Fables and Fairy Tales Fad

Phsycologist and Story teller, Dr. Jonathan Young, writer of "Once upon A Time: How Fairy Tales Shape Our Lives", published in Insider Magazine in 1997, wrote; "These tales are psychological mirrors and we become more complex as we mature.  The story tellers intentionally loaded the adventures with heavy symbolism to reveal more meanings as we develop a deeper awareness of ourselves.  Bedtime stories have enormous influence over our identities.  People identify with certain characters in the stories they heard in childhood.  To some degree, many live out these stories, largely unaware of how much the old tales may be shaping our lives."


It makes sense that the stories we hear as children, such as those of the Brothers Grimm, are so impressionable that we subconsciously carry those lessons with us in our daily lives.  Interesting enough, renowned psychologist, Dr. Carl Gustave Jung, noted that the shadow energies in dreams and stories often appear as threatening witches or wolves.


Interesting enough is that such stories, that had been deeply rooted in our imagination, have become almost a keepsake of fonder times that we tend to relinquish in them from time to time with new and intriguing adaptations of the "softer" stories we heard as children.  However, as we tend to get older, we become more inticed by the darker version of favorite past time fables. 


In the world of Entertainment, we see that such fables and fairy tales have become ever more popular; especially with that of the mature audience.  ABC's new hit show, "Once Upon A Time" has quickly appealed a favorable fan base.  I, for one, am already a fan of the show.  The twist in this story telling is that the fairy tale characters have been cursed by the Evil Queen and do not know who they are in this dark modern world that we reside in.  It is a young boy Henry who seeks his biological mother Emma, Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter, to return to Story Brooke, Maine and break the spell.  The way in which the writers of the show portray the characters and re-write the storylines and present it to the audience is not only intruiging but intelligent.  


I am including a trailor of the show for your viewing pleasures.



Another similar show at the moment is that of NBC's "Grimm"; where an unknowing descendant of the Grimms Brothers is a crime investigator and learns of his heritage through "whimsical happenings" in each case.  I have read several reviews on this show and have not found them to be so kind.  However, I will have to personally look into that myself.  


Not only are we seeing such shows on the small screen, but we are seeing them in the big screen as well. 
"Snow White and The Huntsman" is another expected box office hit starring Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron.  Here is a glimpse of the captivating trailor.  The film is expected to be released in the summer of 2012.


"Red Riding Hood" was another movie that came out earlier in the year starring Amanda Seyfried.  Although it did not do as well as expected, it is apparent that fairytales are high in demand.


To read the original stories visit National Geographic's Grimm site.

I have become very interested in following this "fables and fairy tales fad" and intend to share my findings with you as time passes.  From a psychological point of view, there must be a desire and a serious demand for such entertainment.