Very fine essay, thank you. Well sourced. And Disney is not even “Disney” anymore.
In time (and that time is also always now), the sturdy old myths will reassert themselves — because they are the bedrock under the shifting sands and muds of ephemeral fashion.
Wonderful essay. I will say one thing in defence of "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!": it's witty and it depends on the reader's knowledge of the original tale in order for it to work, and I've always felt there's the implication that the wolf himself may very well be an unreliable narrator, making his own excuses for what happened, when we've no reason to trust him or believe that his version of events is true. But I first encountered that story (in a hilarious semi-acted version by a professional storyteller who came to my school) when I was at least 9 or 10, and old enough to see it as just a funny parody rather than a life lesson. (The storyteller herself definitely made the wolf come across as sinister and not to be trusted, even as he's trying to persuade us that he's totally innocent and misunderstood.) Whereas if I'd had it read to me as a very young child, I might indeed have taken it more seriously than it ought to be taken. Fortunately I did grow up on a steady diet of mostly unadulterated classics, including (best of all) Narnia and Middle-earth — and what I learned from them has always stayed with me and kept on teaching me, too, in the best possible ways.
Thank you for writing and sharing this thoughtful article. I was brought up on fairy tales, the old ones as you describe, but then forgot them for many years, until I was reacquainted with the Mary Poppins books and the literary work of their author, P. L. Travers. She was a true lover of myth and fairy tales, and she held views similar to those of Tolkien and G. K. Chesterton. I have since come to recognise their perspective as deeply true.
Fairy tales are maps of our human experience, and it is a pity that mainstream media often flattens them, reducing them to entertainment and profit. They speak to both children and adults. They do tell us that dragons can be defeated, but they also remind us that some of those dragons live within us.
Here is a passage from one of Travers’s essays, The Black Sheep, that has stayed with me:
“They put the thing in its proper perspective; for every inner insubstantial shadow they provide a palpable counterpart that will bear examination. Cut out the spectres from the tales… and you cut out their healing meaning. When one knows that the outer world has dragons… it is easier to contemplate the ones within oneself.”
Children do not need a flattened world. They need a legible one. Reality exceeds its surface. That is why the old tales still breathe. When a culture becomes embarrassed by imagination, it does not become more truthful. It becomes easier to manipulate. The child still needs a sword for the machine.
Very fine essay, thank you. Well sourced. And Disney is not even “Disney” anymore.
In time (and that time is also always now), the sturdy old myths will reassert themselves — because they are the bedrock under the shifting sands and muds of ephemeral fashion.
This is wonderful and inspiring. Thank you.
Wonderful essay. I will say one thing in defence of "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!": it's witty and it depends on the reader's knowledge of the original tale in order for it to work, and I've always felt there's the implication that the wolf himself may very well be an unreliable narrator, making his own excuses for what happened, when we've no reason to trust him or believe that his version of events is true. But I first encountered that story (in a hilarious semi-acted version by a professional storyteller who came to my school) when I was at least 9 or 10, and old enough to see it as just a funny parody rather than a life lesson. (The storyteller herself definitely made the wolf come across as sinister and not to be trusted, even as he's trying to persuade us that he's totally innocent and misunderstood.) Whereas if I'd had it read to me as a very young child, I might indeed have taken it more seriously than it ought to be taken. Fortunately I did grow up on a steady diet of mostly unadulterated classics, including (best of all) Narnia and Middle-earth — and what I learned from them has always stayed with me and kept on teaching me, too, in the best possible ways.
Thank you for writing and sharing this thoughtful article. I was brought up on fairy tales, the old ones as you describe, but then forgot them for many years, until I was reacquainted with the Mary Poppins books and the literary work of their author, P. L. Travers. She was a true lover of myth and fairy tales, and she held views similar to those of Tolkien and G. K. Chesterton. I have since come to recognise their perspective as deeply true.
Fairy tales are maps of our human experience, and it is a pity that mainstream media often flattens them, reducing them to entertainment and profit. They speak to both children and adults. They do tell us that dragons can be defeated, but they also remind us that some of those dragons live within us.
Here is a passage from one of Travers’s essays, The Black Sheep, that has stayed with me:
“They put the thing in its proper perspective; for every inner insubstantial shadow they provide a palpable counterpart that will bear examination. Cut out the spectres from the tales… and you cut out their healing meaning. When one knows that the outer world has dragons… it is easier to contemplate the ones within oneself.”
Children do not need a flattened world. They need a legible one. Reality exceeds its surface. That is why the old tales still breathe. When a culture becomes embarrassed by imagination, it does not become more truthful. It becomes easier to manipulate. The child still needs a sword for the machine.
This was such a wonderful read! I enjoyed it thoroughly! Thank you!