Jonathan Pageau: A Deep Dive Into Teaching Fairy Tales
About the Guest
Jonathan Pageau is a French Canadian liturgical artist, icon carver, writer, and public speaker. With a YouTube following of 191K, he has become a sought out interpreter of the deep patterns in stories. His podcast entitled The Symbolic World features, in both English and French, Jonathan's interpretations and conversations with other artists, thinkers and culture champions who are interested in restoring a collective respect for and use of these patterns as the very stuff of the cosmos.
The Symbolic World Press is Jonathan Pageau’s new collaborative publishing venture specializing in skillfully bound and well-crafted books you can hold and read with your family and friends. SWP publications recall some of the most important and ancient stories out of the digital space and onto the printed page in masterfully designed books. The books are inspired by classic tales that are re-told in surprising ways that both compel the modern reader and resonate with the ancient traditions of storytelling.
Jonathan's Resources Mentioned Include:
God’s Dog by Jonathan Pageau
Jonathan Pageau is a French Canadian liturgical artist, icon carver, writer, and public speaker. With a YouTube following of 191K, he has become a sought out interpreter of the deep patterns in stories. His podcast entitled The Symbolic World features, in both English and French, Jonathan's interpretations and conversations with other artists, thinkers and culture champions who are interested in restoring a collective respect for and use of these patterns as the very stuff of the cosmos.
The Symbolic World Press is Jonathan Pageau’s new collaborative publishing venture specializing in skillfully bound and well-crafted books you can hold and read with your family and friends. SWP publications recall some of the most important and ancient stories out of the digital space and onto the printed page in masterfully designed books. The books are inspired by classic tales that are re-told in surprising ways that both compel the modern reader and resonate with the ancient traditions of storytelling.
Jonathan's Resources Mentioned Include:
God’s Dog by Jonathan Pageau
https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/
Show Notes
I invited Jonathan Pageau back on my show to revisit fairy tales and go deeper than I did with my first interview (Season 3, Episode 14). I also wanted to expand a bit on his presentation for The Great Hearts Conference on how fairy tales reflect "The Music of the Spheres." I also wanted to dive a bit more into how to teach fairy tales to students. Some of the key points we covered include:
- Fairy Tales and “ Music of the Spheres” (His original presentation at The Great Hearts Conference is on YouTube)
- Patterns forming experiences and behavior
- Narration: Retelling stories
- Developing an imagination
- Relationships, Analogies, & Faith
- Celebrate fairy tales with tea time
- Attention , Memory, Transmission
- Teaching Fairy Tales to High School Students
- Noticing symbolism in Fairy Tales and Bible Stories
Authors and Books Mentioned
Jonathan Pageau
Snow White
J. R. Tolkien essay "On Fairy Stories" (Free in the public domain)
Martin Heidegger
Charlotte Mason
Albert Einstein
Brothers Grimm
"The Fantastic Imagination" essay by George MacDonald (the last chapter in A Dish of Orts in the public domain)
Walking on Water Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle
Until We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Until We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
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This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
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Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve
This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast: ★ Support this podcast ★ _________________________________________________________
Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve
