This question is indeed a difficult one to deal with, because it can be interpreted in different ways. Darton's essay is interesting, because it enables readers to consider things about fairy tales that go beyond the simple story. His essay is well written, and is enhanced by numerous sources that he deals with. He focuses mainly on the historical development of fairy tales, which may be well and good for anthropologists, psychoanalysts, and general trivia enthusiasts, but at the end of the day what child reading these stories would really care about such matters. Remember, children are the target audience for fairy tales. In my opinion, this question is not asking how what adults can get out of studying fairy tales, but what can children take from them.
Bettelheim deals directly with the issue of viewing fairy tales as more than simply an entertainment source for children. He argues that the fairy tale enables readers to learn appropriate moral behaviors. The most striking point Bettelheim makes is his assertion that modern day stories for children tend to shy away from altercations and are "shallow," yet fairy tales show that struggles in life are unavoidable and that they must be dealt with. So, for Bettelheim, the fairy tale is a way for children to learn important life lessons. Although his argument is the most applicable, his essay would have been enhanced even more by bringing in more sources to back up his viewpoints. So for me, Bettleheim's argument is the most applicable for the question, and was the most influential in helping me understand how fairy tales are more than just entertainment for children.
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I agree with your thoughts on Darnton's essay; it is well-written and I found the historical aspect to be interesting. But you're right, he doesn't seem to capture the idea that in the end, fairy tales are meant to instruct children. Bettelheim, on the other hand, seems to directly handle our subject at hand.
ReplyDeleteTim, you say that "children are the target audience for fairy tales". It is true that children make up the primary audience for fairy tales today, but I would disagree that they are the "target" audience, since as Darnton discusses, Fairy Tales were created very long ago. I think what the question is, is not "who is the audience", but rather "why?". Fairy Tales are technically historical pieces, yet they are accepted as children stories. I think we are going to discuss why this is in this course, I am looking forward to it!
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