⋙ Read Free The Uses of Enchantment Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales Peregrine Books Bruno Bettelheim 9780140551358 Books

The Uses of Enchantment Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales Peregrine Books Bruno Bettelheim 9780140551358 Books

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The Uses of Enchantment Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales Peregrine Books Bruno Bettelheim 9780140551358 Books

I read this back in the 70's and loved it. It is deep, thoughtful, and interesting. I bought this copy and have now hypnotized my grandchildren to do chores, go to bed on time, trim my toe nails, and avoid any old men who look creepy and wear red capes. Seriously though, we don't realize the power of fairy tales or metaphor. I actually recommend it to all parents. It helps to create your own bed time stories, and to understand our time-tested favorites.


Tags : The Uses of Enchantment: Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (Peregrine Books) [Bruno Bettelheim] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Dr. Bettleheim has written this book t help adults become aware of the irreplaceable importance of tairy tales. By revealing the true content of such stories,Bruno Bettelheim,The Uses of Enchantment: Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (Peregrine Books),PENGUIN BOOKS LTD,0140551352,mon0001560082,Psychology,Popular psychology

The Uses of Enchantment Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales Peregrine Books Bruno Bettelheim 9780140551358 Books Reviews

Myths, Legends, Folklore, and Fairy Tales comprise the historical frame of reference for all our organized beliefs, theories, and speculations about the nature of man and our place in the cosmos. Bruno Bettelheim, with his thorough academic background and his ability to organize and explain the material, gives us a key piece of the puzzle which has fascinated scholars, theologians, philosophers, poets, writers, and story tellers since the beginnings of our civilization. His orientation is psychoanalytic, which at first glance might seem pedantic and overly specialized. It should not. The discipline itself is based in Ancient Greek literature which deals with the many wanderings of the human soul. Making sense of those wanderings, together with the admonition, "Know thyself," is the aim of psychoanalysis. It is also the aim of those early repositories of wisdom who first spun the yarns we have come to know as Fairy Tales. These stories have meaning which is specifically designed to guide us down the paths of our lives with courage, wisdom, compassion, heroism, and a sense of the eternal hope of success. Bettelheim does a remarkable job in driving these points home. For the lover of knowledge and wisdom, The Uses of Enchantment The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales is a valuable tool, to put it mildly.
I bought this for my daughter in law as she expressed an interest when I told her about it. This book is a classic on the meaning of fairy tales in the psychological development of the personality starting with very young children.
Wow. Often disturbing but so insightful into the hidden possibilities of the meanings of original fairy tales. I found a lot of inspiration in this book to use with my classes. I would highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys learning about another perspective of some of the most famous stories ever told.
I had to purchase this book for an English composition class and I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed reading this book. It was fun to read the analysis of many famous fairy tale stories.
It is well known that storytelling is an innate expression of civilization, in an effort to define who we are and to make sense of the world. The fairy tale is an important part of this tradition that has a long and rich history spanning thousands of years.

First published in 1975, Bruno Bettleheim, one of Sigmund Freud's followers and an important contributor to psychoanalysis, has written an incredible book, suggesting that the fairy tale has a pedagogical use, educating the child about the struggles in life, that these struggles are an intrinsic aspect of existence. Following Plato, he believes that the literary education of children should begin with the telling of myths. In other words, the fairy tale can present models for behaviour, providing meaning and value to our lives. This wonderful book expresses this view extremely well and also provides a frame of reference towards the child's overall psychological development.

I have read Freud for some years, and nowhere, including Freud himself, have I read a more succinctly expressed view on the ultimate purpose of psychoanalysis, than in this book by Dr. Bettleheim, he writes,

"Psychoanalysis was created to enable man to accept the problematic nature of life without being defeated by it, or giving in to escapism. Freud's prescription is that only by struggling courageously against what seems like unwieldy odds can man succeed in wringing meaning out of existence." (P.8)

Fairy tales inform us about life's struggles, hardships and the reality of death. From Bettleheim's point of view, the fairy tale is a "manifold form" that communicates to the child, educates them, against life's vagaries and realities, which are the unavoidable aspects of our existence. More specifically, the fairy tale is an educational tool to help children grow and develop into adults. He goes on to say that the child needs to be given "...suggestions in symbolic form about how he may deal with these issues and grow safely into maturity." (P.9)

Bettleheim adeptly sets out to prove his theses by analysing well known fairy tales in the context of psychoanalytic theory, persuasively arguing the value of these tales towards the child's psychological development.

If you are interested in psychoanalysis and would like to know more about the profound positive effects the telling of fairy tales can have on our young, this incredible book is indispensable.
This is an important book for the healthy psychological development of children (and adults, too). It offers insight into the lasting value of these old tales, which were created and have been passed along for reasons far beyond, and infinitely more enriching, than merely entertainment. Even having been a fan of fairy tales and myths as vehicles for growth and transformation for years, I learned much through reading this thoughtful book.
I met this famous man and have always respected his idea about the fairy tale figures and their deeper meaning in the minds of children. I'll never look at fairy tales quite the same way anymore. But don't tell your children what Bruno said was the meaning of the story. Let their imaginations go to work and take them where they need it to go.
I read this back in the 70's and loved it. It is deep, thoughtful, and interesting. I bought this copy and have now hypnotized my grandchildren to do chores, go to bed on time, trim my toe nails, and avoid any old men who look creepy and wear red capes. Seriously though, we don't realize the power of fairy tales or metaphor. I actually recommend it to all parents. It helps to create your own bed time stories, and to understand our time-tested favorites.