Little Red Riding Hood... Cartoon?

Finding a cartoon for with a theme centralized around Little Red Riding Hood was much harder than I could have imagined. There was just way too much to choose from.  I finally narrowed it down to two: a print cartoon and a video parody created by Monty Python (which, although is not a cartoon per say, it is still hilarious and I thought I would include it).

The print cartoon, created by Mark Parisi, is a social cartoon that uses the common known story of Little Red Riding Hood to argue that technology has taken over and many of the classic pieces of literature, ways of communicating, and classic stories have been updated in a poor manner to meet the social requirements of technology.

http://offthemark.com/search-results/key/red+ridinghood/

I really enjoy this cartoon not so much for the imagery but specifically for the line, “The Classics, Updated.” That simple fragment tells so much of the social impact of the world. Think about how much of “The Classics” have been maintained throughout history. The vast majority of classics, from fairy tales to literature may not have been physically altered on purpose, but overtime things have been simplified, put on the internet, put on television, put on the big screen in feature films. Think of Shakespeare for example. In order for many people to understand his works, people use ‘spark notes’ or ‘No Fear Shakespeare’. Not only that, but his creations have been transferred on video and even if recreated word for word with his plays, the director always has a different interpretation and one that is intended to positively attract the audience.  Because of this, I completely agree with this cartoon as, especially, fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, have been altered over time and can possibly vary greatly from the original orally spoken tales.

Monty Python’s Little Red Riding Hood (above) is very different from the cartoon I previously mentioned. I do not think there is a hidden meaning behind it. I just think it was something funny that would entertain their audience and it obviously succeeded as I greatly enjoy it! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKbWdgW6sD8

The skit pokes fun at the beauty of Little Red Riding Hood (played by John Cleese) and the aggressiveness of the wolf (played by a small dog). For the most part, the skit followed the general guidelines of the tale until the wolf arrived at the grandmother’s house and Buzz Aldrin answered the door. This sudden change in plot pokes fun at the idea that anything can happen in fairy tales and there is no judgement by the audience. Everything is accepted in fairy tales as well as in Monty Python skits, even the random.

Both cartoons have successfully poked fun at the story of Little Red Riding Hood and although both had different intentions (the print cartoon to expose the take over of technology and the Monty Python skit primarily for entertainment), both were entertaining and enjoyable to view.

The Psychologist's Journey

Fortunately, our class had the pleasure of hearing a lecture from Dr. Mazeroff pertaining to psychology and fairy tales, particularly psychoanalysis and fairy tales.  All that he said from the interesting Freud facts to Jungian analysis of Hansel and Gretel was very interesting to me but, just coming to class straight from Intro to Psychology I had already heard much of that information. I knew of the Id, Ego, and Superego. I understood the concepts of the conscious, preconscious, and subconscious. But, what I did not already know was how all this applied to the fairy tales I loved as a child. 

     Never would I have thought to analyze fairy tales from a psychological standpoint, or any standpoint for that matter. As far as I knew, fairy tales were just stories that I always took for granted and believed and never doubted as a child. This lecture, though, made me realize how much depth even what I thought of as children’s literature really has.  From the presence of the Id in Hansel and Gretel when they began eating at the witch’s house to the presence of many symbols and archetypes such as the oven, symbolizing transformation.  All these combined allowed me to close my eyes and dream of a world much bigger than my own. A world of fairy tales in which not only is everything possible, but everything contributes to the endless possibilities, whether that is historical timelines, cultures, or psychology.

I found this article and I thought it applied very well to what was discussed in class about psychoanalysis and fairy tales: 

http://www.freudfile.org/psychoanalysis/fairy_tales.html

By far, the topic covered by Dr. Mazeroff that intrigued me the most was the concept of the Hero’s Journey. I was amazed by not only the concept, but the commonality of this structure throughout fairy tales and modern life.  This led me to find the following video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMl9cLz2b_s

     I found this video very interesting, especially the conclusion of it as it made me realize how we are all living a fairy tale as we speak. Even though I am not going to go off and marry a prince or kiss a frog, I am following in the hero’s journey and that can start off as something as simple as making a decision or helping someone else along their journey.

     The amount of psychoanalysis that can go into fairy tales is astonishing. Think about it, every fairy tale follows a Hero’s Journey; every fairy tale can be analyzed down to find the Id, Ego, and Superego; and every fairy tale contains archetypes that contribute to the story greatly.

     Dr. Mazeroff’s lecture definitely gave me insight to psychoanalysis among fairy tales and it has caused to me continue thinking about the ideas of psychology and applying it to my everyday life. I have been attempting to locate the Id, Ego, and Superego in the television shows I watch, in the songs I listen to, and even in the friends I eat dinner with. Overall, I have learned that not only is psychology in real life but it is also prominent in fairy tales as real life can be conceived as one giant fairy tale of intertwined stories.

The Everlasting Question: What is a Fairy Tale?

        The concept of a fairy tale is one that I always felt extremely confident in. From growing up listening to such stories, I was always mesmerized by them and, until now, I have always believed I knew what a fairy tale was.  But, now thinking about it, I am not entirely sure I completely knew the answer to that question.

        Based on readings from class, I have attained a much better grasp of the true definition of a fairy tale, but I definitely still have much more learning to do in the subject.  From the knowledge I have acquired the past two weeks, I know a fairy tale is a verbally passed story that is on a one-dimensional plane; meaning the characters and setting are simplified with limited details. These tales also generally follow a pattern with slight variations between stories. For example, many, if not all fairy tales, begin with an introduction of the hero and setting followed by a problem and journey, introduction of a villain and helpers, and triumph and return with a solution to complete the tale.  

http://www.puzzlehouse.com/fairytales.htm

        For me, the most interesting aspect of a fairy tale is that it is never doubted. No matter what events take place throughout the tale, the reader/listener never thinks deeply into its aspects. One may interpret the motifs of the story, but one will rarely doubt the actions and characters throughout the story. For example, when the princess kisses the frog and he turns into a prince, the audience never says, “Well, thats not possible!” We take it for granted. We believe and are immersed within the tale. By far, I love this piece of the definition. Even though the characters and settings are so flat, the audience is so attracted to the story that nothing else seems to matter. 

        With origins unknown and many cultural spins on each story, fairy tales may be one of the most interesting forms of art in the world. They apply to everyone everywhere and their morals and characters can apply to everyone. Whether one listener relates to the hero and another to the helper, each character plays a vital role throughout the story and has an application to the real world making the fairy tale a multifunctional piece of art that, although it is has “depthlessness” in itself, its effects are so vast that its application seem never-ending.

My Reasons-My Intentions-My Favorites

Since this is my first blog, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Leigh and I am currently a college student enrolled in a class pertaining to Fairy Tales and everything there is to know about them! I have only had two classes so far but it seems like it is going to be a fun semester. 

One might ask, “Why take a class on fairy tales?” and believe me, I wondered the same thing. It all started at my previous institution. I began my freshman college experience at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania before transferring for my second semester. While there, every freshmen was required to take two semesters of the “Common Intellectual Experience” (CIE). 

Here is a link to the Fall 2010 CIE Curriculum:

 http://www.ursinus.edu/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=2614

While I was in the class, a couple of the readings varied but for the most part the class was the same.

Anyway, I was in this class and fortunately I had an interesting teacher. Nobody really enjoyed the class, curriculum wise, but I at least enjoyed my professor. She was from Germany and was a German teacher at the college and was assigned to a CIE section. One day, she told us about how fairy tales in Germany do not end in ‘Happily Ever After’ but some of our favorite fairy tales contain gore and things we would never think of as a child. This is what interested me in the idea of fairy tales differing based on cultures and, when I saw the class was offered at my college, I decided it was worth my while to expand my knowledge in the subject.

Throughout this class, I hope to accomplish many things. I hope to improve my writing ability, critical reading ability, etc. But, I especially wish to expand my knowledge in a subject that seems intriguing and experience a course that I never in my wildest dreams thought would be offered at a college.

When I was younger, I hear many fairy tales as a child and watched many Disney movies, my favorite being The Lion King, although not a folk tale (at least as far as I know). Other than this popular Disney film, some of my favorite folk tales include Goldilocks, the Three Little Pigs, and Thumbelina. Other than these, one of my favorites is not technically a fairy tale but contains many elements of one and that is The Princess Bride. This is by far my favorite because it contains fairy tale elements of all different sorts. It is clever, funny, entertaining, romantic, and moral. If one has not seen the film I would highly recommend it.  I loved these tales so much that when I was younger I could recite many of them and to this day, I can watch The Princess Bride film and talk along with the dialogue. 

Generally, I enjoy fairy tales and have enjoyed them in the past so I hope this course opens my eyes to the vast world of spoken stories and their history throughout time.