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ellehartford's review against another edition
4.0
It's a bit dated now, of course, but I enjoyed the thought given to different types of fairy tales and how fairy tales relate to other kinds of stories!
kinosthesia's review against another edition
3.0
I've had this book lurking on my shelf for number of years and decided to finally make an effort to read it. I'm not really familiar with much psychology, but thought some of his ideas on the meanings of fairy tales was interesting. I agree with some of the other reviewers that he does seem to be a little obsessed with sex and phallic symbols, but on the whole it certainly has merit in making me think more deeply about why one fairy tale appealed to me above others.
calebmatthews's review against another edition
2.0
Bruno, while having some good ideas, states several psychological opinions as facts. Not okay and not a good look.
The uses of enchantment
Black and white thinking personified in good and evil characters
Hans, the hedgehog - desire for a child
If children wish in a fairy tale, they desire only good things and their wishes come true to the best of their hopes. Adults are accountable for what they do when acting rash, when angry, or even when being silly.
The story of Scheherazade
Fairy tales should be told rather than read
The purpose of a fairy tale should be the shared enjoyment of the tale.
Bruno goes off the rails whenever he talks about Cinderella
Upon reading Cinderella, a girl is able to imagine herself with a temporary penis as Cinderella slides her foot into the prince’s golden vagina when she puts on the shoe
The uses of enchantment
Black and white thinking personified in good and evil characters
Hans, the hedgehog - desire for a child
If children wish in a fairy tale, they desire only good things and their wishes come true to the best of their hopes. Adults are accountable for what they do when acting rash, when angry, or even when being silly.
The story of Scheherazade
Fairy tales should be told rather than read
The purpose of a fairy tale should be the shared enjoyment of the tale.
Bruno goes off the rails whenever he talks about Cinderella
Upon reading Cinderella, a girl is able to imagine herself with a temporary penis as Cinderella slides her foot into the prince’s golden vagina when she puts on the shoe
hollandvk's review against another edition
4.0
This book discusses the meaning of fairytales and their role in helping children deal with inner conflicts. It's explanations of how children can relate to sibling rivalry and delight in the simpleton outwitting the older brothers makes a lot of sense. However, it gets a little too Freudian later on in the book, drawing symbolism out of thin air that almost always relates to sex, like Cinderella's "vagina-slippers". While the general analysis is good, the second half of the book discussing each fairy tale in detail is too much like a dream interpretation dictionary.
kitdunsmore's review against another edition
3.0
I can get behind his defense of the old (gritty, bloody, scary!) versions of fairy tales as being the valuable versions of these stories, but I have a hard time with his Freudian interpretations of the messages some of them carry. My gratitude for someone who insists that fairy tales are valuable and important outweighs my inability to agree with him on many things and makes this a book I would recommend.
kittykels's review against another edition
This entire book boils down to "kids hear stories and stories impact worldview."
I skimmed through several chapters and eventually DNFed. I wish I had read the reviews prior to starting it (I normally don't do this) because it's not what I was looking for. Despite my interest in psychology and philosophy, this book is too outdated and repetitive.
I skimmed through several chapters and eventually DNFed. I wish I had read the reviews prior to starting it (I normally don't do this) because it's not what I was looking for. Despite my interest in psychology and philosophy, this book is too outdated and repetitive.
_ellisnoble_'s review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Le favole – e talvolta i miti – sono state le prime storie che abbiamo mai ascoltato, eppure crescendo le abbiamo rinnegate, accusandole di averci offerto una rappresentazione sbagliata del mondo e della vita. E invece leggendo questo saggio stupendo vi renderete conto di come ne La bella e la bestia, quest’ultima simboleggi la visione distorta dell’amore romantico inizialmente concepito come qualcosa da temere per poi vederla come colui con cui stringere un legame che permetta di migliorarsi; oppure che la matrigna di Biancaneve la spinge a diventare adulta prima del tempo al fine di non competere con lei in quanto donna e il sonno a cui la condanna le offre in realtà la possibilità di maturare per davvero. Queste e tante altre fiabe, perché…
“Le fiabe suggeriscono che una vita gratificante è alla portata di ciascuno nonostante le avversità, ma soltanto se non si cerca di evitare le rischiose lotte senza le quali nessuno può mai raggiungere una vera identità. Queste storie assicurano che se un bambino ha il coraggio di affrontare questa terrificante e dura ricerca, potenze benigne interverranno in suo aiuto, ed egli riuscirà”
“Le fiabe suggeriscono che una vita gratificante è alla portata di ciascuno nonostante le avversità, ma soltanto se non si cerca di evitare le rischiose lotte senza le quali nessuno può mai raggiungere una vera identità. Queste storie assicurano che se un bambino ha il coraggio di affrontare questa terrificante e dura ricerca, potenze benigne interverranno in suo aiuto, ed egli riuscirà”
lgordon006's review against another edition
5.0
Even though it has been thoroughly disproven, the materials in this book provide a new and exciting lens through which to view much of the theater and literature centered around stories and children created in the second half of the twentieth century. Ever since the first read, it has been instrumental in much of my dramaturgical thinking.
andydear's review against another edition
3.0
I'm using this as a resource for research on Sinbad the Sailor and it definitely had an interesting way of looking at the 1001 Nights version, but I would have loved to go a bit deeper into how the id and the ego reflected who was (re)writing the story and who it was being given to.
I know that he focuses on freudian theory a lot, for which I'm not exactly fond, but it was still valuable.
I know that he focuses on freudian theory a lot, for which I'm not exactly fond, but it was still valuable.