Mirror Mirror on the wall.....As for mirrors:-

R wrote "I've been meaning to do the apple a day for sometime now. Not sure in what way yet, perhaps Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Wasn't there a Prince Charming to the rescue in that story?"  

Clara - One of the rather 'grim' fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers; I have wondered at times at their violent nature,  when reading such stories to young children (but they  love them!)   I can't count the number of times I have been asked to repeatedly read Cinderella to one child (male). It was a long and rather tedious version and of course any verbal editing was instantly picked up.

"Snow White" was first collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and was translated into English in the 1820s. Its present status as one of the best loved of the stories collected by the Grimm brothers seems to derive from the fact that in 1937, Walt Disney turned it into an animated film. In the film the seven dwarfs have been given names, and personalities to match those names: Happy, Sleepy, Doc, Bashful  

Yes, there was a Prince Charming, but he was relatively unimportant since all he did was look at Snow White as she lay under glass, thought she was beautiful and kissed her - which brought her out of her coma.  (A  little like Robin Hood did with Maid Marion). And as far as the apple was concerned, it is not a good association since it was poisoned. 

No, what this story is about is far more sinister........  'Wicked Stepmothers and MIRRORS!!  And much much more - perhaps the forerunner to Anorexia, Narcissism, Obsession with Appearance, Shallow Hal etc 

 "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? " is not a good question to ask in the first place.  Fraught with difficulty, before you even get an answer. 

As far as stepmothers are concerned, one theory is that folktales use the figure of the stepmother in order to say things about rivalries and mother/daughter relationships and relationships between older and younger women which are unacceptable when said about actual mothers, (who are often killed off early in the story so they can be left on a pedestal.) 

The simple social reality of the time, however could be that so many women died in childbirth that stepmothers were a common fact of life, who might also be keen to safeguard their birthchildren's access to limited resources, such as available Princes, as in Cinderella.

As for mirrors, I learnt in my photography course, that they turn you back the front so obviously they can't be trusted. 









Footnote- Bruno Bettelheim, a child psychologist, famous for his research on autism, recommends in his book, 'The Uses of Enchantment', that "children be immersed in the world of fantasy and fairy tales throughout their childhood since reading fairy tales contributes toward their healthy and confident attitudes about the challenges and terrors of this life."



Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au
 http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/

Unforgettable Story of Mothers and Daughters

Hi R

Just finished "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch.   The reviews were polarised - despite the relentless difficulties encountered, I found it to be a good read and will be looking out for other books by the same author - "A Room of One's Own, "Black Warrior Review", and "Rain City Riview". 

FROM -  the story of the incredibly complex relationship between a self-absorbed "free spirit" and the daughter who wants nothing more than to be loved unconditionally as a child should be. When Ingrid is jailed for murder, so starts the long and rocky journey of Astrid as she moves from foster home to foster home."

AND -  "An unforgettable story of mothers and daughters, burgeoning sexuality, the redemptive powers of art, and the unstoppable force of the emergent self. 

TO - "Astrid must learn how to survive in this new environment, according to the laws set in each home. During this time, she latches on to the few people who bother to care about her, but with each heartbreak and each physical trauma, Astrid learns to become more and more independent. Her mother keeps a constant presence throughout the novel, as Ingrid’s frequent letters continue to work at shaping her daughter.

Through all this, Astrid attempts to figure out who she is and where she came from. Actually, Astrid learns a lesson or two in each of the many foster homes she lives in. No need to worry if the lessons are a bit elusive: Fitch spells them out in the end of the novel in her neat and ultimately dissatisfying conclusion. The problem is that Fitch attempts to pen an ending that will please all, while seemingly ignoring the theme of survival in a cruel world that was prevalent in the rest of the novel."

I always feel a sense of loss when I finish a book which engages me, as though a friend has walked out of my life, but the good part is that now I can now immerse myself in the almost unbearably suspenseful "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova'.

 Click link below for film review.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=An6T_66uHLI

Clara
ps - be careful of those Oleanders!

"If we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time." Edith Wharton

R wrote -  One of my favorite authors is Edith Wharton. I read anything of hers I can get my hands on. She was the first woman to win a pulitzer. I just finished a short story called "the bunner sisters". Found it on my Kindle...for free.  She wrote about women and life back when it wasn't the thing to do.

Born 1862 New York City
Died 1937 (aged 75)

Occupation Novelist, short story writer, designer


 "If we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time."
Edith Wharton

"Beware of monotony; it's the mother of all the deadly sins."
Edith Wharton


Clara says - "A good book is the antidote to monotony; how else can we have the incredible ability to mind read?"

I love having books recommended to me and find myself to be attracted to books by women about women.  Google'd Edith and like the sound of her work  - life was so different for women in that era. Were the women in her books as happy/happier than women today?   I'll have a look in Vinnies (St Vincents Thrift shop, where I buy most of my books, then pass them on to others.  Could go to the library but I tend to take too long to read  a book as I read at bedtime and nod off.  

A group of women, along with the photography tutor (who was wearing a tartan scarf which reflected the colours of his striped shirt), had coffee after class, during which we all confessed to being Thrift shop enthusiasts and ended up going to a "half price" sale where I picked up 'The Historian ' by Elizabeth Kostova.  Looking forward to immersing myself  in a captivating tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present. I love books which do that. By the way, what is a kindle?