Darnton vs. Bettelheim

Bettelheim takes his approach from a solemn psychoanalysis perspective and deals with one specific story and version, while disregarding the countless other versions of the same narrative and manufactures a "scientific" analysis based upon the story. Bettelheim tends to treat these stories as if they are immutable, and the version he deals with is the only article that holds meaning and will reveal the answer to understanding the unconscious. Darnton pulls this theory apart arguing Bettelheim's lack of realization of possible changes to these narratives due to time and place which leave his theories dated and essentially, false. Darnton's theory has a wider range of application as he uses these tales as a window into lower class life at the time these stories were published. The cultural history of past civilizations is what is to be discovered, not the troubled psyche of children today. I believe that Darnton's theory is more applicable as we should use history to learn about the past so that we can learn from it. There is no real way of proving the intention of these narratives, or where they truly originated from. This leaves a hole in Bettelheim's search for scientific proof since many of these tales began through oral tradition. It is interesting to think about Bettelheim's point of you and how we can effectively use these stories to teach morality in today's society, however diagnosing the purpose of each story and why it was written is stretching beyond normal reach. Darnton's theory can collaborate at with Bettelheim's as we examine the tales and learn about the culture at the time, we become aware of similar human struggles despite the time period and learn how to effectively emulate the morals and values within each tale. Thereby learning from history and connecting with those in our past, both theories collaborate and form an excellent approach to studying fairy tales.