Disclaimer: I make a lot of definite statements in this post that most of you are not going to agree with. I don't expect or want you to agree with me, only because the world needs diversity and I know that I'm slightly mad. Let's agree to disagree, shall we?
I'm fascinated by mythology and old fairy tales. I'm especially infatuated by the idea of taking these ancient stories and giving them a contemporary spin. I've written poetry before about fairies who fall in love with a man in modern times, and I've had a story about a lesbian capturing a selkie and making her her lover. I've already mentioned that I'd like to make a series of knitted objects based on fairy tales.
For me, fairy tales are a door into the world of dream. They are real and yet finding them in our waking life is very rare. This gets even rarer as we age and the world tells us that, if you cannot capture something, cut it open, and inspect its innards, it does not exist. Those stories don't work like that though. Our relationship to them is symbiotic. We provide a place for them in our world (unfortunately this place is shrinking fast), and they give us escape and wonder.
There is certainly an escapist aspect to all of this, because they are a quick and easy way out of a reality that can sometimes feel very constrictive (at least for me anyway). There are all sorts of old tales to explain the wind, the rain, the death of a baby, everything, and by virtue of the fact that these are still a part of our folklore, we keep them alive. I believe that the day we let go of the whimsy and power that these old tales call forth is the day humanity has lost its soul.
Thing to be grateful for today: Late-night blog inspiration.
I saw nothing at all in that post to disagree with. What part did you expect to be controversial?
ReplyDeleteWell, I didn't figure you would, Lauren. I think a lot of people are going to disagree with the importance that I place upon fairy tales.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever read any Joseph Campbell? He's a philosopher with an anthropological bent who wrote extensively about how mankind has shaped and been shaped by mythology (fairy tales are a subset of myth). Really interesting stuff and your post was very much in line with his school of thought.
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't. I know a lot of his theory though. He's on my, "I'll read that one day" list.
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