Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales
Bruno Bettelheim was one of the great child psychologists of the twentieth century and perhaps none of his books has been more influential than this revelatory study of fairy tales and their universal importance in understanding childhood development.
Analyzing a wide range of traditional stories, from the tales of Sindbad to “The Three Little Pigs,” “Hansel and Gretel,” an
...morePaperback, 328 pages
Published
January 1st 1977
by Vintage Books
(first published 1975)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Jan 26, 2010
Cleiton
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
para-estudo,
favorites
O livro de Bettelheim, é verdadeiramente um livro surpreendente, ele mostra que os contos de fadas têm tanto sucesso entre as crianças por que representam elas mesmas, em seus incoscientes principalmente.
Mostra que as madrastas más são na verdade suas mães, a parte ruim delas, e que os conflitos edipianos são centro de várias histórias, mostra versões que eu não conhecia, mostra o contexto histórico em que os contos foram criados e em que ajudam as crianças. Por ex. em João e o Pé de Feijão é um...more
Mostra que as madrastas más são na verdade suas mães, a parte ruim delas, e que os conflitos edipianos são centro de várias histórias, mostra versões que eu não conhecia, mostra o contexto histórico em que os contos foram criados e em que ajudam as crianças. Por ex. em João e o Pé de Feijão é um...more
I'm about halfway through and have given up on this. It's as dry as a piece of old toast. I'm sure it was all very revolutionary when it came out, and probably influenced the likes of Marina Warner or Angela Carter and Margaret Atwood with their modern takes on fairy stories, but it all feels very dated and 60's Freudian. There are a lot more recent interesting books on both fairytale analysis and child development out there. 'The Child in the Mirror' and 'They f##k you up' on child development...more
2 likes · like · see review
While reading this book I thought it was about a 3, but Bettelheim ends the book so well that he earned the fourth star.
Bettelheim takes his reader through a remarkable journey, visiting stories you probably already know well, but maybe don't really know at all. From the child psychologist's standpoint, fairy tales are not just stories, but irreplaceable cultural tools that help children learn concepts, consciously and unconsciously, through the use of fantastic symbols. He's too heavy in his us...more
Bettelheim takes his reader through a remarkable journey, visiting stories you probably already know well, but maybe don't really know at all. From the child psychologist's standpoint, fairy tales are not just stories, but irreplaceable cultural tools that help children learn concepts, consciously and unconsciously, through the use of fantastic symbols. He's too heavy in his us...more
I suppose this book was ground-breaking when it was first published, but honestly, I thought it focused way too much on the idea of all children having an oedipal complex and maybe not enough on how the violence and darkness in original fairy tales address something in a child's imagination (which the sugarcoated Disney tales leaving wanting).
I also disliked Bettelheim's analysis of Charles Perrault and his tales in general---to say that they're flippant and mocking is not really fair and it al...more
I also disliked Bettelheim's analysis of Charles Perrault and his tales in general---to say that they're flippant and mocking is not really fair and it al...more
Good in that it gets you interested in the original versions of stories like Cinderella, Snow White, etc. It's nice to see someone think at length about the meaning, import, structure and significance of fairy tales, and there are definitely some good tidbits in here. One of my favorites-- instead of:
"And then they all lived happily ever after."
some stories end with:
"If they have not died, they are still alive."
Haha grim but true, that!
The main problem I had with this book is Bettelheim s psycho...more
"And then they all lived happily ever after."
some stories end with:
"If they have not died, they are still alive."
Haha grim but true, that!
The main problem I had with this book is Bettelheim s psycho...more
2 likes · like · see review
Feb 09, 2011
Amy
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
104-in-2011,
books-i-own
Ugh. This book was a nightmare to read. It was assigned for my Storytelling class, otherwise I would've dropped it after the introduction. Bettelheim is a famous psychologist who worked a lot with children. This book details (and I mean DEATAILS) his view of the importance of fairy tales to children's subconscious. Think Freudian fairy tales. I'm serious. And so is Bettelheim. He's completely serious about his ideas, which come off as far fetched and laughable some times. Much of what he writes...more
This one came highly recommended to me from, I don't know, being alive. But for me, it just doesn't work.
I think it might just be too dated for me: the sort of weird sixties vibe of the book was a little off-putting for me, a vibe that persisted even when, if I'm reading it right, Bettelheim is trying to minimize the seriousness of student protesters complaints.
It's also true that I'm just not that interested in children's literature, which, on the surface at least, seems to be Bettelheim's pri...more
I think it might just be too dated for me: the sort of weird sixties vibe of the book was a little off-putting for me, a vibe that persisted even when, if I'm reading it right, Bettelheim is trying to minimize the seriousness of student protesters complaints.
It's also true that I'm just not that interested in children's literature, which, on the surface at least, seems to be Bettelheim's pri...more
Una obra magnífica, aunque posiblemente solo realmente apta para psicólogos, estudiantes de psicología y aficionados acerrimos a la misma.
Se trata del analisis completo y minucioso del simbolismo de los cuentos de hadas más conocidos y populares del imaginario europeo occidental desde la perspectiva psicoanalítica.
Olvidense de la inocencia suprema de los héroes de los cuentos de su infancia: ellos están obsesionados con la madre y la oralidad, tienen marcadisimos complejos de edipo e incluso su...more
Se trata del analisis completo y minucioso del simbolismo de los cuentos de hadas más conocidos y populares del imaginario europeo occidental desde la perspectiva psicoanalítica.
Olvidense de la inocencia suprema de los héroes de los cuentos de su infancia: ellos están obsesionados con la madre y la oralidad, tienen marcadisimos complejos de edipo e incluso su...more
Great book. Was a revelation when I first read it as a student, but now I'd take issue with some of his ideas. Well maybe that's being a bit grand: I'd like to talk to him about the thinking behind some of his arguments...I could be convinced. Overall:life-changing ideas
2 likes · like · see review
This is a strange little book. I like the first half of it a lot - it discusses the need for fairytales and how they can speak to the inner most fears of a child, helping them to sort through the sort of problems that we never consciously acknowledge. Like a lot of psycologists of that time, it does have a huge preoccupation with sex and by the second half it gets really repetitive. There are some interesting things in here and some that I'm not sure I agree with, but I like the fact that it dis...more
Tive duas "épocas" de leitura desse livro: a primeira, quando achava que psicanálise era algo totalmente aceito e provado como ciência, e a segunda, quando comecei a pesquisar um pouco mais e a duvidar dos tais casos e relatos. Os contos de fadas parecem ser histórias muito boas e, como toda boa história , deixa algum aprendizado para quem a lê ou ouve. A sugestão do autor é que os contos de fadas são as melhores histórias para se contar a uma criança, o que ajudará no seu desenvolvimento. Acred...more
As corny as this may sound.... prepare to be enchanted :).
Very interesting interpretations of classical fairy tales and what it entails about growing up. This book also serves as a case for fairy tales in a child's life. I think adults' main concern nowadays about embracing fairy tales with children, is that they dilute the expectations and hardships of reality. Bettelheim's counter-point is that we ourselves spin versions of our own fairy tales internally. It's how we tell stories of ourselves...more
Very interesting interpretations of classical fairy tales and what it entails about growing up. This book also serves as a case for fairy tales in a child's life. I think adults' main concern nowadays about embracing fairy tales with children, is that they dilute the expectations and hardships of reality. Bettelheim's counter-point is that we ourselves spin versions of our own fairy tales internally. It's how we tell stories of ourselves...more
La plupart des contes analysés sont très connus (Belle au Bois Dormant, Petit Poucet, Peau d'Ane, Hansel et Gretel); d'autres en revanche m'étaient inconnus - j'aurai apprécié pouvoir les lire avant d'en découvrir l'analyse faite par Bettelheim.
J'ai trouvé ces analyses très intéressantes, parfois amusantes et généralement surprenantes. Je ne suis toujours pas complètement convaincue de leur véracité ou du fait qu'elles sont juste nées d'un esprit particulièrement tordu. En même temps, le ton et...more
J'ai trouvé ces analyses très intéressantes, parfois amusantes et généralement surprenantes. Je ne suis toujours pas complètement convaincue de leur véracité ou du fait qu'elles sont juste nées d'un esprit particulièrement tordu. En même temps, le ton et...more
Anyone who needs to be convinced that the protagonist of a children's story should always solve his or her own problems without adult help should read this book. If you can get past the outdated Freudian theory, this book is a fascinating examination of fairy tale motifs and how they help children come to terms with sibling rivalry, fear of abandonment, and other anxieties children face on the road to maturity. Bettelheim compares various versions of familiar tales and discusses theme at length....more
Sep 08, 2010
Karin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people intersted in what they should have learned from fairy tales... and perhaps didn't :P
Shelves:
non-fiction,
myths-legends-fairy-tales
I picked up this book because i wanted to know why (if) fairy tales were still valuable stories to read to my young daughter- especially the lesser-known ones. i had read Brothers Grimm when i was a child or early teen so i knew most of the tales Bettleheim discussed. I could see the cultural value of, say, Snow White or Beauty and the Beast as well as their moral value (ie: don't be overly naive or look beyond the outside to someone's heart) but what about the other ones? Were they important to...more
Esta é uma obra resultante de uma extensa investigação e que analisa com profundidade os contos de fadas e o seu significado, a partir da vertente psicanalítica.
As explicações e análises detalhadas mostram a importância que os contos de fadas assumem para a criança; ao invés de serem prejudiciais por serem demasiado fantasiosos, eles promovem o desenvolvimento da criança, estimulando-a e ajudando-a a libertar as suas emoções.
A escrita de Bruno Bettelheim acaba por não ser tão acessível para quem...more
As explicações e análises detalhadas mostram a importância que os contos de fadas assumem para a criança; ao invés de serem prejudiciais por serem demasiado fantasiosos, eles promovem o desenvolvimento da criança, estimulando-a e ajudando-a a libertar as suas emoções.
A escrita de Bruno Bettelheim acaba por não ser tão acessível para quem...more
2 likes · like · see review
It's an interesting, albeit long, look at child psychology through literature - or was that literature through child psychology. Bettelheim was a dyed-in-the-wool Freudian, so there's a lot of supposed sexual symbolism, but there's also a lot of interesting material about anxiety, family roles, personal identity, and other fundamental questions of... drumroll... the human condition. There's a ton of interesting information in here, and I read through 200 pages before finding the first idea that...more
Feb 14, 2009
Anthony D Buckley
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
philosophy,
anthropology
An interesting and important book, indeed, a classic. The points he make concerning the role of narrative (especially what we call fairy stories) in the development of children are definitely important. My feeling is, however, that Bettelheim is a bit rosy-spectacled. Eric Berne in "What do you say when you have said 'Hello'?" discusses a similar topic, but his argument has a harder edge. We maybe use narrative of whatever kind in forming our individual identities, but sometimes our identities a...more
2 likes · like · see review
If you buy into Freudian psychoanlysis of literature you will find this interesting, but sometimes a fairytale is just a fairytale without all of the deep psychological meaning Bettelheim gives to them. Although I believe children today like children when he wrote the book are being deprived of the rich magic of ancient tales that can help them and us navigate the future with optimism. Sadly, much of Bettelheim's work with children is being discredited and questioned. As an Austrian, he is deepl...more
Oct 09, 2009
Karen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
psychology-mental-health
Are all psychiatrists obssessed with sex? This one certainly seemed to be. It would seem that all fairy folk tales (as he calls them)are telling us on a subconscious level how to grow up to become psychologically mature and have good sex lives. He has some valuable things to say, but he belabors his sexual ideas so these get drowned out.
And he says that in the genre of animal/monstrous spouses, women are always beautiful animals while men are usually fierce and repulsive. I beg to differ: Bettel...more
And he says that in the genre of animal/monstrous spouses, women are always beautiful animals while men are usually fierce and repulsive. I beg to differ: Bettel...more
Provocative revelations of the value of stories I loved growing up. For example, it's an interesting perspective to think when Jack's mom sends him to the market (good cow stops giving milk akin to the time when flow of milk ceases for the infant) its really the start of a boy's journey to grow up which includes negotiating for magic beans (learning to speak) or dealing with how during the night the seeds (and his masculinity) grow into a huge beanstalk.
This book made me want to read original v...more
This book made me want to read original v...more
El autor, un experto en psicología infantil, pone de relieve el por qué los niños se sienten atraídos por estas historias que, por otra parte, componen una de las mejores maneras de que disponen para comprender su mundo. Como todo psicoanálisis, hay pasajes que son más que cuestionables, especialmente los relativos a cuestiones freudianas. Otros, en cambio, resultan inquietantemente verosímiles, haciendo que su lectura merezca la pena. Además, está escrito en un lenguaje no excesivamente científ...more
Feb 10, 2013
Megan RFA
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi-and-fantasy,
non-fiction
Very thoughtful and in-depth discussion of the importance of fairy tales to young children. Focusing on a Freud/Jung psychoanalytical interpretation of classic fairy tales, Bettelheim covers all of the ways in which the tales enrich our childhoods and allow children to create solutions to problems of the unconscious/preconscious. Though at times he can be long winded, it only proves his dedication to the study of the subject matter, inspecting every facet of the structure of tales for their uniq...more
I received this as a baby shower gift. it's a really fascinating read, especially for those with young children and thinking about what their reading matter should be as they get older. The author is a psychologist who writes in favor of reading fairy tales to children instead of more "realistic" stories. There's a lot in there, but his main thesis is that the fact that these stories cannot be literally true, and young children know this, gives them a safe space to act out and overcome their wor...more
Ouf... Je sais que c'est une oeuvre qui a fait date en littérature, mais ce n'est pas ce livre qui va me réconcilier avec la psychanalyse littéraire. Les quelques bonnes réflexions sont enfouies sous des tonnes d'arguments vides de toute substance. Par exemple, Bettelheim dit qu'il est fortement significatif que la Belle au bois dormant se pique le doigt sur un fuseau (et le sang coule) lorsqu'elle a 15 ans parce que, au Moyen Âge, les adolescentes étaient menstruées à 15 ans. Vraiment? TOUTES?...more
I'm actually not longer sure why this book was on my To Read list, although I'm guessing it might have come up while reading one of Joseph Campbell's books. Also, as a disclaimer, I pretty much skimmed the last 100 pages or so. The large scheme of the book I enjoyed: the exploration of the similar themes expressed in fairy tales that reflect the human race's views on morals and the human experience. I also enjoyed the small parts that talked about the origins/history of some of the fairy tales e...more
Bettelheim has totally schooled me on the phallic symbol. I have learned, in reading about how to read fairy tales, that I am woefully under-educated about penises and their manifold symbols, which there are exponentially more of than I ever could have dreamed about or hoped for.
This is an amazing and amazingly flawed book. His points about the function of fairy tales, how children and adults read them and what children get out of reading them on pre-, sub-, and conscious levels, is convincing....more
This is an amazing and amazingly flawed book. His points about the function of fairy tales, how children and adults read them and what children get out of reading them on pre-, sub-, and conscious levels, is convincing....more
4 likes · like · see review
I was raised on fairy tales. As a child, my parents and grandparents often told me stories, and I sought out both Andrew Lang and the Brothers Grimm collections of stories in written form (which Bettelheim argues is less effective). So I have to admit I don't fully buy his thesis that fairy tales are necessary for children to grow up into happy and well-adjusted adults - for the simple reason that I would be a lot better adjusted if this were true.
I can't deny that the book was fascinating, but...more
I can't deny that the book was fascinating, but...more
When I brought the myth of Odin losing his eye into my literature class, I became interested in how Bettelheim approached the link between life and myth/story.
It's a topic that interests me greatly.
I haven't had a chance to read the entire book, but the introduction is very moving. It talks about the difficulties in moving from birth to adulthood...and believe me, I got tons of experience with this! From the inside and the outside...
I'm not necessarily convinced that Bettelheim is right about h...more
It's a topic that interests me greatly.
I haven't had a chance to read the entire book, but the introduction is very moving. It talks about the difficulties in moving from birth to adulthood...and believe me, I got tons of experience with this! From the inside and the outside...
I'm not necessarily convinced that Bettelheim is right about h...more
I am slightly disappointed by this book, interesting as it was. I became disenchanted with it toward the end, as the continual emphasis on a biological, nuclear family as the ultimate end of existance...not a metaphor, not a symbol, but the actual end goal of life itself became more apparent. Finally, I reached the following sentence regarding ful self-fulfullment "of the female."
...complete selfhood comes only with having given life, and with nurturing the one whom one has brought into being......more
...complete selfhood comes only with having given life, and with nurturing the one whom one has brought into being......more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Bruno Bettelheim was an Austrian-born American child psychologist and writer. He gained an international reputation for his views on autism and for his claimed success in treating emotionally disturbed children.
More about Bruno Bettelheim...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“The child intuitively comprehends that although these stories are unreal, they are not untrue ...”
—
41 people liked it
“Since there are thousands of fairy tales, one may safely guess that there are probably equal numbers where the courage and determination of females rescue males, and vice versa.”
—
5 people liked it
More quotes…
Jan 27, 2010 04:41am
Jan 27, 2010 06:58am