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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page reaction paper to an essay by Aviva Layton, "Grim Fairy Tales and Gory Stories." Historical scholarship shows that children reading fairy tales (and similarly violent tales) has been considered controversial since around 1800 (Should children). There is a tendency for adults to want to protected children from what is deemed "ugly, illogical, violent or frightening" (Should children). In a well-reasoned and persuasive essay, Avina Layton counters this tendency and argues that fairy tales provide a necessary and psychologically constructive outlet for the subliminal needs of human beings, which includes children. Rather than protest against the violence in fairy tales, Layton protests against mediocrity and the misplaced protectionism of adults that would shield children from worthwhile children's literature. Examination of Layton's essay shows her argument to be sound, as it coincides with what is readily observable in popular culture and childhood behavior. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khlayton.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
tendency for adults to want to protected children from what is deemed "ugly, illogical, violent or frightening" (Should children). In a well-reasoned and persuasive essay, Aviva Layton counters this tendency
and argues that fairy tales provide a necessary and psychologically constructive outlet for the subliminal needs of human beings, which includes children. Rather than protest against the violence in fairy
tales, Layton protests against mediocrity and the misplaced protectionism of adults that would shield children from worthwhile childrens literature. Examination of Laytons essay shows her argument to be sound, as
it coincides with what is readily observable in popular culture and childhood behavior. First of all, a summary of Laytons argument is appropriate prior to discussing its particularly points.
Layton begins by pointing out that the contemporary tendency in Western culture is to oppose depictions of violence. This trend has included addressing violence in childrens literature. Specifically, Layton pinpoints
protests that have been registered in some schools against the fairy tale figure of Mr. Miacca, who waits surreptitiously to catch misbehaving boys in order to dine on their bones.
Protests have also been lodged against two reading texts: Thrust and Focus, which have been used in the Toronto area. Layton recalls how, when she called a local library
to see if they had a certain picture book, the librarian informed her that the book was in their collection, but was not suitable for children, describing it as "menacing,"
"disturbing" and "tasteless." This picture book is based on Australian aboriginal legend and must be immensely popular as it took a long time for it to return to the
library. Considering these developments, Layton recalls other books, which are now accepted as childrens classics, which were initially evaluated by librarians and other adults as too intense to young readers,
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