Traditional literature is a favorite of mine! I believe it is foundational to all the other stories we read. Over the years, traditional literature has been cleaned up for children. Think Disney.
Some people argue that children can handle the violence, and in fact according to research by Ann Trousdale*, knowing that the big bad wolf is dead, can prevent nightmares.
I Am Traditional Literature on Storybird
In one version of the Grimm Brother's "Cinderella," the stepsisters cut off pieces of their feet in order to make the shoe fit. The Prince realizes that he has been tricked when he sees their blood dripping on the ground.
Some people argue that children can handle the violence, and in fact according to research by Ann Trousdale*, knowing that the big bad wolf is dead, can prevent nightmares.
In one version of the Grimm Brother's "Cinderella," the stepsisters cut off pieces of their feet in order to make the shoe fit. The Prince realizes that he has been tricked when he sees their blood dripping on the ground.
 |
| CC image by Evergleamy |
Are there other topics or details that you feel might not be suitable for children?
In an article from Children's Literature in Education, Ann Trousdale* argued adults should not remove the violence from folktales. Read more about Trousdale's argument in this psychology student's blog post.
Give reasons for and against Trousdale's advice.
Are there other details in traditional literature that should be "cleaned up" for children? What about offensive stories like "The Jew Among Thorns" and "The White Bride and the Black Bride" -- In your opinion, are these themes more off-limits than violence?
Address a rationale to parents explaining your choices of the traditional literature you plan to use in your classroom.
*Ann Trousdale. "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Children's Literature in Education" V20 #2 June 1989. pp 69-79.
Talk Point from Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature by Barbara Z. Kiefer, 2010, tenth edition.
I think children are capable of much more than we give them credit for. Adam Gidwitz (author of A Tale Dark and Grimm) discusses the violence in fairy tales and whether or not they are appropriate for children in several places on his website. In addition to the questions beneath the About the Author page (http://www.adamgidwitz.com/about-the-author), look at some of the posts under Thoughts and Musings.
ReplyDeleteKay,
DeleteThanks so much for the resources! I am going to be checking those out.
On an aside, I was at Sam's Club today and I saw that they had a leatherette covered 101 Grimm's Fairy Tales for teens. Hmmm...I guess there is a trend toward darker fairy tales for teens, isn't there? The TV show Grimm is one example.
And I just found this related post today on Huffington Post.
It is amazing! I can't wait for the second one to come out. I think the idea that must stuck out to me is how the beginning of fairytales (Once upon a time...) clues in kids that the violence is not realistic but symbolic. Not all violence in the media does that.
DeleteI like that reference to "Once upon a time."
DeleteAn introduction and excerpt from Adam's A Tale Dark and Grimm are here. I wanted to hear more! I added his book to my to-read list. Thanks for sharing it, Kay!
Denise
Hmm. I know your job as a teacher is to ask good questions to get people thinking, and you've done that here! Why am I commenting when I don't have any answers? Maybe to ask more questions, and to "join in the conversation!"
ReplyDeleteSo here are my questions.... What do you do when you have a parent who won't let her student read certain all-grade reads (such as The Outsiders) because of her religion? What do you do when this same parent denounces most of the short stories you normally use in class to teach strategies, on the basis that they are... Too violent? Filled with magic? Filled with teens who fib to their parents?
I don't have these answers, but I had to cover that bleeding toe picture when reading your post! :-) Maybe that's what kids would do, too...?? No clue here.
Good luck, and good discussions coming from your group!
-Joy
I think it helps to listen to the parents and hear their concerns before sharing what you hope their child will gain from reading it. Laurie Halse Anderson has some excellent blog posts on this topic in response to controversy/banning attempts on her books, especially SPEAK. I rarely teach the same novel to an entire class. Instead, I pick several titles grouped around a central theme. That way the student can choose a different title and still be part of the class.
DeleteGreat questions, Joy! Thanks for joining the conversation! You have asked difficult questions, but it's great for pre-service teachers to have to grapple with because we know it happens.
ReplyDeleteI have experienced that before in teaching third grade, but lately I've been blessed with open-minded parents who haven't balked at The Outsiders and other books we've read.
Feel free to share some of how you deal with that! I would be curious. Does that one student read something other than The Outsiders? Or do you sometimes abandon the short story you would otherwise have picked? Are you in a public or private school? (I guess I don't remember for sure.)
We will have a discussion in a couple weeks on banned books. I'll be curious to hear what you have to say!
Thanks,
Denise
This is a tough discussion because there are so many "what ifs". Some parents may not agree that these books/tales are appropriate for children to read, while others may be okay with it. To be safe, as an educator, I think it's wise to leave that decision up to the parents. Today, children see violence and inappropraite behavior all the time on television and in some cases, everyday life. When you become a teacher, it's hard to decide on which tales to share and which may not be suitable, because each child is different, each child comes from a different background, and may have different experiences. Also, it brings up the case of violence/cultures in Traditional Literature that may affect your students. As a teacher, and not the children's parents, I would leave Traditional Literature at home if it is a problem with parents or may be too violent. It depends on the age of the students, the literature piece your sharing, why you're sharing it, and what the children will learn from it. There are too many what if's, in my opinion. Since I am not a teacher yet, this discussion is difficult for me!
ReplyDeleteEmily,
DeleteYou don't really mean to leave the decision up to the parents on what stories you'll read to and with children, do you? If you have a parent like Joy mentions above, you may read very little to your students.
Denise
As a child, I didn't have a lot of exposure to the traditional literature that was violent in nature. I don't recall ever hearing about the step-sister cutting off her toes in the Cinderella story; I find that really disturbing and literature catered for adults. I found the Jew Among the Thorns and The White Bride and Black Bride too dark for my taste. I suppose there are good lessons about prejudice behavior and dishonesty in them. If I'm not sure about a subject in literature- I admit I'd take the safe route with children grades K-5. I think in middle school these topics are appropriate, if not racially or religiously biased. I adore folktales and their message. Granted, it generally ends happily but the person/subject has to earn or create their own accomplishments. For example, the torteise and the hare. I like folktales that teach about having character and treating others as you would want to be treated. Kids need to hear that. They may not hear it at home and educators have the opportunity to facilitate that.
ReplyDeleteCarie,
DeleteI can agree with you about not really hearing the violent versions of the stories. I heard more of the Disneyfied versions myself. Of course, as you saw in our textbook, the Grimm brothers had originally meant the tales for adults. They gradually developed into children's stories. Here is an interesting post:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/oct/13/adult-content-warning-fairy-stories
I agree I'd do some editing and not read certainly stories to young children. I certainly don't advocate violence just because it's there. I do, however, think the study about the nightmares when the Big Bad Wolf is on the loose makes perfect sense. We shouldn't be afraid to have the big bad wolf get killed in the story for children.
As always, thanks for a great, thoughtful post!
Denise