Narratives: Fairy Tales

Abstract

Ideas of Michel de Certeau and Seymour Chatman on narratives are explored. Narratives are suggested to be one of the most important ways we learn about the world, along with the logico-scientific mode. Ideas of Aristotle on narratives are considered along with his notion that art is based on imitation and his ideas about the nature of plot. M. M. Bakhtin’s theories about intertextuality are explored.

Application Theories by Bruno Bettelheim about importance of fairy tales to children’s development are explained, and basic elements of fairy tales are listed. Readers are asked to do a discourse analysis of a fairy tale, “Little Red Cap” (aka “Little Red Riding Hood”) focusing on the language and dialogue in the story.