Both of these essay center around discovery. However, what each author deems important to discover is very different. While Bettleheim is attempting to discover and explain the importance of fairy tales on a child's developmental process, Darnton is trying to discover where the fairy tales have their origins and whether it is possible for fairy tales to reveal the peasant past in a reliable way. I found Darnton's argument more educated and well supported. Darnton's argument concerned the anthropological approach to discovering the past of people that are, for the most part, unknown- the peasants of the Enlightenment era. Darnton spends most of his essay speaking about how many of the French fairy tales were gruesome, dirty, and brutal world. He employs the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" to show that fairy tales are historical documents, however they are not static. Fairy tales are ever changing based on who is telling the story and from their opinions and experiences. It seems to me that Darnton's arguments are more factually supported and scientific. Darnton researches the fairy tale and traces its origins to find its original meaning. He uses evidence to support his argument- something that Bettleheim does not do.
In contrast to Darnton's historical and anthropological approach, Bettleheim takes a psychoanalytical approach. He uses Freudian methods, such as the id, ego and superego to analyze stories and fairy tales. Bettleheim asserts that fairy tales are necessary to discover the deeper meaning of what is important for the child in their specific stage of development. In addition, Bettleheim believes that the censored fairy tales are robbing the children of an outlet to express their unconscious fears and anxieties. I find Bettleheim's argument incomplete and unsupported. The author has not researched the psychological effects of fairy tales on children. Therefore, I do not believe his argument is sound. He also makes many assumptions about children that are not valid. First, Bettleheim assumes that all children develop into an adult identically. Second, he asserts that he understands the types of "inner turmoil" that every child experiences is the same. Lastly, I am not convinced that Bettleheim has studied the effects of fairy tales on "undisturbed" childern to make his various statements.
Why does Bettleheim believe that young kids should be exposed to every possible fear in existence? Whats the matter with parents trying to protect their kids from the harsh realities of the world when they are young and naive? Why cant kids be exposed to the evils of the world bit by bit as they mature?
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Katie,
ReplyDeleteHow would you suggest Bettleheim research the psychological effects of fairy tales on children? To do so, he would have to have a control group made up of children who had never been exposed to a single fairy tale, which seems to me to be impossible. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with a good ol' theory.
I agree that Bettleheim is a little heavy on the subconscious desires of children but I also think there is something bad about parents sheltering their children too much. It leads to a lack of understanding the world around them. You cannot shelter your children forever and imagine their shock the first time someone close to them is killed or mugged or beat up. I think you make Bettleheim's best point for him when you say, "Why can't kid be exposed to the evils of the world bit by bit as they mature?" Bettleheim sees fairy tales as a way to ready children for what the nightly news shows everyday. By taking place in a land that obviously isn't our own yet is strikingly similar, children can relate what they read in fairy tales to what's happening around them. There's a rampaging giant eating up all the villagers. There's a earthquake killing thousands upon thousands in Haiti. If you had never heard of any examples of extreme tragedy, you would be able to mentally understand what happened in Haiti recently, and if you did somehow understand it, the shock would do some serious damage to your mental health.
-Matt