Tell me a story...

[tomatoangel]

So whilst at the gym, I figured out how to synthesize all of this bullshit that I've been sorting through on Fairy Tales/Fantasy/Myth and its appeal vs. the strange opposition that it's been getting from both conservative right wingers and lefty's who think that fantasy is unrealistic and unimportant in an age where there are so many real problems

Comments

[metonymy]

Trees. Big honkin' phallic symbols. Throw in some amaryllis and calla lilies while you're at it! And it sounds like you're also harking back to the portrayal of the Wolf in Into the Woods, which is fun. I think you're on the right track with the idea of metaphor as teaching aid for kids, and how that can help children develop a moral compass as an adult. (Though then you can examine whether Jack the Giant-Killer and Sleeping Beauty the passive raped object are really good role models... anyway.)

Amazon searches for "freud" and "fairy tales" bring up Marie-Luise von Franz, who has a wide range of books of scholarly explorations of fairy tales. A similarly themed author is Jack David Zipes, with a bunch of books that also look at children's literature as a wider genre rather than just fairy tales. This book wins for best title, I think: The Witch Must Die.

I really look forward to hearing more from you as you work through this project. And of course to the finished works. :D

[tomatoangel]

I am looking into those books. You look so serious in that photo. Very scholarly. Yeah I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to do all of this without making it too "Into the Woods."

Just trying to give it a fresh take. I think, in the end, it;'s all going to be more about the collective subconcious and the way that these stories (and images) have of leaping oceans and time (without sounding too cliched).

[metonymy]

I have no idea if those books are any good or not - psychoanalysis and any literature post-330 A.D. is definitely out of my specialty - but I hope they can help you. :D And I think you'll be fine as far as the Into-the-Woods-iness of it; you have some stuff in common with them, but there's certainly a wide difference as well. Plus, medium helps.

And yes, that is my scholarly icon. As opposed to this, which is my learning-slut icon. XD

[mixiecrystals]

are you saying that the ego in this case is similar to the fairy tale in that it regulates fantasy (id) by giving it a useful lesson (superego?). i want to add to this but i want to be a little bit more clear before i go off on an unrelated tangent

[tomatoangel]

This actually all started because I read a bunch of Bruno Bettelheim's stuff. That's some awesome analysis there.

I agree about the Jung thing. There's gotta be a reason why everything takes place in a forest and dark is always dangerous. I'll post more when I can think clearly. :)