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To: MetaThought

Thanks for asking.

In all stories throughout history, including some Asian fairy tales going back to before the Brothers Grimm recorded spoken tales, The classic story was what we know as a fairy tale.

The elements are clear and many are represented through symbols.

The theme is the hero(ine) has an epiphany through an encounter with and victory over true evil.

Girls fairy tales and boys fairy tales differ because girls and boys are different. That’s why boys inexplicably enjoy “The Lion King”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Princess Bride”,

Girls can watch boy stories, but boys have to endure “chick flicks” thorough suffering and much promise of reward.

What’s your favorite movie? Dont think just say it.

If you’re a girl, it’s most likely a girl fairy tale and vice versa, though girls, as I say, do enjoy stories about boys and heroism.

OK. Who’s the villian? What’s bad about him or her? How does the hero(ine) get rid of them? In the cas e of Snow white, the villian is the witch who dies via lightning bolt, not the direct act of snow white, but through grace she’s earned.

Who’s your villian. What drives ehem? Is he very bad? If so, that indicates a lack of fear, but of acceptance of the other side, healthy. How does the hero overcome the villian?

If it’s a girl movie, the villian is a mother figure, never a mother. A step mother.

In the very late part of the 20th Century, heros becam the creation of the writer. The writers, very flawed human beings parents entrust their children to, a reflection or illustration of what goes on in the school system. these writers make things up aout of pure fantasy, but the element of wha t good story is meant to do, equip a young mind to defend its soul by envisioning scenarios of choices he’ll have to make, is not there in these stories.

Have you seen HP or read any of these fantasy books? are they forgettable? do you feel bad when you are done, songing for the next installment, eager to read any thing lood?

Back up. Who is this guy? He is a boy whose boss is dark and who had rejecte dhis adoptive family and who is in no way good. He has no virtue other than relative virtue - he is nice to his friends. that’s regardless of whether they cast spells on people they don’t like.

WHat do they do to teach children how to behave.

OK. Read classics and see nothing but black and whites for the holidays. That includes things that were colored over IE, any Hollywood musical. No head banging music. A little scripture in the morning- a little! Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Katherine Hep, Audrey Hep, Marx Bros, Bogie, Brando (do not miss “On the Waterfront”), the Thin Man Series, “Band of Bros (but BEWARE the 9th reel! Porn!) Any musical- “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, Casually identify the villian and his fate.

Then look at this HP stuff and just for as long as you can take it. You’ll see.


24 posted on 12/10/2012 11:34:49 PM PST by stanne
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To: stanne

Oh, and I don’t mean that good movies or your favorite flick is a disney fluff piece. Tak YOUR fave. what ever it is. It will be a variation, if it’s not a documentary, on a fairy tale. all the elements being there.

“Dark Knight”, “Red Dawn”, “Kings Speech”, “27 Dresses”, “Hitch”, “The Other Guys” and/or “killers” (my personal favorite, which is an allegory of what to do when people try to break up the family and how a new father has much work to do getting bad elements out of the house to make room for the baby).


26 posted on 12/10/2012 11:41:21 PM PST by stanne
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To: stanne; MetaThought
Have you seen HP or read any of these fantasy books? are they forgettable? do you feel bad when you are done, songing for the next installment, eager to read any thing lood?

Back up. Who is this guy? He is a boy whose boss is dark and who had rejecte dhis adoptive family and who is in no way good. He has no virtue other than relative virtue - he is nice to his friends. that’s regardless of whether they cast spells on people they don’t like.

Thanks for this post. You're right. I've read all the HP books and agree with you. There's nothing transcendent about HP: nothing about him or his coterie touches on what is best and deepest in Western folklore or in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

HP has no center. Perhaps his author designed him that way, as a blank slate onto which the modern child reader (ideally blank, "tolerant" and "open-minded") could project his or her fantasies.

29 posted on 12/11/2012 12:10:58 AM PST by thecodont
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