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christa wusinich's picture

"spinning out daydreams"

It would not have occured to me that as I read a fairytale to a child, she is "spinning out daydreams," identifying (unbeknownst to her) her unconscious self with the elements/characters in the fairytale.  Bettleheim has informed me of this.  By not exposing a child to fairytales , Bettelheim infers, thus asphixiating/repressing/silencing her unconscious self, she is stymied in the devlopment of her personality.  Specificaly, Bettleheim insists on the unparallelled value of the folk fairytale, giving myths and cautionary tales their own lesser merits.  I am not sure of this myself; that proper parenting demands the reading or recounting of fairytales.  But if I were a parent, I would rather not run the risk; I would heed Bettleheim's own cautionary assertions. 

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