Uses of Enchantment The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales

"Much of what has been written about fairy tales over the past hundred years, by psychologists as well as by folklorists, anthropologists, sociologists, and literary critics, seems to be unknown to [the author]....According to Bettelheim, the prejudice [against fairy tales] can have serious and destructive social effects....In my experience, it is not only adolescents deprived of fairy tales who take up with drugs and gurus. Still, if Bettelheim's long and well-argued defense convinces one parent to start telling his children bedtime stories, or persuades a single nervous teacher not to ban 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'Snow White', we should be grateful.Bettelheim, Bruno is the author of 'Uses of Enchantment The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales', published 1989 under ISBN 9780679723936 and ISBN 0679723935.