Professional Documents
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influential today, on the one hand because it rehabilitates fairy tales, and
on the other hand because it proves
that these can contribute to the understanding of childrens inner life.
The uses of enchantment was the first
comprehensive study in fairy tale research to be based on Freudian psychoanalysis.
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Bettelheims advocacy for fairy tales
as part of child raising, their opinions
were very much divided about his
interpretations of fairy tales, which
make up the second part of the book.
Essentially 2 aspects were identified as pitfalls of psychoanalytical
fairy-tale interpretation (cf. Hoeppel,
1994, p. 218): firstly, the fairy-tale
texts were used by Bettelheim to
confirm and illustrate his theory, in
which process, according to his critics, important aspects of content fell
by the wayside. Secondly, Bettelheim
is criticized for not having sufficiently
reflected on the subjectivity of his
interpretation of the fairy tales. But:
This weakness of the second part of
the book could also be its strength,
if it challenges readers to contradict
Bettelheim and to interpret the message of the fairy tales differently, and
thus also to some extent subjectively.
(ibid., 1994, p. 218)3
Heike vom Orde, M.A. (IZI)
Notes
Translated from German source
Translated from German source
Translated from German source
1
2
3
References
Bettelheim, Bruno (1989). The uses of enchantment:
the meaning and importance of fairy tales. New York:
Vintage Books.
Eltern family (2009, ed.). Ich liebe Mrchen, wenn
meine Oma sie mir erzhlt. Eltern family (12). 40-41.
Hoeppel, Rotraut (1994). Kinder brauchen Mrchen.
In Roland Kaufhold (ed.), Annherung an Bruno Bettelheim (pp. 207-219). Mainz: Matthias-Grnewald.
Kaufhold, Roland (ed.) (1994). Annherung an Bruno Bettelheim. Mainz: Matthias-Grnewald.
Mai, Gabi (2007). Bruno Bettelheims Pdagogik und
Milieutherapie unter besonderer Bercksichtigung
seiner lebensgeschichtlichen Prgung. Dissertation,
Universitt Heidelberg. Retrieved from http://www.
ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/12304 [12.09.12]
Sutton, Nina (1996). Bruno Bettelheim auf dem Weg
zur Seele des Kindes. Hamburg: Hoffmann & Campe.