On The Uses of Enchantment

I took this book from Nanny's collection when we cleared her house to be sold. Two years later, I discover its relevance.


Essentially, Bettelheim claims that fairy tales are essential to healthy human development. Obviously, they do not relate realistic scenarios, but children employ their underlying themes in their psychological development. For example, one boy loved the story of "Jack the Giant Killer." Being small, as children are, the boy felt powerless against the authority of the world around him. Jack, in the story, eliminates the giants with his wit and guile. The boy knows that giants do not exist, "but grown-ups are kind of like giants, aren't they?"