To_What_Extent_Do_Fairytales_Resist_Such_a_Simple_Either_or_Reading._Make_Close_Reference_to_Two_Fairy_Tales_Studied_on_the_Course.

To what extent do fairytales resist such a simple either/or reading. Make close reference to TWO fairy tales studied on the course. Despite the unquestionable prevalence of fairy tales embedded in modern culture to this day, credit is not due to one man in particular but should be recognised as a combined effort with each fairy tale possessing many versions. However, no matter the worldly or historical context, moral and cultural importance can always be obtained from the basis of the tale. Thus, this essay will discuss the credence of fairy tales in how they cater to such a widespread significance when understanding their secreted complexities. Bruno Bettelheim argues that knowledge cannot be acquired as an immediate occurrence as cited in the ancient myth of Zeus, when wisdom comes so forth like an arbitrary revelation. Bettelheim states that intellect is built up gradually from the most obscure beginnings. In context of this discussion, fairy tales are a considerable factor when recognising the gradual levitation of one’s intellect. Fairy tales can be recognised as a considerable factor in a child’s development with the unconscious employment of fairy tale concepts. In the Perrault version of Little Red Riding Hood, he finishes with a moral in rhyming verse, in which the wolf is employed as a representation for the male sex, depicting men as predators towards young girls. Although this is a generalisation, it is an example of how fairy tales edify children to comprehend resolution of potential arising problems that may occur during their development. Fairy tales also aid a child’s progress, as they allow the child a new scope of imagination on which he can expand and develop further. For instance, the fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs highlights a definitive distinction between good and evil and the conflict between the two. However, this does not mean there is only one interpretation of the tale and allows for different manipulations of the text and elaborations. Thus, it helps children to tackle the most basic of human issues directly. Human kind bases observation and awareness on innate understanding of specific structures. Archetypes in fairy tales are used as a foundation for more complex communication of the underlying meaning. In fairy tales the structures are often archetypal in the sense they coincide with other narratives. Steven Swann Jones identifies the use of binary oppositions cited in the Aarne-Thompson index in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The binary oppositions helps delineate the main features of the tale. By doing so, versions of the tale world over employ the same structure despite the varied content and thus allows the reader to reflect on the more developed themes. With a recognisable structure, underlying themes and convolution can be communicated more thoroughly. Freud studies the concept that fairy tales display intrinsic psychological archetypes. Bettelheim states; “Freud’s prescription is that only by struggling courageously against what seem like overwhelming odds can we succeed in wringing meaning out of his existence”. (Tatar, The Classic Fairy Tales, p.272) This is the message that fairy tales provide us with; that problems in life are an inherent part of our existence and cannot be averted. In Little Red Riding Hood, with the potent message that young girls must restrain their sexual desires in order to avoid being consumed by their own sexuality, it can be recognised that the tale does not evade the topic of corruption: “While it may be true that peasant cultures figured the wolf as a savage predator, folk raconteurs had probably already gleefully taken advantage of the metaphorical possibilities of Little Red Riding Hood’s encounter with the wolf and also exploited the full rage and play of the tale’s potential for sexual innuendo”. (Tatar, The Classic Fairy Tales, p.5) b This supports Freud’s theory that difficulties cannot be avoided and instead must be embraced as a learning experience. This is very much true of fairy tales as they can be psychoanalysed with an underlying moral importance. Having discussed both structuralist and psychoanalytic conception, a greater grasp can be attained of the magnitude in which fairy tales have imposed on our every day being. Therefore, it is important to note the historical and cultural element of fairy tale conduction. Although it can be discerned that these elements are more fitting of anthropological study than that of literature, it is an important facet when understanding the substance of the fairy tale and its impact. Richard Dawkin’s conception of meme is a cultural adaptor, of which becomes so germane to the mind that it is passed from one human to another and so on. Zipes considers this notion to be a transmission that is reflective of our behaviour both genetically and culturally within a historical context. Fairy tales are often considered a manifestation of the social regulation in a specific historical period and are representative of societies values. For instance, in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Steven Jones considers, “the most plausible explanation for the form that the overall plot structure of ‘Snow White’ assumes […] is that it is a reflection of a young woman’s development”. (Tatar, The Classic Fairy Tales, p.74) He states that the child should have a positive view of their mother in order to flourish, despite the unconcealed differences that will arise between any human an another as their thoughts start to expand and mature. He recognises that the wicked stepmother of fairy tales, “permits anger at this bad ‘stepmother’ without endangering the goodwill of the true mother, who is viewed as a different person”. (Tatar, The Classic Fairy Tales, p.75) Therefore we can determine that in defining the predominance of the relationship between a mother and a daughter, this cultural code is evocative of societies ideals times old and new. To conclude, having drawn an analysis of the three main archetypal approaches and discussed how fairy tales can be argued as a foundation for maturing intellect, it is fair to say that fairy tales are not merely a one-dimensional child’s read but tales that can be appreciated by children and adults alike. Of course, the two audiences absorb the tales in a different sense but it seems unarguably in both cases fairy tales can be considered imperative to our cultivation of knowledge and the way in which we perceive day-to-day society. Bibliography Bettelheim Bruno, The Uses of Enchantment, Penguin, 1997 Zipes Jack, Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion, Penguin 2006 Tatar Maria ed., The Classic Fairytales, Norton Critical Edition, 1999