Fairy tales have been around for many thousands of years.
The more popular stories have been reincarnated time and time again in various
forms, all across the globe. Most of us know them, or at least a version of them,
by heart. So why is that they still fascinate and delight us?
The stories, though not originally intended for children,
have come to be known as children’s fare. Why, then, does the mere mention of
Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty incite such passion in grown women? Certainly
Disney’s versions of the tales have played a role in this in recent years. But
so many other memories of childhood have fallen by the wayside and elicit no
more emotion than a memory of something that happened last week. So why is it
that fairy tales endure?
My personal theory is that they give us hope. In fairy
tales, there is almost always a happy ending. The antagonist is defeated or
turned to good. The prince is brave and heroic. The kingdom lives on and the
damsel in distress is saved. We all wish, at one time in our lives, that we
could find the magical healing flower or save the kingdom from ruin.
Fairy tales teach us that no matter how bleak the world may
seem there is always hope for the future. It’s possible for the third son of a
miller to become the hero and marry the princess. The wicked witch can be
vanquished. The spoiled prince can learn the error of his ways.
We connect with the protagonists. We relate their struggles
to our own and their triumphs to our hope for the future. When life becomes
overwhelming, we turn to fairy tales for comfort and guidance. They provide a
form of escapism which is rarely found anywhere else. They teach us the
difference between good and evil and give us the courage to fight for what is
right.
I think you're right about the reason that fairy tales resonate with us...they give us hope and make us feel as if anything is possible!
ReplyDeleteOh Dani, you don't count as a grown woman!! :)
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I think this happens to some of us because we don't want to face reality. I've struggled in my life because I forced myself to face reality too soon, and fairy tales help others escape that. It was sports for me, but those are much less predictable.
I think the post is good!
ReplyDeleteI would say they offer a way of deal with reality more than escaping it. (I guess technically that could be called "escapism" as well...) I'm just thinking about the psychological stuff I read last year trying to answer the same question. That fairy tales are very human things that deal with human issues and that unconsciously identifying with a story or characters in them can help you overcome obstacles in life, even if they are subconscious.
And because I'm a dork, other people say things better than me, I find this fascinating, and I like bouncing thoughts off of people:
-"What keeps [fairy tales] alive and pulsing with vitality and variety is exactly what keeps life pulsing: anxieties, fears, desires, romance, passion, and love” Maria Tatar
-The monsters in fairy tales can represent “the monster [a child] knows best and is most concerned with: the monster he feels or fears himself to be” Bruno Bettelheim, on why "cleaning up the monsters is a bad idea (he was also kinda crazy, but other people agree with this general idea.)
-fairy tales deal with “our deepest desires as well as our most profound anxieties.” Tatar
Sorry for writing such a long message... Especially since these are mostly just different ways to say what you said... And I'm sorry I feel the need to write comments on everything you write. I'm just in love with the topic.
<3 Keep up the good writing!