Is Fantasy a dream or an escape? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 01-04-2003, 07:04 PM

Tolkien said in On Faery Stories
(I will not quote at length)
that these tales, ancient and hoary,
for the nursery were never meant,
though to it they were relegated
when so-called enlightened folk,
their imaginations degraded
when in worshiping Science, broke
with the wisdom of the past
and thought dragons and Elves
beneath them and so cast
them as childish, and filled the shelves
of nurseries with so-called
children's fairytales, unaware
that into children's minds they hauled
the stuff of dreams and nightmare.

Hoo! That was a little heavier than usual. And fails to say all that I mean. Have you ever read the real stuff from the Brothers Grimm? It's not for children. However, in our silly culture (yes it still is by and large), fairy tales and myths are still considered to be "for children". Thus, it is children who are free to use their imaginations, until they get to a certain age. Then they're told such stupid things as "oh, it's not real. At least not where we live." Yes, it IS real, because it's all about life and death, hope and despair, good and evil, victory and defeat, and I could go on and on.

Ahem. Sorry. I uh got a little uh seriousish there. Oop. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

01-04-2003, 07:04 PM	#5
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Tolkien said in On Faery Stories (I will not quote at length) that these tales, ancient and hoary, for the nursery were never meant, though to it they were relegated when so-called enlightened folk, their imaginations degraded when in worshiping Science, broke with the wisdom of the past and thought dragons and Elves beneath them and so cast them as childish, and filled the shelves of nurseries with so-called children's fairytales, unaware that into children's minds they hauled the stuff of dreams and nightmare. Hoo! That was a little heavier than usual. And fails to say all that I mean. Have you ever read the real stuff from the Brothers Grimm? It's not for children. However, in our silly culture (yes it still is by and large), fairy tales and myths are still considered to be "for children". Thus, it is children who are free to use their imaginations, until they get to a certain age. Then they're told such stupid things as "oh, it's not real. At least not where we live." Yes, it IS real, because it's all about life and death, hope and despair, good and evil, victory and defeat, and I could go on and on. Ahem. Sorry. I uh got a little uh seriousish there. Oop. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]