The aim of the paper is to present several fairy tales from Giuseppe Pitrè's collection as a potentially interesting reading material for children. Since classical fairy tales in some cases depict traditional gender roles, they can present an obstacle to children's gender construction. Therefore, it is also important to read those stories which do…

One hundred popular children's books for ages 0-6 were selected from a local metropolitan library system with data from 10 library branches. These frequently checked out books were then analyzed for how disabilities were represented in the books. This study found that only a few books checked out of the library represent children with differing…

This paper presents and discusses the responses of a class of first-grade students and a class of fourth-grade students to the elements of psychological maltreatment in the fairy tales "Cinderella" and "The Twelve Months." Responses of the first-grade students indicate that both boys and girls felt that the fairy tale heroine let herself be…

This article considers the cultural messages embedded in the patriarchal canon of fairy tales and their implications for the construction of gender-appropriate behavior. The characteristics of feminist re-visions of fairy tales are discussed, and studies that explore the importance of access to alternative discourses in order for children to…

This booklet examines folk tales and fairy stories derived from folk wisdom from the standpoint that they are not an escape from reality, but that they help people deal with the reality that technology cannot explain. The book focuses on the pros and cons of folk and fairy tales and on their nature and function. It also presents an analysis of a…

Searched cross-cultural collections and found that, of 2,500 fairy tales reviewed, only two percent featured older adults as protagonists. Discusses six themes from these stories which contain valuable folk wisdom about psychological development in later life. (Author/ABB)

A nation's folk literature offers a window into its people and their beliefs across time and geographic locations. Whether the stories are tall tales, creation stories, or fairy tales, they reveal insights into the make-up of the populace--what they believe, what motivates them, what their attitudes are, how they behave, and how time and place…

Describes a project designed to test the feminist hypothesis that the Cinderella-style fairytales promoted by Anglo-American society harmfully reinforce restrictive images of girlhood and womanhood. Results indicate that girls 9 to 11 years of age are "resisting readers," able to criticize and manipulate--as well as enjoy--the gender images…

Analysis of three Native American Cinderella-type tales finds that although each has flaws in depicting Native American culture, overall they are culturally accurate and respectful. Such tales can be used as teaching tools to help children understand Native American cultures and beliefs while making them aware of how culture and beliefs can easily…

Stories from oral tradition such as legends, myths, and fairy tales may more fully describe reality than any newscast for young children. As Bruno Bettelheim points out, stories meet the psychological need of all human children. The Yakima Indian legend "When Mosquitos Ate People" can be used in a flannel board story telling setting with young…

Analyzes and introduces folklore and fairy tales of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Hmong, and Southeast Asian cultures as compared to Western fairy tales and Western corruptions of Asian tales. Reviews several titles currently available and introduces the scholarly literature on Asian folk tales designed for Asian American parents. (JB)

This paper presents a brief survey of interdisciplinary Danish studies in experimental reader response since 1965. The paper describes nine projects or studies, including information on their purposes and methods, stages, persons responsible, supporters, funding institutions, internal reports, and publications. Project titles include…

This paper presents a history of Danish studies in reader response research, including the addition of questionnaires to the research. The paper describes nine studies in reader response research, including information on their stages, persons responsible, supporters, funding institutions, internal reports, and publications. Five additional…

Written literature has evolved over a long period to an entity separate from oral tradition. Written literature aspired to perpetuation, to the creation of written "monuments." This aspiration caused authors to find the means of multiplying authentic versions so that they could popularize their "original" form unchanged. On the…

To put the interdisciplinary Turko-Danish Fairytale Project, which is concerned with the dynamics of reader response to literature, into a theoretical framework, this paper first describes how modern aesthetics take an interdisciplinary approach and investigate--by cross cultural approaches and in human behavior terms--the phenomenon of art and…