Welcome to the 3rd and final day of the Kidz Book Buzz Tour for Darkwood by M.E. Breen! What a fun tour this has been! I hope everyone has had a chance to check out this book and all of the great things that fellow bloggers are saying about it.
Since Darkwood is basically a fairy tale type of book geared toward older children, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk a bit about fairy tales. Every one grew up hearing at least one fairy tale story that may have stuck with them through the years. I wanted to mention how very interesting I find it that fairy tales, which are geared toward children, seem to have a "scary" theme to them. There is usually a wolf, witch, or some sinister character which lies in wait for it's victim.
One of my favorite places to go on the internet is Wikipedia - you can find just about anything there and they always have such great pictures and tidbits of information to check out. When I went there to check out what they had to say about fairy tales, this is a bit of what I found:
*A fairy tale is a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and talking animals, and usually enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events. In modern-day parlance, the term is also used to describe something blessed with princesses, as in "fairy tale ending" (a happy ending)[1] or "fairy tale romance", though not all fairy tales end happily. Colloquially, a "fairy tale" or "fairy story" can also mean any far-fetched story. Fairy tales commonly attract young children since they easily understand the archetypal characters in the story.
In cultures where demons and witches are perceived as real, fairy tales may merge into legendary narratives, where the context is perceived by teller and hearers as having historical actuality. However, unlike legends and epics they usually do not contain more than superficial references to religion and actual places, people, and events; they take place once upon a time[2] rather than in actual times.
Fairy tales are found in oral folktales and in literary form. The history of the fairy tale is particularly difficult to trace, because only the literary forms can survive. Still, the evidence of literary works at least indicates that fairy tales have existed for thousands of years, although not perhaps recognized as a genre; the name "fairy tale" was first ascribed to them by Madame d'Aulnoy. Literary fairy tales are found over the centuries all over the world, and when they collected them, folklorists found fairy tales in every culture. Fairy tales, and works derived from fairy tales, are still written today.
The older fairy tales were intended for an audience of adults as well as children, but they were associated with children as early as the writings of the précieuses; the Brothers Grimm titled their collection Children's and Household Tales, and the link with children has only grown stronger with time.
In his essay "On Fairy-Stories", J. R. R. Tolkien agreed with the exclusion of "fairies" from the definition, defining fairy tales as stories about the adventures of men in Faërie, the land of fairies, fairytale princes and princesses, dwarves, elves, and not only other magical species but many other marvels.[11] However, the same essay excludes tales that are often considered fairy tales, citing as an example The Monkey's Heart, which Andrew Lang included in The Lilac Fairy Book.[10] Other tales that include no magic but are often classified as fairy tales include What Is the Fastest Thing in the World? and Catskin.
Some folklorists prefer to use the German term Märchen to refer to the genre, a practice given weight by the definition of Thompson in his 1977 edition of The Folktale: "a tale of some length involving a succession of motifs or episodes. It moves in an unreal world without definite locality or definite creatures and is filled with the marvelous. In this never-never land, humble heroes[12] The characters and motifs of fairy tales are simple and archetypal: princesses and goose-girls; youngest sons and gallant princes; ogres, giants, dragons, and trolls; wicked stepmothers and false heroes; fairy godmothers and other magical helpers, often talking horses, or foxes, or birds; glass mountains; and prohibitions and breaking of prohibitions.[13] Italo Calvino cited the fairy tale as a prime example of "quickness" in literature, because of the economy and concision of the tales.[14]. kill adversaries, succeed to kingdoms and marry princesses."
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The idea of being able to communicate with animals is such an exciting and
fascination one. This is a talent displayed in Darkwood among Annie, her sister Page and one of the "bad guys" Gibbet. This talent forges a deep bond between humans and animals (in the case of Darkwood, the animals are Kinderstalk, or as they are really, "black wolves defined as *Warm-blooded and carnivorous Forest-dwelling. Similiar in form to Frigian Ice-wolf, with pelt of black or russet hue. Largely nocturnal, vision exceptionally keen. Habits unknown. Much feared for its eerie cry. Common folk names: Witch's Wolf, Kinderstalk." *from page 164 of Darkwood)Fairy Tales take on many meanings, many shapes and forms. A couple of my favorites are Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood. As a child, I never recall finding any fairy tales frightening - I think that perhaps it is just with adulthood and age, that childhood innocence sadly fades away leaving behind that ability to find fault or something unsettling within such simple things as stories. With Darkwood, I was able to revisit my thoughts on childhood fairy tales and delve into the shady world of myth and fantasy once again. I truly found the experience delightful and cannot wait to share this story with my children when they are a bit older. I also greatly look forward to further works by M.E. Breen!
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Please be sure to check out these other great bloggers, also on the Darkwood tour!
A Patchwork of Books, Abby the Librarian, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Never Jam Today, My Utopia, Through a Child’s Eyes, Through the Looking Glass Reviews
2 comments:
April, thank you for this wonderful post. Fairy tales have had such a big influence on my writing and my imagination, and I really appreciate you taking the time to delve into this aspect of Darkwood. There's a book about fairy tales you might find interesting called The Uses of Enchantment -- it examines them through the lens of Freudian psychology and discusses many of the issues you raise here. Some of it feels a little outdated, but there's plenty of fascinating stuff in there, too. Thanks again for this special post. And one more thing: awesome wolf picture! Best, M.E.
Hi M.E.! What an honor to have you stop by. Thank you so much. I am so glad that you enjoyed the post. I loved discovering more about the fairy tale aspect and look forward to learning even more. I am going to check out The Uses of Enchantment - it sounds very intriguing and I love the title! What fun to let your imagination open up, run wild and create such a wonderful world as Howland.
I found this picture along with the great fairy tale information and it stood out to me so much. It was exactly how I envisioned the kinderstalk in my mind as I read!
I greatly look forward to reading more of your work!
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