Dynamic Aspects of Fairy Tales: Social and emotional competence through fairy tales

This paper explores how fairy tales address various socio-emotional challenges with which children are confronted during the course of their socialisation. A structural theory of fairy tales is presented and then applied to the analyses of three literary versions of the Cinderella cycle; those of Giambattista Basile, Charles Perrault and the Grimm Brothers. The analysis shows that while Basile addresses the child's problematical development from a receiver of care to a giver, Perrault is concerned with the psychological foundation of haughtiness versus generosity, and Grimm with the child's grief over the loss of the mother. The results are discussed from a pedagogical perspective. It is argued that the combination of simplicity of form and complexity of content makes the fairy tale a powerful tool for perception of and reflection on emotions. The former renders openness to the text and a feeling of control to the child, thus allowing the child to relate to his or her own experiences. The latter offers substantial contributions to reflection on emotions. This is shown on different levels of meaning, the artistic, the mythical and the ludic, each having specific cognitive and emotional functions.