Tatar Vs Battelheim

“An Introduction to Fairy Tales” and “Tales and Modern Stories”
The importance of fairy tales to the youth is a major point of both “An Introduction to Fairy Tales” by Maria Tatar and “Tales and Modern Stories” by Bruno Bettelheim. This point is expressed in different manners: Bruno Bettelheim uses his own examples over cited evidence, which is unlike Maria Tatar, who uses plenty of examples and cited evidence. On the major point of the importance of fairy tales to youth, Maria Tatar includes the memories of fairy tales that adults have, while Bettelheim does not. Bettelheim does include the ways that children are affected; however, his examples of lasting impressions are much more dire than mere memories. Both authors agree that fairy tales

Bruno Bettelheim makes himself out to be the authority on the subject of fairy tales, because in no part of his essay does he reference anybody else. This differs substantially from Maria Tatar, who use references extensively. One of those references is Bruno Bettelheim, who she includes as an expert source. While often when an author is not providing sources one can deem them unreliable, this is not the case because between these two pieces Maria Tatar is using Bruno Bettelheim as an expert source, which makes him more reliable. Maria Tatar’s use of Bettelheim as an expert source also makes the prior conclusion that Bruno Bettelheim considers himself an expert on the subject more realistic, since Maria Tatar does use him as such (“An

In “An Introduction to Fairy Tales” Maria Tatar cites David Copperfield, who makes the point that when children read books they are “navigating reality” (“An Introduction…”). This is similar in nature to a point that Bruno Bettelheim makes when he is using his “Rapunzel” example. In the “Rapunzel” example, the little girl compares all of her circumstances to that of Rapunzel (“Tales…”). The little girl goes farther by using the story to find what she wants. Her dreams at the time are shaped by the story that she is reading. In the first sentence of Maria Tatar’s introduction she states that childhood books are “sacred objects. Often read to pieces…” (“An Introduction…”). That statement is remarkably similar to the Bruno Bettelheim’s “The Swiss Family Robinson” example, in which the girl rereads “The Swiss Family Robinson” over and over (“Tales…”). To that little girl, it could very well be said that the “Swiss Family Robinson” was a “Sacred Object” and was certainly “read to pieces…” (Tales…”)(“An