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Author
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Comment
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RymRytr1
Registered User
(9/23/03 1:31 pm)
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Re: ...No
Jess and Wrightales covered most of my answer, but
I would like to add (as someone who has been alive
60 of the last 70 years ) Economics.
Seventy years ago, books were not all that common
for the common "man". A penny could buy a goodly
portion of a meal, in 1930. In 1950, Dick and Jane
books were available for 20 25 cents and that was
still a lot of money.
But, people had the time and desire to sit and read.
Radio began to steal most of this time. Then TV!
By the 70's, printing costs were way down, speaking
of volume, and competition brought the cost of
a cheap (meaning "not well made") books further
along to the access of the lower class income.
When the purchase of a book meant a major portion
of your income, one chose with care. And that
book was well used. Now, we can buy books, give
them to 2 yr olds who can't read, and they chew,
tear, color and disdain them.
If you want your children to have a knowledge of
one thing or another, you need to spend time with
them. Teach them to see value in what they see
that "you" see value in!
The past 70 years isn't all that long, in the overall
scheme of the printing press and economics. When
one could not afford a book; when only the bible
and scientific texts were being printed; when all
books were copied by hand and only the well-to-do
could afford them, verbal "books" were the time
fillers around the "fire". There was no TV or Electronic
Games to baby sit for you!
End of Rant
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De
Bezoeker
Registered User
(9/24/03 8:09 pm)
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The decline of fairy-tales.
The thesis posed at the start of this discussion reminded me of
Erich Fromm's work The Forgotten Language, a book in where
this decline is asserted. Although The Forgotten Language
is a bit dated, (1951) and since we have known a 'revival' in fantasy/myth/fairy
tales through J.K. Rowling and Tolkien, I do not think it makes
this thesis any less relevant.
First let's see what this 'revival' would have been made of.. As I see it recent works in this field are merely reminiscent of this 'forgotten language' instead of devising a new one. (if it reflects anything at all) What I mean to say: instead of opening up a whole new world of idea's and posibilities 'modern tales' are mostly restricted to cataloguing the idea's and/or posibilities devised in a distant past. (a bit like our brothers Grimm did)
Oversees, in the more romantic Anglosaxion cultures fantasy literature has been more succesful to the wider public when compared to the very 'down to earth' culture that I've largely grown up in ofcourse, but like the amount readers decline globally (in the western hemisphere at least) I also believe there are fewer fantasts. (come to think of it: reading and fantasising are closely linked)
These developements I see a parallel to the increasing materialisation of the western world, in where, like someone mentioned before, we are less required to do anything but to leave it to the experts. (who are also in decline)
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artsfan
Unregistered User
(9/30/03 5:33 pm)
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Have ft gone out of fashion.....
My reply to this question is absolutely not. There is not one day that goes by that there is not references to fairy tales. You see it in your covergirl commercial with Cinderella's outlast lip color, you see it in your st ives hand lotion commercials with a mix of Snow White and Goldilocks. I think in today's society, the fairy tales are growing with the times yet are still keeping their original message. I think we all at one point or another feel the need to escape reality so fairy tales offer a sort of outlet, especially in advertising. Companies probably feel that we all identify with fairy tales and so they base their campaigns around these tales, maybe they feel that we identify with them so we will identify with the product that they are selling. There are many nice editions of fairy tales that have been released in the past few years and more are to come. Christian Birmingham begins work on his edition of Sleeping Beauty and I must say that his work is very impressive and fresh. Scott Gustafson is another who is keeping fairy tales alive for a newer generation. While fairy tales may not be what all little children go for, they definetly hold a place in the history as well as the future.
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