drama and education

[Adam Blatner]

Here is a little paragraph quote from Solomon Schimmel I thought you would like ... , from his book The Seven Deadly Sins: Jewish, Christian, and Classical Reflections on Human Psychology:

"We have seen that many discussions of sin and vice in classical and religious literature are aesthetic gems which make fascinating reading. Many great thinkers such as Seneca, Jeremy Taylor, Francis de Sales, and Moshe Haim Luzzato were also brilliant stylists. They merged content and form to create powerful works that can be read repeatedly with profit and delight. Besides relying on their own literary skills, they draw from biography and history, myth and legend, anecdote and life experience, poetry and drama to illustrate their themes, prod us to examine our consciences, correct our moral defects, and inspire us to strive higher. If contemporary therapists made greater use in treatment of the powerful appeal of art and imagination, they would probably have greater and more lasting impact. Perhaps the tantrums of the angry, the stinginess of the miser, the maliciousness of the envious, and the voraciousness of the glutton would decrease, if they periodically read literature or watched films in which the ludicrousness and self-destructive nature of their sins were portrayed. Therapists should at least test the hypothesis that the aesthetic-dramatic power of treatment programs can improve their chances of success." (p. 243) 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/list_grouptalkweb.org/attachments/20060809/9425ee4b/attachment.html