tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770811529718101789.post5297911177401348155..comments2024-03-21T00:29:29.587-07:00Comments on Fairy Tale Fandom: On Internet Lists and Ruined Childhoods.Adam Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16129844426168129584noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770811529718101789.post-62448760937491022072014-08-01T11:25:33.846-07:002014-08-01T11:25:33.846-07:00I'm with you on that, especially the issue of ...I'm with you on that, especially the issue of violence in fairy tales. The thing about the violence is that fairy tales aren't real (Lüthi's phrase that folktales are "unreal, not untrue"); the violence happens to "types", not "people". When the stepmother-queen in Snow White is made to dance in red-hot shoes, that's not happening to a flesh-and-blood woman, but to an embodiment of evil. And kids know it. Well, I knew it, anyway, and I think I'm no exception. Kids aren't stupid. And it's that very quality of being "unreal", or maybe even hyper-real, that makes fairy tales powerful. I think Disney's queen in Snow White is actually scarier and more violent than the one in the Grimms, because she's more "realistic". So, yeah, let's advertise how great old fairy tales are, not how violent and scary.AMOffenwangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04429398915780302831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770811529718101789.post-57991838257899538292014-08-01T11:16:43.948-07:002014-08-01T11:16:43.948-07:00"The Grimm Fallacy" - I like it. Good ph..."The Grimm Fallacy" - I like it. Good phrase.AMOffenwangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04429398915780302831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770811529718101789.post-51111147876128398072014-07-29T14:23:42.453-07:002014-07-29T14:23:42.453-07:00I don't think it ever posted.I don't think it ever posted.Adam Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129844426168129584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770811529718101789.post-33624721953954354302014-07-29T14:23:03.719-07:002014-07-29T14:23:03.719-07:00When I'm talking up fairy tales, I usually pro...When I'm talking up fairy tales, I usually promote what amazing, crazy fantasy concepts they have. I suppose that doesn't do much either, though.<br /><br />As for the "Grimm Fallacy", it has to do with their name being inextricably linked with fairy tales. So, people give them credit even for stories they had nothing to do with (like "Jack and the Beanstalk"). People do the same with parody music, too. It used to be that whenever people heard a parody song, they'd automatically credit it to "Weird Al" Yankovic.Adam Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129844426168129584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770811529718101789.post-73664421387610306332014-07-29T10:11:37.348-07:002014-07-29T10:11:37.348-07:00I'm a regular reder of Cracked and the first t...I'm a regular reder of Cracked and the first two listsof that kind I read on the site were "Quick Fixes" a concept that was back then pretty new. Quick Fixes are articles that are between half and a third of the size of a normal racked article. Now they use them to tackle more topical issues (a regular sized Cracked article takes about a month till it gets out), but when they were new, the Cracked staff obviously didn't know what to to do with the concept yet. The result were two badly researched, unfunny articles. For instance the impression is created that "The Girl without Hands ends with the Devil leaving and it's not even mentioned, that "The Death of the little Hen" is meant to be funny. (http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/5-grimm-fairy-tales-you-should-only-read-to-kids-you-hate/, http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/5-grimms-fairy-tales-way-too-dark-to-read-to-kids/) The article you linked is _much_ better in that regard. At least the author is aware that different versions of the same tale exist, even pointing out that the Grimm version of Cinderella came _after_ the version of Perrault and mentioning Yeh-Hsien, which kind of gives it away that he is cherry-picking the darker ones. At least some effort went into that article (The reason I'm reading Cracked is that you can tell that research went into the articles and they link all their sources), making it one of the less grave offenders in the bulk of klick-bait.<br /><br />While the intent of such lists is clear (to create "buzz" via sensationalism), in my opinion they can motivate people to read to original tale and hopefully make up their own minds. <br /><br />The mindset of "Thank god that Disney changed this" existed well before those lists, these articles being a symptom and not the cause. The true problem if you ask me is that adults nowadays wish for entertainment that their children can be left alone with, rather than telling/reading them stories, minding their reactions and discussing afterward, so naturally they're grateful for the kid-friendly watered down versions. That said those lists could also actually be helpful to parents who after being exposed to Disney for so long, who might believe that handing a complete collection of Grimm's fairytales to their children is a good idea.<br /><br />PS: On your last Fairytale Media Fix I left a lengthy review that basically was just an obnoxious request to review "The Salt Prince". Today I noticed that t's not there nd hope it didn't send properly. If you actually had to delete it, I apologize sincerely.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11593854763215902252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8770811529718101789.post-74854562599775936622014-07-29T07:24:01.690-07:002014-07-29T07:24:01.690-07:00I'm not too upset by these sensational interne...I'm not too upset by these sensational internet lists. I think the nature of Buzzfeed and those other sites is to forget the details of what you read pretty quickly afterwards. On the plus side, more people are being exposed to the fact that Disney movies were based on older stories, although I doubt from these sources too many people are hitting the libraries to see what the stories actually say.<br /><br />I think it's just more or less interesting to see the conflicting attitudes of the public. You'll hear some people complaining about how Disney movies are too violent/traumatic for kids, even more so the older stories, and others complaining that Disney movies/fairy tales are too cheesy and simplistic. I imagine that some of the same people might skim a feminist criticism of Disney movies and probably nod in agreement, then later read one of these lists and also find themselves agreeing with the idea that Disney made the stories "better" or at least more appropriate.<br /><br />But I also feel like often times we fairy tale folk feel a bit defensive about the negative and childish stereotype of fairy tales and will remind people of the most violent and sexual aspects of the stories. Sadly you can't hook too many people with "it's a beautiful and well written story!" these days-you have to first impress them with shocking elements.<br /><br />But yes, I get so frustrated with the dozens of times people say the Grimms are the "original" version of anything. Even more well-researched articles that should know better!Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.com