We went to the Florence Griswold museum this weekend to see their fall family-friendly exhibition of fairy-tale birdhouses arrayed across the scenic grounds (yes, it's where we saw the fairy houses two years ago). These fantastic, whimsical artistic creations, more sculpture than shelter, depicted aspects of well- and little-known fairy tales.
And thankfully, we'd spent the week shoring up our knowledge of fairy tales by reading a couple every night. Because the kids haven't seen most of the Disney movies, the stories of Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and the like were new to them. But even if they'd seen the movies, these were different versions--no, not the PC or feminist versions out there--the traditional gross, violent, harshly just Grimms and Anderson versions, with the blinding of Sleeping Beauty's prince, the burning-at-the-stake of the witch tormenting Snow White, the torturous hot-iron shoes of Cinderella's stepmother, the sacrificial death of the Little Mermaid, etc. Sis said, "Mom, are all fairy tales so wicked?'
Yes, yes, they are.
But that's the point. Children on their own (which is why the parents are dead or even oppressive) navigate their quests through a scary, harsh world full of good and evil and usually triumph (sometimes with sacrifices or help). Consider their origins. Of course, it's not real, because of the magic, but the notions of good and evil are perhaps accurate in that they exist, have power, and also a remote chance of winning (which they don't, often, in sanitized versions). However, the stories aren't perfect. Again, consider their origins. We had to address the sexism, racism, and entitlement in the stories, with Jack stealing from the giants and Hansel and Gretel eating the witch's house and the rescues of several of the helpless women. We also learned a few things: don't take food from strangers; 16 is a dangerous age for girls; and cleverness really helps.
They knew most of the stories as we wandered searching for the birdhouses. My favorite was an elaborate wooden creation with straw, gold thread, and a tower, all built on a real spinning wheel. Yep, Rumpelstiltskin. Sis liked the birdhouse of Little Red Riding Hood, but only because there was a bunny hidden in the woods. Bud preferred the Wizard of Oz (which we hadn't read but I'd told them the bare essentials), complete with Dorothy's house on the Witch with the red slippers and a yellow road leading through poppies to an Emerald City. Mama liked the Owl and the Pussycat, with its detailed interior decoration inside a guitar, compete with photos of the lovebirds. We also enjoyed meeting the artist of the Country Mouse and the City Mouse and talking to her about her creative process; she also read the story to a group of kids.
We had picked up a great little lunch beforehand, from a cafe run by Laotian refuges--Mama loved the pho and two kinds of rolls (fresh and fried). But we grew hungry during our ramblings and picked up a cheese platter (mmm, Winsleydale! Bud liked it too), cookies (lime in Lyme!), and brownies at the museum. We even got ice cream afterwards--chocolate and strawberry, of course, plus pumpkin and ginger (very citrusy and fresh).
Our fairy-tale adventure actually ended the next day as we watched Into the Woods, the Sondheim musical merging several stories. The kids enjoyed identifying the characters and the plots ("What story is the baker?" Sis wanted to know) hummed along to the tunes, but didn't see the second act because, well, Mama and I weren't ready to explain how everything gets messed up and then fixed, in its own way. Some other weekend. We finished the weekend by reading Eloise, a modern fairy tale included among the birdhouses. The kids seemed nonplussed by, even uninterested in, Eloise's precocious ways at the Plaza. Thank goodness.
Because fairy tales are fun to read but no one really wants to live in one . . . especially the traditional ones!
And thankfully, we'd spent the week shoring up our knowledge of fairy tales by reading a couple every night. Because the kids haven't seen most of the Disney movies, the stories of Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and the like were new to them. But even if they'd seen the movies, these were different versions--no, not the PC or feminist versions out there--the traditional gross, violent, harshly just Grimms and Anderson versions, with the blinding of Sleeping Beauty's prince, the burning-at-the-stake of the witch tormenting Snow White, the torturous hot-iron shoes of Cinderella's stepmother, the sacrificial death of the Little Mermaid, etc. Sis said, "Mom, are all fairy tales so wicked?'
Yes, yes, they are.
But that's the point. Children on their own (which is why the parents are dead or even oppressive) navigate their quests through a scary, harsh world full of good and evil and usually triumph (sometimes with sacrifices or help). Consider their origins. Of course, it's not real, because of the magic, but the notions of good and evil are perhaps accurate in that they exist, have power, and also a remote chance of winning (which they don't, often, in sanitized versions). However, the stories aren't perfect. Again, consider their origins. We had to address the sexism, racism, and entitlement in the stories, with Jack stealing from the giants and Hansel and Gretel eating the witch's house and the rescues of several of the helpless women. We also learned a few things: don't take food from strangers; 16 is a dangerous age for girls; and cleverness really helps.
They knew most of the stories as we wandered searching for the birdhouses. My favorite was an elaborate wooden creation with straw, gold thread, and a tower, all built on a real spinning wheel. Yep, Rumpelstiltskin. Sis liked the birdhouse of Little Red Riding Hood, but only because there was a bunny hidden in the woods. Bud preferred the Wizard of Oz (which we hadn't read but I'd told them the bare essentials), complete with Dorothy's house on the Witch with the red slippers and a yellow road leading through poppies to an Emerald City. Mama liked the Owl and the Pussycat, with its detailed interior decoration inside a guitar, compete with photos of the lovebirds. We also enjoyed meeting the artist of the Country Mouse and the City Mouse and talking to her about her creative process; she also read the story to a group of kids.
We had picked up a great little lunch beforehand, from a cafe run by Laotian refuges--Mama loved the pho and two kinds of rolls (fresh and fried). But we grew hungry during our ramblings and picked up a cheese platter (mmm, Winsleydale! Bud liked it too), cookies (lime in Lyme!), and brownies at the museum. We even got ice cream afterwards--chocolate and strawberry, of course, plus pumpkin and ginger (very citrusy and fresh).
Our fairy-tale adventure actually ended the next day as we watched Into the Woods, the Sondheim musical merging several stories. The kids enjoyed identifying the characters and the plots ("What story is the baker?" Sis wanted to know) hummed along to the tunes, but didn't see the second act because, well, Mama and I weren't ready to explain how everything gets messed up and then fixed, in its own way. Some other weekend. We finished the weekend by reading Eloise, a modern fairy tale included among the birdhouses. The kids seemed nonplussed by, even uninterested in, Eloise's precocious ways at the Plaza. Thank goodness.
Because fairy tales are fun to read but no one really wants to live in one . . . especially the traditional ones!
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