I just finished reading:
Fiction and Fictionalism
Fiction and Metaphysics
The Art of Fiction
The Romantic Manifesto
A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play
Daydreaming and Fantasy
The Kingdom of Childhood: Introductory Talks on Waldorf Education
The Uses of Enchantment
A Plague of Fantasies
Under Deadman's Skin: Discovering the Meaning of Children's Violent Play
The Secret of Childhood
The Child in the Family
The Scientist in the Crib
How Children Learn
And a bunch of Joseph Campbell talks
My conclusions about fantasy-fiction for children thus far are--
-Humans have been telling stories about talking animals and gods with magic for a long time
-These stories, when taken as truth (religion), are believed by both the child and the adult, thus there is no damage to the relationship because there has been no lying. Depending on how much the child's own rational conclusions disagree with the adults, there can be some trauma to the child's rational faculty
-These stories, when not taken as truth such as in folk stories of anthropomorphic animals, won't confuse children very much or for very long if the following conditions are met: 1) that the stories are told or read and do not have pictures 2) that the child has plenty of exposure to that real animal in addition to the anthropomorphic stories he hears
-The American childhood, with all the anthropomorphic inanimate objects and animals in movies, is extremely confusing and debilitating to young children, setting them back many years in their "folkloric realization" compared to their own ancestors and their non-western peers. How damaging this is to their self-esteem, relationships and confidence in thinking for themselves is inconclusive.
If you are interested in reading more on this subject I recommend The Romantic Manifesto by Ayn Rand and the first chapter of The Art of Fiction by Ayn Rand were the most clarifying book I read on the subject. Joseph Campbell's stuff is incredible for understanding the place of myth and stories in human lives. Daydreaming and Fantasy was well-organized and I appreciated that it its ability to help me think about fantasy and fiction, but it was full of illogical conclusions. The Secret of Childhood and The Child in the Family by Maria Montessori did a great job of helping me to understand how children think and learn. The Scientist in the Crib was good too.
Fiction and Fictionalism
Fiction and Metaphysics
The Art of Fiction
The Romantic Manifesto
A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play
Daydreaming and Fantasy
The Kingdom of Childhood: Introductory Talks on Waldorf Education
The Uses of Enchantment
A Plague of Fantasies
Under Deadman's Skin: Discovering the Meaning of Children's Violent Play
The Secret of Childhood
The Child in the Family
The Scientist in the Crib
How Children Learn
And a bunch of Joseph Campbell talks
My conclusions about fantasy-fiction for children thus far are--
-Humans have been telling stories about talking animals and gods with magic for a long time
-These stories, when taken as truth (religion), are believed by both the child and the adult, thus there is no damage to the relationship because there has been no lying. Depending on how much the child's own rational conclusions disagree with the adults, there can be some trauma to the child's rational faculty
-These stories, when not taken as truth such as in folk stories of anthropomorphic animals, won't confuse children very much or for very long if the following conditions are met: 1) that the stories are told or read and do not have pictures 2) that the child has plenty of exposure to that real animal in addition to the anthropomorphic stories he hears
-The American childhood, with all the anthropomorphic inanimate objects and animals in movies, is extremely confusing and debilitating to young children, setting them back many years in their "folkloric realization" compared to their own ancestors and their non-western peers. How damaging this is to their self-esteem, relationships and confidence in thinking for themselves is inconclusive.
If you are interested in reading more on this subject I recommend The Romantic Manifesto by Ayn Rand and the first chapter of The Art of Fiction by Ayn Rand were the most clarifying book I read on the subject. Joseph Campbell's stuff is incredible for understanding the place of myth and stories in human lives. Daydreaming and Fantasy was well-organized and I appreciated that it its ability to help me think about fantasy and fiction, but it was full of illogical conclusions. The Secret of Childhood and The Child in the Family by Maria Montessori did a great job of helping me to understand how children think and learn. The Scientist in the Crib was good too.
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