russian folk tales and their role in raising the soul of a child

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

A fairy tale is a universal technique that recreates the moral structure of the sensory-emotional sphere of the soul at the stages of childhood. Unfortunately, we (as well as many other things) rejected this great educational device of the folk epos and culture as "patriarchal".

And now, before our eyes, the basic characteristics of everything that distinguishes us from the entire animal world and makes people morally reasonable - humanity - are disintegrating.

From the standpoint of common sense, there is nothing clearer than understanding the fundamental role of a fairy tale in the spiritual development of a child. The Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin was able to express this position perfectly: “A fairy tale awakens and captivates a dream. She gives the child the first sense of the heroic - a sense of challenge, danger, vocation, effort and victory; she teaches him courage and loyalty, she teaches him to contemplate human destiny. The complexity of the world, the difference between "truth and falsehood." She inhabits his soul with a national myth, that chorus of images in which the people contemplate themselves and their fate, looking historically into the past and looking prophetically into the future. In a fairy tale, the people buried their longed-for, their knowledge and department, their suffering, their humor and their wisdom. National education is incomplete without national education …"

Vygotsky has another interpretation of folk tales. In particular, the author claims that a fairy tale is a technique for introducing into the child's psyche "false ideas that do not correspond to truth and reality." Under these conditions, in his opinion, "the child remains stupid and stupid to the real world, he closes himself in an unhealthy and musty atmosphere, mostly in the realm of fantastic fictions." That is why “… this entire fantastic world infinitely suppresses the child and, undoubtedly, its oppressive power exceeds the child's ability to resist!"

Based on this view, the author comes to the following conclusion. “We have to agree with the view, which demands to expel completely and completely all the fantastic and stupid ideas in which a child is usually brought up. It is extremely important to note that the most harmful are not only fairy tales … (See: Vygotsky L. S., Pedagogical psychology. M.: Pedagogika, 1991. - S. 293-3009- But did the classic of psychology understand that the world perceived by a child and us, are they different worlds? For a child, our world is a world of miracles and magic. And for adults? No miracles. Solid dry book-informational rationalism and cynicism. And the phenomenon of a human child, capable of becoming a perfect God-man with our help, isn't it a miracle? Although if you look at all this through the prism of cynicism and animal instinct, then, of course, one sex and no miracle.

Consider other attempts to understand the essence of the tale. In accordance with the "Code of Ethnographic Concepts and Terms" published in 1991 by the Academy of Sciences of the USSR together with the Academy of Sciences of the GDR under the general editorship of Academician Yu. V. Bromley (USSR) and Professor G. Strobach (GDR), the tale is defined as "a type of oral folk prose with a dominant aesthetic function."

Here we are already talking about the fairy tale not as a "musty atmosphere" and "stupid ideas", but as a special "aesthetic function". Note that this "Code …", in accordance with the proposed at the time by V. F. Miller's classification divides all fairy tales into three main groups: magic, about animals and everyday.

The division of fairy tales proposed by the mythological school is practically not much different from this classification: mythological fairy tales, animal tales, everyday tales. A broader classification of fairy tales is given by Wundt (I960):

• Mythological fairy tales - fables;

• Pure fairy tales;

• Biological tales and fables;

• Pure fables about animals;

• Fairy tales "about the origin";

• Humorous fairy tales and fables;

• Moral fables.

Proceeding from the postulate, according to which "the study of formal laws predetermines the study of historical laws", the main goal of his work is the well-known expert on fairy tales V. Ya. Propp defined it this way: "It (a fairy tale) needs to be translated into formal structural features, as is done in other sciences." As a result, having analyzed one hundred fairy tales from the collection "Russian folk tales" by A. N. Afanasyev (vol. 1 3, 1958), V. Ya. Propp came to the conclusion that they have the following general structural and morphological structure:

I. One of the family members is absent from home (absence).

II. The hero is addressed with a ban - a ban.

III. The ban is violated - violation.

IV. The antagonist is trying to conduct reconnaissance (ferrying).

V. The antagonist is given information about his victim (extradition).

Vi. The antagonist tries to deceive his victim in order to take possession of her or her property - a catch.

Vii. The victim succumbs to deception and thus unwittingly helps the enemy - aiding.

VIII. The antagonist inflicts harm or damage on one of the family members - sabotage.

IX. One of the family members lacks something: he wants to have something - a lack.

X. Trouble or shortage is reported, the hero is asked or ordered, sent or released - mediation.

XI. The seeker agrees or decides to counteract - the incipient counteraction.

XII. The hero leaves the house - dispatch.

XIII. The hero is tested … what prepares him to receive a magic agent or an assistant - the first function of the donor.

XIV. The hero reacts to the actions of the future donor - the reaction of the hero.

XV. At the disposal of the hero gets a magic tool - supply.

Xvi. The hero is transported, delivered or led to the location of the object of the search - spatial movement between the two kingdoms - a guide.

XVII. The hero and his antagonist enter into a direct struggle - struggle.

Xviii. The antagonist wins - victory.

XIX. The initial trouble or shortage is eliminated - the elimination of the trouble or shortage.

XX. The hero returns - the return.

XXI. The hero is persecuted.

XXII. The hero escapes from the pursuer - salvation.

XXIII. The hero arrives home unrecognizable or to another country - an unrecognized arrival.

XXIV. The false hero makes unfounded claims - unfounded claims.

XXV. The hero is presented with a difficult task.

XXVI. The problem is solved - the solution.

XXVII. The hero is recognized - recognition.

XXVIII. The false hero or villainous antagonist is exposed - exposure.

XXIX. The hero is given a new look - Transfiguration.

XXX. The enemy is punished - punishment.

XXXI. The hero enters into marriage and a wedding reigns.

But can such a formal intellectual "chewing" of a fairy tale help to penetrate its true, hidden "springs" of influence on deep sensory and emotional experiences, including the processes of the child's imagination? It is about understanding not only and not so much the purely external formal-logical, verbal-rational signs of a fairy tale. It is about realizing the main thing - their internal subconscious (psycho-emotional) structure.

And finally, the main question: can such a formalistic understanding of a fairy tale become a conscious tool with which a creative educator-teacher could start composing fairy tales that develop the soul of a child? Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered in the affirmative until not the formalological structure of the tale is revealed, but the subconscious-sensory psychoemotional structure. We are talking about the emotionally conditioned structure of intentions-actions (functions) of the heroes, with the help of which those or other sensory-emotional attitudes (dominants) are formed in the child's soul.

One cannot but pay attention to the fact that when trying not a structural-formal, but a holistic functional analysis of V. Ya. Propp came to some extremely important (from our point of view) patterns of their construction:

First, about the extreme stability of the functions of the heroes of various fairy tales; secondly, about the limited number of their functions; thirdly, on the strict logical sequence of such functions; fourthly, about the uniformity of the construction of all fairy tales.

In this regard, we analyzed not a formalistic, but an emotional-subconscious structure of Russian folk tales, set forth by A. N. Afanasyev (Afanasyev A. N. "Folk Russian fairy tales". M.: Hud. Literature, 1977).

As a result, we came to the deep conviction that the “target” of the influence of fairy tales is not the rational-verbal (mental) world of the child, but the sensory-emotional, that is, the subconscious.

In addition, almost all folk tales are aimed at forming a stable structure of moral-ethical sensory-emotional dominants in a child. It turned out that repeated listening to them contributes to the formation of stable vectors of emotional experiences in the child. Helps to form a stable sensory-subconscious dynamic stereotype.

The cornerstone of such a subconscious sensory stereotype is structuring and deep dilution in the primary reflex-instinctive sensory affects of good and evil, as well as the formation of a stable orientation of feelings towards good, sympathy for the pain and suffering of another, towards rejection and rejection of evil, etc. this is fundamental in the formation of humanity in every human child who comes into this world. In relation to the child, to the future adult, we must finally realize the main thing: education in the feelings of humanity at the stages of childhood is decisive in the incarnation of new generations of people.

The moral formation of a person is possible primarily at the stage of childhood. And it is possible only in the eternal struggle with the given vices in itself, that is, in the struggle with its lower animal nature.

With regard to the early "fabulous" age, all these provisions are quite deeply illuminated in the instructions of the "Christian education of children" (1905). They emphasize that initially a child's soul is inclined to both evil and good. That is why it is extremely important "from the very doors of life" to "take them away from evil" and "lead to … good", to form a "habit … to good." All this is due to the fact that “tender age easily accepts and, like a seal on wax, imprints in the soul what it hears: from that time on, the life of children tends towards good or evil. If, starting from the very doors of life, they take them away from evil and lead them to the right path, then good turns into a dominant property and nature for them, therefore it is not so easy for them to go over to the side of evil when habit itself will lead them to good. This feeling from the first years of life, excited, constantly supported and constantly deepened, becomes that inner core of the soul, which alone can protect it from any vicious and dishonorable deed."

Therefore, from the standpoint of the sensory-emotional structure, the fairy tale is intended to instill in the child at the extrasensory stage the fundamental principles of morality and spiritual ethics of human life. It is precisely that basic spirit-building "technology" that will "divert" the primary attitudes of the soul from evil and "lead" it to good, and as a whole will form the "inner core of the soul", which will be the guarantor of the protection of the younger generations from "any vicious and a dishonorable deed."

The aforementioned allows us to assert that in their sensory and emotional orientation, folk tales represent a universal technology of spiritual "scion" necessary for the constant struggle against evil principles in the lower nature of people, a technology for the active formation of a child's moral attitudes at a subconscious level, a technology for the formation of his active ethical attitude to the fundamental contradictions of human nature - to good and evil. Consequently, from an emotional-sensory point of view, a fairy tale is the primary ethical system of coordinates with which the child begins to measure his voluntary will, his attitude to the world. It is a universal basic spirit-building mechanism for raising a child and forming his primary morally reasonable structure of a good-natured personality at the main stage of human construction - at the stage of hypersensitivity.

This understanding of the tale allows you to answer many of the secrets of its traditional structure. For example, why does its action often revolve around initially weak, defenseless, good-natured, trusting and even naively stupid people (animals)? Or thanks to what forces do these initially defenseless, weak, good-natured creatures, in the end, become strong and wise heroes - victors of evil? Or why, for example, in Russia, Ivanushka was initially a fool, and Vasilisa, as a rule, is wise, etc.

The fact that fears have been reduced in children (especially boys) even under the influence of "terrible" fairy tales suggests the following. A fairy tale is the greatest "liberator" of the excited energy of the imagination, its great transformer from the world of uncertainties (fears) into the world of an imaginary definite image, action, deed, that is, into the world of strength of mind. That is why a person raised in conditions of a deficit of systematic listening to folk tales in early childhood has a different emotional structure of values, a different "psychoconstruction" at the sensory-subconscious level. More often these are psycho-complexes of insecurity and fears. Verbally (mentally), children and adolescents seem to correctly assess where is good and where is evil. However, at the first tests-temptations, the true attitudes of the non-transformed (instinctive) subconscious will prevail over our intellectual logic. Which, in general, is happening.

In these conditions, the rapid return of genuine folk tales to the family, preschool institutions, the organization of a special “fairytale” TV channel not perverted by instincts for children is our chance that we will still be able to save the “well-oriented” part of the new generations of the people.

As for the TV stories from "Piggy", "Karkush" and "Stepash", from the adventures of "Shrek", fighters from blood and sex and the like, all of them are surrogates-substitutes for true fairy tales addressed to the deep spirit-building emotions of a child. The biggest problem in folk tales is that their word-like structure is often incomprehensible to a modern child. How to be in these conditions? Firstly, fairy tales are always a phenomenon not of "black book", but of oral folk art. From this point of view, to print a fairy tale is in many ways to kill it. Kill in terms of creative improvisational fairy tale writing. Secondly, a fairy tale is always based on manifestations of evil characteristic of a particular historical period. Under these conditions, mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers can and should become “creators” of folk tales.

Teachers of preschool institutions can and should become special storytellers and composers of "folk" fairy tales. For this purpose, we conduct special seminars for preschool educational institutions. For example, we ask them the following "modern" algorithms of evil, on the basis of which they themselves (often with children) begin to compose a fairy tale. “It was getting dark and cold in the forest. A forgotten child lay and cried under a bush … ". Or such an algorithm. “Once upon a time there were two girls. One saw the meaning of life in the constant accumulation of expensive toys, and the second - aspired to realize her purpose in this world …”It is proposed to continue the story about the adventures of these girls who found themselves among unknown people, etc.

Children accept A. S.'s fairy tales well. Pushkin, many folk tales from the collection of A. N. Afanasyev. As they say, there would be understanding and love for children. Or rather, there would be an absolute preference for the values of the child over all the other benefits of adult life.