Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 175

Are Fairy Tales Out of Fashion? By Libby Copeland

Another discussion concerning kids and fairy tales. First of all, this article is much better researched and even-handed and you'll probably find yourself agreeing with most if not all of it. I did. Click through to read it all, but I will blockquote a portion of it.

From: Are Fairy Tales Out of Fashion?: I hate reading them to my young daughter—the classic versions are too violent, the Disney stories have bad values. By Libby Copeland at Slate.com:

There's a tendency to jump to the conclusion that because modern parents are squeamish about violence in fiction we must be wussy and overprotective. But is it also wussy that we don't spank anymore, or tell our children that they're wicked? We don't look at violence in the same way as we used to; it is not a threat for bad behavior, nor is it God's punishment for sin. I'm sometimes troubled by reading even the most modernized versions of fairy tales to my daughter, who is 2½. It's not that Walt Disney didn't do his best to excise the violence from these creaky folk tales; fairy tale scholar Jack David Zipes has called him "that twentieth-century sanitation man." But the lessons these cleansed tales impart are not ones I wish to teach, even if they are canonical to Western culture. Little Red Riding Hood is to blame merely for being curious and veering off her path to pick flowers. Beauty leads to happily-ever-afters. We have a Cinderella book, a gift from a friend, and when I read it to my daughter, I try to soften the wickedness of the evil stepsisters and stepmother. I omit the worst things they say— "a simple washer girl like you is no fit for royal company!"—and I make it so Cinderella doesn't cry. Still, there's no way around the basic premise that passivity and tears are rewarded. (I'm convinced Cinderella syndrome is why not enough of us ask for raises; we're waiting for our bosses to notice how great we are. And I'm not the only one who believes Disney princesses aren't the best role models for little girls.)

If altering fairy tales seems like politically correct white-washing, I would counter that it is the tradition of these folk tales to be changed by the era they're in. We're the fools if we treat them like gospel. As Zipes points out, Frenchman Charles Perrault altered the tale of Cinderella when he recorded it in the 1600s, making the protagonist submissive and industrious. In earlier oral versions, which "emanated from a matriarchal tradition," Cinderella is more the mistress of her own fate. One Italian version has her killing her stepmother.

Fairy Tales Re-imagined Symposium Podcasts

Doc-in-Boots also pointed today to a page of Fairy Tales Re-imagined Podcasts (page down the site to see the links), a symposium held in Australia last year at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. I am going to directly link to each one here, too, since some are about readers' favorite tales.

The podcasts are from a two-day symposium exploring how traditional fairy tales are being reworked by visual artists, filmmakers and popular culture. They are free and I am always appreciative of that!


Old Tales, New Platforms: The Creation of Re-enchantment

Recorded: 11 Mar 2011. Duration: 75 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: The creators of Re-enchantment, writer/director Sarah Gibson and producer Sue Maslin provide a behind-the-scenes look at how this beautiful and complex production came together.

Download MP3 (69MB)


Working Creatively with Fairy Tales
Recorded: 11 Mar 2011. Duration: 87 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Joy Norton, Adam Hunt, Dr Meredith Jones and Suzanne Boccalatte examine the symbolic language of fairy tales that inspires, enchants, entertains and fascinates.

Download MP3 (80MB)


The Forbidden Room: From Bluebeard to CSI
Recorded: 11 Mar 2011. Duration: 119 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Dr Cathy Cole, Dr Terrie Waddell and Dr Rebecca Do Rozario discuss the contemporary reworkings of this darker fairy tale theme.

Download MP3 (108MB)


Re-enchantment: The hidden world of fairy tales for adults
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011. Duration: 59 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Writer and director Sarah Gibson and producer Sue Maslin take us on a guided tour of this immersive project re-evaluating fairytales.

Download MP3 (54MB)


Woman and Wolf - the Inspiration of Red Riding Hood
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011. Duration: 104 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Dr Kimberley Pearce, Jazmina Cininas and Professor Barbara Creed explore interpretations and contemporary rethinking about this classic story.

Download MP3 (95MB)


If the Shoe Fits: Interpreting Cinderella
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011. Duration: 116 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Dr Meredith Jones, Sarah Gibson and Professor Peter McNeil look at the Cinderella story from the perspectives of culture, shoe design and psychology.

Download MP3 (105MB)

Advertising: The Guardian and The Three Little Pigs

The above is a new commercial from The Guardian (a UK newspaper) that was released yesterday.

From Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert:

This advert for the Guardian's open journalism, screened for the first time on 29 February 2012, imagines how we might cover the story of the Three Little Pigs in print and online. Follow the story from the paper's front page headline, through a social media discussion and finally to an unexpected conclusion.

Interesting concept and I'm not touching the open journalism discussion. I have to admit for me personally the message is almost trite since I am used to seeing so many recent retellings in which the pigs are dastardly and the wolf is innocent.

Add: Doc-in-Boots posted about this today, too. She discusses the commercial more than I am so go over there to read a thoughtful post.

Bargain Book: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Each month Amazon unveils a new list of 100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less where I always have fun perusing and usually find a few titles for my personal collection. (Have I mentioned that my leisure reading is almost entirely digital anymore?) And each month I think there is no way there will be a fairy tale related title on the list. Odds are against that. But March did not break the streak of the last several months. This month's title has been on my wishlist to purchase so I am particularly happy about this one.

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan is the book on this month's list. It's $3.99 which is the upper range on the bargain list, but much less than it was a day or so ago. I've snatched it up to add to my reading list. I am always thrilled with fairy tale retellings with at least a touch of science fiction to them.

Book description:

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss.

Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose -- hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire -- is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat.

Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existance, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes -- or be left without any future at all.

From the author:

This book came about when I realized that the world didn't stop when Sleeping Beauty was put to sleep. What would have happened while she slept? She would have had to come to terms with a whole new world the moment she opened her eyes. Once I had that concept, this particular book just fell out of me, almost whole. If only they were all so easy.

It was well-reviewed by Publishers Weekly, too:

In this intriguing first novel, Rose Fitzroy, biologically 16 years old, comes out of stasis to discover that her billionaire parents and the world she knew are long dead. Having survived the plague-ridden Dark Times, the Earth is doing quite well, with Rose's father's former company in charge of much of it. This puts Rose--the sickly, shy, and self-hating daughter of overbearing parents--in the unusual position of "waking up to discover she's the sole surviving heiress to an interplanetary empire." Before taking on any responsibilities, Rose simply wants to survive high school, make a few friends, and work on her art. Her plans are swiftly interrupted, though, when a strange, virtually unstoppable creature called a Plastine attempts to assassinate her. Aided by handsome Bren and blue-skinned alien hybrid Otto, schoolmates she develops crushes on, Rose must defeat the assassin, learn to live as an independent adult, and discover why her parents essentially abandoned her in stasis. With well-developed characters, a touch of romance, and a believable future that, for once, is not entirely dystopian, Sheehan's tale should please many readers.

If this interests you, don't wait until the end of the month to get it because sometimes books do disappear off the list, probably if they reach some quota. My other happy find was another Julia Spencer-Fleming novel, Out of the Deep I Cry: A Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery, making three of her titles currently $2.99 each. I've been adding them to my digital collection although I already own the hardcovers so I can't justify full price for the entire series. Nothing to do with fairy tales, but intriguing mysteries with interesting characters if you happen to be a mystery reader.

Bargain Book: The Snow Queen (Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey

The Snow Queen (Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey is currently reduced to $3.70 on Amazon in ebook format. Other books in the series are still at least $5.50 or more. I know there are some fans of this series out there, so here's a chance to get one of the titles for cheap in ebook format if you are interested.

Book description:

Aleksia, Queen of the Northern Lights, is mysterious, beautiful and widely known to have a heart of ice. But when she's falsely accused of unleashing evil on nearby villages, she realizes there's an impostor out there far more heartless than she could ever be.

And when a young warrior disappears, Aleksia's powers are needed as never before.

Now, on a journey through a realm of perpetual winter, it will take all her skills, a mother's faith and a little magic to face down an enemy more formidable than any she has ever known....

Music Month: Rapunzel by Dave Matthews Band

Above is a video of the Dave Matthews Band performing "Rapunzel." This was the last single from an early album, Before These Crowded Streets, but has appeared on other compilations since then. You can read the lyrics on the band's site or here. It varies in length from performance to performance and recording to recording, usually ranging between four to six minutes.

Here's the bit about Rapunzel:

For you I would crawl
Through the darkest dungeon
Climb the castle wall
If you are my Rapunzel
You let your hair down
Right in through your window

 

Arthur Rackham's Book of Pictures

Arthur Rackham's Book of Pictures (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) by Arthur Rackham was released in December and kept slipping down my to do list for the blog here. This is a Dover reprint of a book originally published in 1913. The book is essentially a collection of Arthur Rackham's orphan works, ranging from fairy tale illustrations to magazine commissions. It is eclectic and fun since the range is wider than the usual collection of Rackham's works. This reprint includes Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch's introduction.


The Frog Prince
The collection has some of my favorite Rackham illustrations. Many of these have not appeared in previous Dover collections of Rackham's work.


Jack and the Beanstalk
Once Upon a Time
Book description from Dover:

This wonderful survey of the famed artist's early work features 44 color plates in addition to several black-and-white vignettes and spot illustrations. Most of the images depict fantastic dwarfs, giants, elves, and fairies as well as naturalistic illustrations far removed from the fairy world. An elegant offering for all Rackham fans, this volume includes many long-unavailable pieces.

Santa Claus

There is one review on the Amazon page for this book but it is for another edition. This edition, while it uses the standard Dover sizing and image quality is different from that described in the review.

Amy Stein in Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination

Amy Stein. Watering Hole, 2005.
Amy Stein has two pieces featured in Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination at the Frist Center.
Of course, when one attends a curator's tour of an exhibition, your attention tends to focus on the pieces discussed. There were a few exceptions for me, pieces I will go back and study more and see what resonates when I am on my own, but I know these would have had an impact even if Mark Scala hadn't spent time discussing them. Scala pointed out that these were perhaps the least fantastical pieces in the exhibit but that is what gives them their power, too.
I found these images on Amy Stein's website and discovered they are part of a larger series titled Domesticated, all of which are viewable on her website and I recommend the click to see them.
These certainly, subtly, recall fairy tale themes, Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood come immediately to mind. But for me, they also reminded me of how nature is nearby, closer than many of us in suburban and urban lifestyles credit at times. I've lived within a mile of a lake for many years in my life, but spend very little time at it. The wildlife nearby is abundant. We've seen a bobcat and a wild boar as well as opossums, turtles, deer, etc. on a regular basis. Snakes are not as common, but I remember unlocking the backdoor to the house one day, years ago, and looking down to see a snake sunning itself along the threshold. Fortunately, it wasn't poisonous but we spent a few minutes evaluating each other just like the girls in these photos are doing.
The Watering Hole image above is more powerful in person because the girl's face is more visible, both startled and fascinated. You can click on it to see it larger but an original print is the best.
Amy Stein. Predator, 2006.

Deal of the Day: Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception (Gathering of Faerie) by Maggie Stiefvater is the ebook deal of the day on Amazon. Today only it is 99 cents.

Book description:

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

Lament is a dark faerie fantasy that features authentic Celtic faerie lore, plus cover art and interior illustrations by acclaimed faerie artist Julia Jeffrey.

Mary Engelbreit's Fairy Tales: Twelve Timeless Treasures

If you are looking for a sweetly illustrated collection of fairy tales with many, many illustrations, but definitely not Disney, I would recommend Mary Engelbreit's Fairy Tales: Twelve Timeless Treasures. The book is currently bargain priced at Amazon for $7.80 in hardcover and I am tempted to pick up one or two gift copies myself.


This one is "safe" for the preschool set and will also satisfy parents who are concerned about being too scary too early because this book isn't. Engelbreit brings her brand of humor and sweetness to the illustrations that are not generic like many of the collections that children tend to receive instead. (I think of them as grocery store books.) I think books like this make great bridges between the unadulterated original tales that make parents wary of fairy tales. And the illustrations are vibrant and profuse throughout the collection. And the book should especially appeal to the little girls who adore Disney without giving them all of the Disney merchandise if that is important to you. (I know people to whom it is.)


From Engelbreit's notes:

I wanted to share these timeless stones with children today, but as I read and considered which to include, I realized for the first time how many of the stories ended with the message that marrying a prince is the solution to all of life's problems. If only that were true! Knowing how independent and free-spirited my daughter Mikayla and her friends are—and wanting to nurture that—I felt it was important to bring out the spirit of dashing adventure in the richly imaginative world that I'd enjoyed as a child. So I decided to edit some of these endings a bit, letting children know it is okay for the princess and her frog to remain friends or that a prince can help with the household chores.

After choosing the twelve tales, I had fun dreaming up the costumes, especially the ball gowns. I based the clothes on styles, decorative patterns, and fabrics from different periods that I like, especially Elizabethan and medieval times.

You can preview the book on Amazon to see the full table of contents and many more illustrations. I shared just a few here to give an impression of Engelbreit's style.