Fairy Tales: Red Riding Hood

This cartoon represent a realists idea of what other wolves and people might think of the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  In this picture we can clearly see a normal wolf, however standing and talking, remarking on the wolf from Little Red Riding hood.  He is remarking on the odd way that the other wolf is dressed.  In our world, as opposed to the fairy tale world, he would be considered "gay" or gender confused.  Another modern example of this, is in Shrek, the wolf is referred to as a "gendered confused wolf".  However, the wolf in the above cartoon says that the original saying "wolf in sheep's clothing" is still acceptable in our world from the fairy tale world but the red riding hood wolf doesn't make sense.  So basically, the wolf is questioning the purpose of having a gender confused wolf in this fairy tale.  What possible lesson could it stand for, for our children?  This is  a social comic based on the question of morality in this fairy tale.  I enjoy this cartoon for the constant confusion of the importance of this story, especially to the extreme of a wolf disguising himself as a grandmother, solely by just putting on an old woman's clothing.  However according to some psychoanalysis data that there was some importance of how the wolf has some pregnant envy, how he wish he could have a child, or be pregnant.  There are still many who question the importance of the fairy tale.
http://www.cartoonstock.com/cartoonview.asp?start=4&search=main&catref=ksmn1516&MA_Artist=&MA_Category=&ANDkeyword=little+red+riding+hood&ORkeyword=&TITLEkeyword=&NEGATIVEkeyword=
by Kes

Fairy Tales: "Fairy tales and Psychology"

The relationship between fairy tales and psychology has many connections by consciousness, psychosexual stages of development, and defensive mechanisms.  Carl Jung also came up with idea of the collective unconscious and many archetypes that appear in fairy tales.  The collective unconscious is proposed to be an experience or memory that all of us share, for example we all have the experience of being embarrassed once in our lives and it is something that lives in our unconscious.  It might be believed that fairy tales are related to our dreams and that might be how they were written and why the relate to all of us in way or another.

The father of psychoanalysis Freud and Jung both studied fairy tales to better understand the human mind.  For example, a lot of fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel represent the transformation from the oral psychosexual stage to a higher stage of development.  The oral stage representing the time whe children are very dependent on their parents for food and care.  The go through the experience of being pushed out into the world.  This is also a good tale to represent Freud's theories on how the relate to the "id" the pleasure principle of our brain.  The "id" is best represented in small children because all they do is think of what they want, for example, food, toys, and attention.  In this tale they are forced to act on their "ego" which is their reality principle, which means they have to be acting upon their thoughts.  Hansel did this in the first part of the story by realizing he would have to find the way home and left pebbles to find his way back.  Gretel used her ego at the end of the story to get them out of trouble.
Their are also archetypes that represent something in all the stories they appear in.  For example, their is the primeval forest which appears a lot in fairy tales represents the unconscious.
Some psychologists use fairy tales in psychotherapy.  Adults have favorite fairy tales as well, and can enjoy them as much as children.  A favorite story can represent a reason why they like hearing the story. A specific character can represent someone in their life.  They can also see themselves as the enemy which must be defeated.  Because of what and who characters represent in our lives on the psychoanalysis front, it is easy to find a source of pain or a hidden secret within the fairy tales a person enjoys or dislikes.
I enjoyed Dr. Mazeroff's  lecture, and learned where to connect the dots in fairy tales. I also saw a lot of connections in the defense mechanism developed in the mind, in some fairy tales.  Also how he related the archetypes to those seen in the modern fairy tales like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.  Also how some of the archetypes represent the unconscious or our darker side.  There is also the same type of family romance in fairy tales but explained in a simpler way.  Everything in a fairy tale is explained simpler than in real life which is why it is so easy to get inside someone's  through their fairy tales.  Fairy tales are a simpler version of how our lives should be with the small exaggeration of marrying a prince and being very wealthy, sometimes all we can hope for is to succeed as far as we can.  That is what fairy tales give us hope, through the fairy tales that are mentally right and great in preparing us for the future.
Fractured Fairy Tales: Hansel and Gretel

Fairy Tales: A Definition

Are fairy tales just stories to tell children?  To keep them preoccupied and fall asleep? Fairy tales are much more than they seem.  There is a great difference between the modern fiction stories now and fairy tales.  Fairy tales are very old and have been verbally passed down in time.  These fairy tales are not just stories but an art.  You might assume legends would be a like a fairy tale but they aren't.  The characters in a fairy tale are very simple, and unlike a regular human they are very simply good or evil, there is no middle.  Also, all the creatures that appear in a fairy tale are normally in the fairy tale world.  Like in a legend, if some creature appeared many people would fear it or be in awe of it but in a fairy tale creatures are normal.  Legends take place in our world, while fairy tales take place in their own little world.  In fairy tales, while the characters are simple they also have little emotion if any.  Characters also barely have any background, these stories just happen at a certain time and its a specific event that is really the fairy tale.  These fairy tales influence children, and help them develop themselves.  Young children are very fragile and can easily be influenced however with the simplicity of fairy tales, they prove to point them in the right direction.  The child finds it easy to identify with the hero, and through the fairy tales conquers his fears.  This is why children sometimes have a favorite story because they are dealing with the same things in the story and feel strength from the hero in the story going through the same things.

 This is another thing that defines a fairy tale, the hero must go on a quest and through many obstacles to receive his reward and/or happy ending.  This is something the child can relate to, but it also teaches them that without confronting their fears or getting away from home that there is no chance of reaching that happy ending.  Fairy tales, are so much more then just silly little stories, they represent a deep influence on children that helps to shape their personality and outlook on life.

Fairy tales: The Beginning Blog

I chose this class on fairy tales because it made me curious about what more I could learn about fairy tales.  I mean, if they are the gates into another world, I was curious to see how they had become that way and what the world was all about.  I enjoy fairy tales for the number one reason: the create a life I have never lived, but could know.
In this class on fairy tales, I am hoping to find a deeper meaning to the fairy tales, fully analyze them and appreciate them for how they were created and for their purpose.
My favorite fairy tale would have to be Beauty and the Beast.  I enjoy thoroughly the disney story of Beauty and the Beast.  I enjoy the part where Belle gets lost in the woods, and finds herself in an enchanted castle owned by the mysterious beast.  I love how she despises him at first but then learns to see past it and gather courage in front of the beast and asserts herself into a more important role in the castle.  The love between them is truly fairy tale, which is why I love the key line in it "...for who could could ever love a beast?" it would seem so unreal, but it happened and it turned out to be the most romantic stories of all time.  He changes for her, and she in turn learns to see past his face. Beauty and the Beast