"The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless."
Jean-Jacques Rousseau -- The painting is by Andrea Kowch
Fantasy and the Real Magic of Fairy Tales
"By entering the world of fantasy and imagination, children and adults secure for themselves a safe space where fears can be confronted, mastered, and banished. Beyond that the real magic of the fairy tale lies in its ability to extract pleasure from pain. In bringing to life the dark figures of our imagination as ogres, witches, cannibals, and giants, fairy tails may stir up dread, but in the end they always supply the pleasure of seeing it vanquished."
Maria Tatar in her Introduction to The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales.
Told and Retold
The early centuries, when enduring fairy tales were told and retold, were troubled times for virtually everyone.
Our primary source of fairy tales comes from Europe where wars, droughts, hunger, and sickness were never ending as were mysteries, visions, and powerful religious movements.
Wonder stories were told wherever people gathered: in open market places, in farmhouses, and by camp fires. The stories told were a wecome source of entertainment, relief, and hope.
In the world of the imagination, a child can outwit a giant or an ogre; a young woman can escape cruelty and oppression -- even incest. And magic is always in the air.
The illustration of Princess Tuvstarr is by John Bauer.
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Confronting the Abominable -- Tales of Incest
I understand that oral tales from bygone times -- later written down -- are, as Jack Zipes writes," grounded in history. . . they emanate from specific struggles to humanize bestial and barbaric forces, which have terrorized our minds and communities in concrete ways. . . The fairy tale sets out to conquer this concrete terror through metaphors."
Donkey Skin, as retold by Perrault, dealt with incest -- a dark and bestial behavior. It spoke of the abusive power of kings, of beauty, courage, and magic. It ended on a note of hope. These were mainstay elements in many fairy tales. I found the story to be quite remarkable as it was the first time I had encountered a fairy tale dealing with incest. In Donkey Skin, the King states unequivocally to his daughter that he will have her as his wife.
The following excerpt occurs after the death of the beautiful Queen:
"For a time the king was inconsolable in his grief, both day and night. Some months later, however, on the urging of his courtiers, he agreed to marry again, but this was not an easy matter, for he had to keep his promise to his wife and search as he might, he could not find a new wife with all the attractions he sought. Only his daughter had a charm and beauty which even the queen had not possessed. Thus only by marrying his daughter could he satisfy the promise he had made to his dying wife, and so he forthwith proposed marriage to her. This frightened and saddened the princess, and she tried to show her father the mistake he was making . . ."
I learned that Donkey Skin had been classified as ATU 510 B, Unnatural Love, and I have subsequently learned that there are many stories from earlier times that tell of royal incest and paternal abuse of power, and that Donkey Skin has many elements derived from these earlier stories.
The top illustration is by Nadezda Illarionova. The bottom illustration is by Harry Clarke.
Here is a link to Perrault's story: Donkey Skin
Here is a link to a scene in the 1970 Jacques Demy film version of Perrault's tale wherein The King (Jean Marais) tells his daughter (Catherine Deneuve) that he will marry her: Donkey Skin Part1
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Incestuous and quasi-incestuous relationships
"Incestuous and quasi-incestuous relationships were hardly unknown at the court of Louis XIV. The king himself had married his first cousin, Maria-Theresa of Spain, largely for political reasons. His brother Philippe, Duke of Orleans, had married another first cousin, Henrietta of England, before marrying a more distant cousin . . . Various aristocrats at the court followed these royal examples for financial or other reasons . . ." Excerpted from an article posted by Mari Ness on: Thor.com
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The Culture and the Times
Fairytales are a reflection of life. The stories that proliferated in medieval (950-1450) Europe were told -- and recorded -- in a world where brutal wars were a near constant among the ruling elite. Religion condoned and indeed fostered war, including crusades in Europe and the holy land in pursuit of power. Miracles, saints, and visions, including those of Joan D'arc, influenced events and lives. And for nearly 500 years, Islamic conquest ruled Spain until driven out in the late fifteenth century. Still, Muslim rule continued across North Africa, through the Middle East, and all the way to India.
Famines occurred on a regular basis and, in the fourteenth century, nearly one half of the people, rich and poor, were killed by the black death. Also known as the Great Plague, it swept relentlessly across the land from 1347 to the early 1350's, from the Eastern Mediterranean to Britain and Sweden.
Life was hard and uncertain. Children and women were often exploited and treated cruelly; sexual abuse was commonplace.
The illustration is from the 15th century book, the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.
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Incest and the Medieval Imagination
"Medieval incest stories are so numerous that it is impossible to even mention them all let alone discuss them in detail . . . " This is an excerpt from the book Incest and the Medieval Imagination by scholar and author Elizabeth Archibald. Among the many incest stories discussed by Ms Archibald is a story -- in novella form -- entitled Apollonius of Tyre.
This tale appeared in the late sixth century, and has many attributes characteristic of early wonder tales: it can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman times; multiple versions have been found; there were translations into many languages (in this case, 13). In all cases, beauty is held in very high regard; higher powers (in this case, the gods) affect events; and Kings abuse their power.
Here is a link to Elizabeth Archibald's scholarly book,Incest and the Medieval Imagination
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The Frenzy of Lust
Here is an excerpt from the dark beginning of Apollonius of Tyre:
While her father was considering to whom best to give his daughter in marriage, driven by immoral passion and inflamed by lust he fell in love with his own daughter, and he began to love her in a way unsuitable for a father. He struggled with madness, he fought against passion, but he was defeated by love; he lost his sense of moral responsibility, forgot that he was a father, and took on the role of husband. . . Since he could not endure the wound in his breast, one day when he was awake at dawn he rushed into his daughter's room and ordered the servants to withdraw, as if he intended to have a private conversation with her. Spurred on by the frenzy of his lust, he took his daughter's virginity by force, in spite of her lengthy resistance. When the wicked deed was done he left the bedroom. But the girl stood astonished at the immorality of her wicked father. She tried to hide the flow of blood: but drops of blood fell onto the floor. "
The top illustration is by an unknown Medieval artist. The bottom illustration is from the Garden of Earthy Delights by Hieronymus Bosch
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Straparola, Basile and Many, Many More
In a post entitled, The Father Who Wanted to Marry His Daughter, D.L. Ashliman cites 74 incest story variations ranging from Scotland and Ireland, to Lithuania and the Ukraine. Asliman's list includes stories from the pioneering collections from Italy: Doralice from The Facetious Nights (1550) by Straparola (Italy); and, The She Bear from The Story of Stories (1643) by Basile (Italy). Both of these stories have many elements found in Donkey Skin and other later tales such as Cinderella.
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All Kinds Of Fur
The Brothers Grimm wrote a version of Donkey Skin that was close to that of Perrault. One of the differences is that the Princess tries to stall her father by asking for, in addition to two extremely beautiful dresses, " 'a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur and hair joined together, and one of every kind of animal in your kingdom must give a piece of his skin for it.' But she thought,' To get that will be quite impossible, and thus I shall divert my father from his wicked intentions.' " Thus the name of the tale: All Kinds Of Fur (in German, Allerleirauh).
Here is another excerpt from the Grimm's version: "Now the King had a daughter, who was just as beautiful as her dead mother, and had the same golden hair. When she was grown up the King looked at her one day, and saw that in every respect she was like his late wife, and suddenly felt a violent love for her."
Here is a link to the Grimm's Version, All Kinds of Fur, translated in 1884 by Margaret Hunt: All Kinds of Fur
Andrew Lang in his Grey Fairy Book (1900) softened the story of Donkey Skin and changed the king's daughter into an adopted daughter. His version is otherwise close to Perrault's.
The illustration above for All Kinds of Fur is by an unknown artist.
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They Stamp Our Minds and Perhaps Our Souls
"We all know that fairy tales are tied to real life experiences more than we pretend they aren’t. We ward off fairy tales and pretend that they are intended mainly for children because they tell more truth than we want to know, and we absorb fairy tales because they tell us more truth than we want to know. . . . They stamp our minds and perhaps our soul . . ." Jack Zipes, The Oxford University Press Blog
The illustration from Rumpelstiltskin is by Paul O Zalinsky.
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A Very Old Classic Wonder Tale of Boundless Imagination from England
The origins of Jack and the Beanstalk have been traced back 5 thousand years by scholars. It is still told and retold, in books and other mediums. It personifies the classic wonder tale elements of courage, magic, danger, obstacles, ogres, smart thinking, and an outcome that gives hope to the listeners -- or readers.
"Your duty requires you to win it back for your mother. But the task is a very difficult one, and full of peril, Jack. Have you courage to undertake it?"
"I fear nothing when I am doing right," said Jack.
"Then," said the lady in the red cap, "you are one of those who slay giants. You must get into the castle, and if possible possess yourself of a hen that lays golden eggs, and a harp that talks. Remember, all the giant possesses is really yours." As she ceased speaking, the lady of the red hat suddenly disappeared, and of course Jack knew she was a fairy.
Jack determined at once to attempt the adventure; so he advanced, and blew the horn which hung at the castle portal. The door was opened in a minute or two by a frightful giantess, with one great eye in the middle of her forehead. As soon as Jack saw her he turned to run away, but she caught him, and dragged him into the castle. . ."
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The Imagination
As great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.
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A Very Special Animated Film Based on Norse Mythology
This delightful video made me feel good. And adding to my reaction was the realization that it was made by a team of students in an Animation Workshop at VIA University College in Denmark. The running time is 7.24 minutes. The excerpt from the full synopsis below appeared with the video on Vimeo.
Forget Me Not
"Deep in the Norwegian forest, there is an old man, living an orderly and quiet life. Closed off from the rest of the world, he spends his days together with his lifelong friend, a troll. Together they share an everyday routine, drinking tea and taking care of each other. One day the troll begins to hint that the time has come for him to leave the comfort of their home. . ."
Here is a link to the video: Forget Me Not
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THE FORGOTTEN FAIRY TALE GENIUS OF ÉDOUARD LABOULAYE
Smack-Bam, or The Art of Governing Men is a recent book presented by Jack Zipes. Zipes has translated, edited, and written a very informative introduction to fairy tales by a multi-talented writer, Edouard Laboulaye (1811-1883). Laboulaye was a French lawyer, a jurist elected to the national assembly, and the man who originated and followed through with the gift of France to the USA, The Statue of Liberty. He was active in the anti-slavery movement and a zealous supporter of the Union effort. Laboulaye wrote poetry, essays, novels, a 3 volume history of the USA, as well as fairy tales. Zipes feels they have been too long neglected by scholars, including himself; Zipes also feels that they are actually adult fairy tales:
"His fairy tales, however, ostensibly published for and dedicated to children, were actually too sophisticated to be classified as children’s literature or to be read by children. . . Given his extraordinary past, I believe it is time to reconsider Laboulaye’s achievement as a writer of unusually wry fairy tales filled with biting social commentaries, philosophical reflections, and strong notions of social justice."
Here is an excerpt from the introduction to Laboulaye's fairy tale collection, Contes Bleus (1863) "In the happy country of fairies, one leaves it only to find one’s way back. One suffers only to become happy, whereas pain is for us an enigma and life a struggle without end where the better people are the first to fall. There, in the country of fairies, one does not get old, and one always loves. Here, no sooner does our heart barely recover from those foolish acts of our youth than it turns serious and begins to love an object worthy of our heart. Then, our face becomes wrinkled, and our hair turns white leaving us with the feeling of ridicule. There, in the country of fairies, one knows everything in one hour or one day. Here, we pursue truth at the cost of our lives as it evades us. It flees like the marvelous bird, and when, at last, after 30 years of pain, we feel it near us, when our hand lowers to seize it, another hand more powerful freezes us and carries us off to the country from which nobody has ever returned. . ."
The illustrator(s) of the book cover and of Laboulaye's tale, Yvon and Finette, are unknown.
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MOVIES.
Dumbo
Alas, the reviews for Disney's Dumbo are mixed. They range from delighted to hard knocks. Tim Burton's creative imaginative is, by and large, appreciated. Here are excerpts (via Rotten Tomatoes) from two critics whom I respect: Peter Travers in Rolling Stone -- "This live-action re-imagining of Disney's 1941 animated classic may be the sweetest film Tim Burton has ever made. It's also the safest." Full review;
Here is an excerpt from Owen Gleiberman in Variety: "The character of Dumbo is still touching, but the tale of entrapment and rescue that surrounds him is not. It's arduous and forgettable, done in busy italicized strokes. Full review
Here is a link to the trailer: Dumbo
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The Juniper Tree
The revival of The Juniper Tree movie from Iceland, originally released in 1990, received a very positive NYTimes review from Glen Kerry
"In watching a newly restored version, I was struck not only by Björk’s distinctive charisma at 24 years old but also by the talent of the film’s writer, director and editor, Nietzchka Keene. This was Keene’s first feature, and she would die of pancreatic cancer in 2004 with just a couple of other directing credits to her name.
This film is adapted from a tale by the Brothers Grimm — one of the gnarly unexpurgated ones, not the bowdlerized kind long served to American kids. Two sisters, Katla (Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir) and the younger Margit (Björk), find themselves homeless after their mother is burned as a witch. They wander, and in an environment far-flung from their former dwellings, Katla enchants a young widower, Johann. . ."
The film seems to depart substantially from the original Juniper Tree. Here is a link to the JuniperTree trailer.
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Wonder Park
Critics were not kind to Wonder Park, a movie about a young girl who designs her own amusement park. Here is a summary of the reviews from Rotten Tomatoes:
"Colorful and energetic but lacking a compelling story, Wonder Park is little more
than a competently made diversion for very young viewers.
Here is a link to the: Wonderpark Trailer
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Meanwhile, the plight of refugee children continues. . .
"As violence consumed Syria, desperate families fled their homes, many ending up in Lebanon. Now, one in four people in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee. Before the Syrian crisis, poverty in Lebanon was already widespread. Many Lebanese children had little access to health care and basic services. Now the strain on the country’s limited resources is putting both Lebanese and refugee children in peril."
Here is a link to Save the Children
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Reading to Your Toddler? Print Books Are Better Than Digital Ones
“The tablet itself made it harder for parents and children to engage in the rich back-and-forth turn-taking that was happening in print books,” a researcher said. Thus begins an article by Dr. Perri Klass in the NYTimes: Reading to Toddlers
The illustration is of Talk to Me, a free book for new mothers
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The service dogs provided by Love on 4 Paws change people's lives through training and the human canine bond.
Here is a link to a touching and informative video of a boy, Leo, who suffers from brain aneurysms, his loving mother, and Henry, his wonderful service dog: DogHelpsBoy
The photo is of Leo and Henry.
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The charming illustrations are by Barking Planet author C.A.Wulff, and are from the soon to be released book three, Raffy Calfy's Rescue.
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Why Am I ?
Why Am I ? – a joyous Yelodoggie Book by C.A. Wulff – celebrates self-empowerment and the benefits of inclusion. It helps children recognize and appreciate differences and to embrace that which is unique in each of us.
Yelodoggie travels far and wide, seeking to answer the question Why Am I different ?...Why Am I Yellow ?
Why Am I ? opens the imagination and perspective of children to the world around them.
We continue searching for a publisher who will love Yelodoggie and Why Am I ?, recognize its potential, and launch it into the world. This is a book for our troubled times. Our primary motive is wide distribution.
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NRA News: Thomas the Train joins the KKK
Here are excerpts from the story in the NYTimes by Danny Hakim
Last September, the National Rifle Association’s famously combative spokeswoman, Dana Loesch, provoked widespread outrage when she took to the gun group’s streaming service to mock ethnic diversity on the popular children’s program “Thomas & Friends,” portraying the show’s talking trains in Ku Klux Klan hoods. Now, growing unease over the site’s inflammatory rhetoric, and whether it has strayed too far from the N.R.A.’s core gun-rights mission, has put its future in doubt.
The site, NRATV, is a central part of the organization’s messaging apparatus. Since its creation in 2016, it has adopted an increasingly apocalyptic, hard-right tone, warning of race wars, describing Barack Obama as a “fresh-faced flower-child president,” calling for a march on the Federal Bureau of Investigation and comparing journalists to rodents.
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The Planet Of The Dogs Series
The Planet of the Dogs series of children’s books tell the stories of the first time dogs came to planet Earth to teach people about unconditional loyalty and love -- and to help bring peace from invaders. Here is an excerpt:
"He was loading his wagon with animal hides in the Stone City market place, when three warriors, dressed in black and green and leading a riderless horse, rode up. The leader of the group looked down at him and said, “You will follow us now to the fortress. Our chief wishes to speak with you...They rode outside the wooden walls and stone towers of the city, past the great meadow where three huge standing stones had been erected, and over the bridge that crossed the Dark River. Gable saw a black cloud of men on horseback racing across the far edge of a meadow. When he asked who they were and where they were going, he received no answer, only a hard look. Ahead lay the great stone fortress, with the Dark Mountains rising behind it. The sight of the place gave Gable cold chills."
We have free reader copies of all the books in the Planet Of The Dogs series for therapy dog organizations, individual therapy dog owners, librarians, teachers and independent bookstores. . . email us with a postal address at [email protected] and we will send you the books.
To read sample chapters of any book in the series, visit PlanetOfTheDogs
The Planet Of The Dogs series (including Castle In The Mist and Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale) is available from many Internet sources and through independent book stores of all sizes.
The illustration from Planet of the Dogs is by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.
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"When a man's dog turns against him it is time for a wife to pack her trunk and go home to mama." - Mark Twain
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