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Author
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Comment
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TsunamiShij0
Registered User
(3/29/02 11:52:36 am)
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Questions and Advice
I am currently writing a 6 page paper in my English class on the effects of fairy tales on children. I took the position that peeked to me through Bettleheim's Uses of Enchantment. My position: Fairy Tales are needed for children to develop their unconscious. While in some fairy tales there can be values and traits seen that could affect children in their everyday life, I think that Bettleheim was write in saying that fairy tales matures a child's psyche and unconscious. Criticism, direction, and advice would be much appreciated.
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Jess
Unregistered User
(3/29/02 7:13:27 pm)
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Questions and Advice
Have you already read the thread below "Should Children Read Fairy Tales?"? It refers to some books that you might find helpful.
Jess
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catja1
Registered User
(3/30/02 9:34:08 pm)
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Bettelheim
Hm. Interesting. You should probably be aware, though, that both folklorists and psychologists despise Bettelheim: the former for his complete lack of understanding about the nature of fairy tales, and the latter for his questionable, reductive and dogmatic pseudo-neo-Freudianism. Well, what's actually his, anyaway -- Bettelheim plagiarized huge chunks from Julius Heuscher's _A Psychiatric Study of Myths and Fairy Tales_. This may be why Bettelheim keeps contradicting himself -- he can't really reconcile all the different sources that he cannibalized from. _The Uses of Enchantment_ is, in my opinion, the worst book on fairy tales out there. Because it's so awful, many folklorists dismiss psychoanalytic criticism out of hand -- there's a strong distrust of any system that seems to go in and say, "I, the educated academic, will go in and explain your primitive tales to you, you unwashed naive heathens," and psychoanalysis has this attitude in spades.
If you're interested in psychoanalysis and fairy tales, you are far better off reading Alan Dundes, who, incidentally, blew the whistle on Bettelheim's plagiarism. He is a renowned folklorist, ands says "We need to rescue psychoanalytic criticism of fairy tales from the psychoanalysts." Try _Essays from a Freudian Folklorist_, or his study of "The Maiden Without Hands" in _Folklore Matters_. Granted, he still swallows whole some questionable Freudian doctrines (such as violence in tales reflects a child's projection of her own hostility onto her parents, so "I hate Mommy" becomes "Mommy hates me" -- a convenient strategy for erasing adult wrongdoing and betraying the child, as Alice Miller has effectively shown). Also, Marie-Louise von Franz for solid Jungian criticism. And, yes, I know it's silly populist pulp, but Clarissa Pinkola Estes' _Women Who Run With the Wolves_ has some interesting, and indeed empowering insights.
Actually, for justifying the reading of fairy tales to children, the best book is Jane Yolen's _Touch Magic_. No reliance on half-baked readings of Freud here, just solid common sense, a vast knowledge of the field, and a deep respect for the wonder and magic of the stories themselves.
Catja
P.S. For the poop on Bettelheim, check out Richard Pollak's _The Creation of Dr. B._
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Jane Yolen
Unregistered User
(3/31/02 5:29:44 am)
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Be Ware
I'd like to add to that wonderful compressed review of some of the basic literature (and thanks for the plug!) that it is always dangerous to say "All fairy tales/folk tales are. . ." which too many books (like Bettleheim) seem to do.
Folklore is protean. It speaks to us in many tongues--some psychologial, some historical, some insightful, some healing, some provocative and some just for fun. Of couse in a short paper, one is necessarily reductive. But don't be totally persuaded by any one book.
Jane
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Terri
Registered User
(3/31/02 8:25:50 am)
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Re: Be Ware
For a psychoanalytic approach to fairy tales, I found The Witch Must Die: How Fairy Tales Shape Our Lives by Sheldon Cashdan to be useful and informative -- as well as less dated, and problematic, than Bettleheim. Anyone else here have an opinion on this one?
And I second the recommendation of Jane's "Touch Magic" as the best book out there on the value of faiiry tales for children (and adults as well).
Edited by: Terri at: 3/31/02 8:28:30 am
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(3/31/02 11:11:30 am)
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Mt too
I read the Cashdan (and liked it a lot) in galleys and gave it a blurb.
Jane
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Kate
Unregistered User
(3/31/02 2:55:45 pm)
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Also
Jack Zipes's STICKS AND STONES: The Troublesome Success of Children's Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter.
I just read it and learned a tremendous amount.
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catja1
Registered User
(3/31/02 5:20:51 pm)
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Zipes!
Anything by Jack Zipes is worth reading. You might want to try _Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry_.
Kate, what did you think of his Harry Potter article? I didn't feel it was his best -- it seemed as if he was saying "It's popular, therefore, it's bad," and leaving it at that.
Catja
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TsunamiShij0
Registered User
(3/31/02 5:42:16 pm)
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many thanks
I thank you all for your great responses, I didn't know this about Bettleheim, and never really researched into this side of fairy tales much. Thank you for your great responses and I believe that I have a direction in which I can go now. Once again thanks.
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Don
Registered User
(4/1/02 4:46:41 am)
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Psychological Approaches
Since Zipes and Bettelheim have come up in this thread, it makes sense to note that Zipes's early critique of Bettelheim's work--in Zipes's BREAKING THE MAGIC SPELL--is still useful and on target. On the topic of "psychology and fairy tales," there's what I like to think of as a useful survey in THE OXFORD COMPANION TO FAIRY TALES.
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Terri
Registered User
(4/2/02 7:04:04 am)
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Re: Psychological Approaches
Oh, yes, thanks for reminding us about the excellent survey of "psychology and fairy tales" in Zipes's Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales -- a concise and thorough look at the subject, and a good place for folks new to the subject to start.
And Don's being too modest here to mention that he wrote it.
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Elizabeth
Unregistered User
(4/9/02 12:00:26 pm)
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A book
I know their is one book, I think its called Why We Need Fairytales its a small book, but pretty informative. Can't remember the author offhand.
Liz
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