Why Do Grown-Ups Read Fairy Tales

INTRODUCTION

In this article, I am going to write about why I think grownups read fairy tales. First of all, I will define what a fairy tale is; then I will raise hypothesis as to why grownups read fairy tales such as do fairy tales help grownups to disconnect from this world? Do fairy tales help grownups who do not believe in any faith or religion to meditate and purify themselves?

Defining “fairy tale”

The Oxford Concise English Dictionary says:

A fairy story is “A children’s tale about magical and imaginary beings and lands; an untrue account” (Pearsall 1999:510), and that a fairy tale denotes something regarded as resembling a fairy story in being magical or idealized.

Back in the day, people didn’t have phones or televisions or computers and so could not be warned about dangers in this world. They also didn’t have much entertainment so writers like those above would transmit these dangers in the form of a fairy tale or fable.

A Moral to a Story

Fairy tales such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Snow white”, “Little Red Riding-Hood” and fables of Jean de La Fontaine or Aesop, warn you about dangers in this world by ending their fairy tale with a moral. This is a pleasant way for adults to remind themselves of the reality of everyday life and see the difference between good and bad.

Believing in Goodness

People who do not believe in any faith or religion, for them fairy tales allow them to believe in something greater than themselves and have hope in spite of their difficulties. It gives them courage and motivation to continue their lives.

Disconnecting from Reality

In this world which never stops where grownups are always busy and where it is hard to relax for a short period of time, fairy tales help them to disconnect from reality and to plunge into another world for a short time.

« Toutes les grandes personnes ont d’abord été des enfants.

Mais peu d’entre elles s’en souviennent.»

In this quote, Antoine De Saint Exupery says that all grownups once were little children but few remember this. That’s why grownups read fairy tales because the fairy tales help them to remember this. They are fun and amusing and are often about children who have a wish or a dream which comes true.

« It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. »

Antoine De Saint Exupery.Fairy tales are often about imagination which is invisible to the eye because it comes from the heart and grownups’ imagination doesn’t always come from the heart because they are too involved in their everyday life and so fairy tales help them to remember what it was like when they were children and what it is like to truly imagine.

CONCLUSION

Fairy tales will probably always exist because people need them in their everyday lives to help them through their difficult lives. They remind them of when they were small children without any cares or worries, and through their imagination they can escape from their problems and worries.