thoughts

I thought that Bettelheim's article was much easier to understand and believe when compared with Darnton's.  Bettelheim argues that fairytales are not just fun stories, but an integral part of moral and social development in children. Fairytales delve into the conscious and the subconscious to mold a person's beliefs, allowing a child to learn about right and wrong and the consequences of their actions. Although his point is clear and possible, it does not explain the reason for the creation of fairytales (especially since they have become less graphic and unhappy throughout time). Darnton explains that the purpose might have been for mere entertainment and to convey important societal concepts to an older audience. This seems much more plausible, because the change that has occurred over generations would dampen the effects of the stories for children. 

Raconteurs, not Psychoanalysists, Please

I find it hard to believe that fairy tales have come to existence as accumulations of subconscious expressions of the ego and id. Fairy tales serve more than just the purpose to entertain the younger generation with the freedom of fantasy to explore their inner selves; instead, fairy tales represent cultural icons and ageless traditions for children and adults alike. Although Bettelheim has a point in delving into the meanings of the fairy tale and the relevance it holds for society, I find it a mistake to try and label the fairy tale's stereotypes to match Freudian archetypes. Part of the artform of fairy tales is the fluidity of the storyline. To try and make something concrete out of the abstract setting and characters detracts from the purpose of the storyteller's goal of achieving the fantastical. The unrealistic tale is the medium in which storytellers have the freedom to incorporate their own views of creativity.

Although morality is often woven into the story line, the fairy tale does more than just instruct the younger generation. Therefore, I think Darnton's "The Meaning of Mother Goose" was more apt at showing that the fairy tale as more than just entertainment for children. As Darnton mentioned, many fairy tales have been exchanged and altered between ethnicities, and many have been embellished with additional characters and settings as a result of the storyteller employings his own creativity. To try and generalize that every fairy tale has sexual connotations behind each of the general characters is a stretch. In addition, as we mentioned in class, many of the fairy tale's characters are dimensionless. Their inability to change throughout the story is not a good example for young children, as Bettelheim was trying to argue. Instead, their static characteristics were useful for the storyteller in his endeavors to create a fantastic story.

Assignment: 13 January 2009

Please respond to the question below by midnight tonight.

Which of the following essays do you find more productive in helping you to think about fairy tales as more than children's entertainment? Why?

• Robert Darnton's “Peasants Tell Tales: The Meaning of Mother Goose”
• Bruno Bettelheim “The Struggle for Meaning,”

(both in Tatar, The Classic Fairy Tales)