to learn wisdom, guides us when we are happy or sad. (1) Book reading leaves an indelible impression upon the minds of the readers. It helps to shape our professional and personal life. There is at least one crucial book in every reader’s list that helps to shape them.
E.M Foster’s A Passage to India led Wendy Doniger to study Sanskrit at Harvard and become the President of the Association for Asian Studies—and also reconnected her unexpectedly to her own Jewish roots. After reading The Secret Garden Christine A Jenkins switched from being a children’s librarian to seek out gay/lesbian literature for the young readers.
Susan Lohafer asserts: “A story creates a small world, a fake world, a tragic or a crazy one: it may be familiar, bizarre, tangible, abstract, reported or dreamed. It may be but the weirdest fragment, yet it will cast a rounded shadow on our minds...” (2)
Understanding the impact of reading on the mind of the reader, writing for children becomes a very difficult task. Only those who have been interested in the education of a family, who have patiently followed children in their various phases of reasoning, who have regularly studied their thought process and feelings—those who understand with what ease and rapidity the early association of ideas are formed are eligible to take up the Himalayan task. The authors must understand that the reading of their text will help in the development of the future taste, character and happiness. They must beware and acknowledge the dangers and difficulties of such an undertaking.
Award winning children’s writer Katherine Paterson states in a State of Wonder, her fascinating book on writing for children. “Mythology and fairy tales deal directly with archetypes...they help children...to face and conquer their inner dragons.”(3)
Parents of children are always very careful of not exposing the young minds to vice. It is however best that they receive an early shock with the representation of what they are to avoid. There is always a big gap between innocence and ignorance. This can be done effectively through stories. But then the exposure has to be tempered—calculated. To prevent the ideas of morality and of triumph of good over evil from tiring the ear and the mind, it is essential to make the stories dramatic, to keep alive hope, fear and curiousity.But the authors must keep from exhibiting false hopes which can never be realized.
Table of Contents
1. Writing With Care
2. Analysis of Children's Literature and Gender Roles
3. The Construction of Fairy Tales
4. The Role of Parental Guidance and Education
Objectives and Topics
This work examines the impact of reading and storytelling on children's development, specifically focusing on how traditional fairy tales shape gender ideologies and moral reasoning. The research question explores whether common narratives inadvertently reinforce regressive gender roles and unrealistic expectations, and advocates for a more conscious approach to children's literature to foster intellect and equality.
- The influence of narrative stories on professional and personal development.
- Critical analysis of gender representation in classical fairy tales like Cinderella.
- The psychological impact of "happy endings" and the pursuit of idealised lives.
- The necessity of parental guidance in differentiating between fantasy and reality.
- Educational approaches to children's literature based on historical texts like the Panchatantra.
Excerpt from the Book
Cinderella in its western form has consistently been rewritten and analyzed since Perrault first published Cendrillon in France in 1697. Robert Samber first translated it into English in 1729. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm included it in Kinder- und Hausmarchen, the first edition of which was published in 1812, the last in 1857. The composer Gioachino Rossini turned it into the opera La Ce nerentola in 1817, Rodgers and Hammerstein into a musical theatre production, and it has been the subject of many films, most notably the 1950 Disney animated film Cinderella, a 1955 film The Glass Slipper starring Leslie Caron, and a 1960 gender change in Cinderfella, starring Jerry Lewis.
When we read the story Cinderella a number of questions stare back at us and they undoubtedly nudge at the young readers too:
Is a step mother always cruel? How can a father be indifferent towards his own daughter? Why is Cinderella always passive? Do all girls remain pre-occupied with and wait anxiously for their prince charming? Why do girls quarrel over a man? Is marriage the ultimate goal of a female? Should girls choose only rich men as their life partners?
Stories like Cinderella only serve to reinforce the sexiest values. Girls are made to believe that good women are powerless,passive,subordinate to men and valued for their bodies.
Summary of Chapters
1. Writing With Care: Introduces the profound impact that stories have on a child's mind and the moral responsibility authors bear when shaping future character.
2. Analysis of Children's Literature and Gender Roles: Critically examines how female characters are portrayed in fairy tales and how these narratives enforce sex-linked moral values and gendered behavioral expectations.
3. The Construction of Fairy Tales: Discusses the structural differences between fantasy and fairy tales, arguing that the latter often encourages passivity and absolute submission to fate.
4. The Role of Parental Guidance and Education: Argues for the necessity of parental oversight and suggests pedagogical methods, such as those found in the Panchatantra, to cultivate critical intelligence and equality in children.
Keywords
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, Gender Roles, Cinderella Complex, Parental Guidance, Acculturation, Moral Values, Narrative Modes, Patriarchal Society, Education, Fantasy vs Reality, Panchatantra, Feminism, Character Development, Archetypes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this publication?
The work focuses on the critical analysis of children's literature, specifically examining how stories shape the thinking processes, moral values, and gender perceptions of young readers.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
The text covers the impact of stories on the developing mind, the reinforcement of regressive gender ideologies in fairy tales, and the necessity of conscious pedagogical guidance.
What is the primary objective of this research?
The objective is to highlight the dangers of unquestioned consumption of traditional stories and to advocate for a more thoughtful approach that promotes equality and intellect.
Which scientific or analytical methods are applied?
The author utilizes literary criticism and psychological analysis to evaluate narratives, drawing on historical texts and theoretical essays to support the findings.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body critiques the "Cinderella" narrative, analyzes gender-linked morality, discusses the role of parental guidance, and contrasts Western fairy tales with traditional educational stories like the Panchatantra.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Children's Literature, Gender Roles, Acculturation, Cinderella Complex, and Moral Values.
How does the author characterize the 'Cinderella complex'?
The author defines it as the assumption that if an individual suffers through significant hardship and abuse, they will eventually be rescued and rewarded by external forces, discouraging agency.
What role does the Panchatantra play in the author's argument?
The Panchatantra is presented as a positive model of educational literature that uses animal fables to teach children how to navigate life with intelligence, wit, and moral clarity.
What critique does the author level against traditional fairy tales?
The author argues that these tales are often "closed" narratives that promote passivity, unrealistic "happy endings," and a subordinate role for women in society.
Why does the author emphasize parental guidance?
Parental guidance is viewed as essential for helping children distinguish between reality and the often distorted or manipulative fantasies presented in popular stories.
- Quote paper
- Pragya Shukla (Author), 2011, Writing With Care, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/181121
