I won´t go to bed if you don´t tell me a nice tale tonight. Come on, one more fairy tale, and I promise, I´ll fall asleep.´ How many times have we listened to our very young children ask us to tell them a short story before going to bed? And how many times it was us who claimed for a extra tale for pleasure, sharing some time with our parents or just imagining we became a beautiful princess or a brave charming prince for some minutes until our eyes closed deeply and our parents tip-topped from our bedroom..?However, have you ever thought about the kind of fairy tales you usually tell your children? I guess you´ve never considered the fact that this type of literature we often use with young kids did not have them as their first and main receiver since they were not made with children in mind, but these little readers have been fascinated by this kind of stories for centuries. Actually many of the traditional fairy tales were not originally written as part of what we call CHILDREN´S LITERATURE.
Literature for children includes fiction, legends, myths, poems, fables, riddles, oral folktales, ballads and fairy tales,to sum up, all books intentionally written for children, though joke books, cartoon, nonfiction works and comic books which are not intended to be read from the front to back like encyclopedias or dictionaries, are not considered literature and so that, excluded. Most books written for young readers are illustrated.
Literature for children appeared in the second half of the eighteenth century, and reached the peak of its popularity in the twentieth century. Before that time childhood was not considered an important period in human life, so that there were not stories especially thought to be told to children. Of course, there have always been stories told orally to someone, but it could be either for both elder people and children without making any difference among them.
Remember that during the Middle Ages not everybody had access to books. Only few people could read in monasteries and palaces, and literature had an especific moral aim: religion and good manners were intended to be taught through books.
With the discovery of childhood there was a newfound emotional attachment and philosophical interest and investment in the child. On top of that, the invention of the printing press helped literature to develope: access to books became easier and children were able to begin reading those stories that they had listened to for years.
In the Seventeenth Century in France, Charles Perrault started a new gendre, the fairy tale including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard and Puss in Boots, often derived from pre-existing folk tales.
Two centuries later the Brothers Grimm, Jakob and Wilhem, also wrote down and preserved oral traditions in Germany which allowed the widespread knowledge of such tales as Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, Rumpelstiltskin and Hansel and Greter. The Danish Hans Christian Andersen, also published his beloved fairy tales: The Little Mermaid, The Emperor´s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen and others. These fairy tales spred all over the world inspiring many other works, and have been translated into a large number of languages.
Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland (published in England by Lewis Carroll) is considered to be one of the best examples of the genre of literary nonsense and has been broadly enjoyed by both, children and adults.
With the discovery of childhood there was a newfound emotional attachment and philosophical interest and investment in the child. On top of that, the invention of the printing press helped literature to develope: access to books became easier and children were able to begin reading those stories that they had listened to for years.
In the Seventeenth Century in France, Charles Perrault started a new gendre, the fairy tale including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard and Puss in Boots, often derived from pre-existing folk tales.
Two centuries later the Brothers Grimm, Jakob and Wilhem, also wrote down and preserved oral traditions in Germany which allowed the widespread knowledge of such tales as Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, Rumpelstiltskin and Hansel and Greter. The Danish Hans Christian Andersen, also published his beloved fairy tales: The Little Mermaid, The Emperor´s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen and others. These fairy tales spred all over the world inspiring many other works, and have been translated into a large number of languages.
Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland (published in England by Lewis Carroll) is considered to be one of the best examples of the genre of literary nonsense and has been broadly enjoyed by both, children and adults.
In recent years, scholarship in children's literature has gained in respectability. Furthermore, an increasing number of the traditional fairy tales have been popularized by numerous television, stage and film adaptations of the stories over the years.
Few of us are aware of how deeply fairy tales have influenced our culture, since they constitute a vital part of our storytelling capital. Romance, fears, anxieties, love and passion they show have kept them alive over the centuries. Up close and personal, fairy tales tell us about the quest for romance and riches, for power and privilege.
Not only have fairy tales always been read for moral values and used to make good citizens of little children, but also, as Maria Tattar claims, to help kids to develop the wit and courage needed to survive in a world ruled by adults.
