The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales

No-one can know everything about popular culture and its place in child psychology, so any work like this is bound to be questioned, even attacked. With that proviso this is really a great read. It's not "The Absolute Truth", but it is thought-provoking in a rational manner. It's not the latest thing in child psychology thinking and the presentation and language show their age, but once that is allowed for it's a good read. While reading you have to remember that this was, all those years ago, a pioneering, ground-breaking work on a taboo subject: sexual awareness and children. It is very flawed, as we now know, but finding those flaws and dealing with them has advanced childhood psychology immeasurably.Don't forget that Colombus made a mistake of a few thousand miles in his navigation, but he had no way of knowing it was a mistake, and several great nations, in North, Central and South America, have grown from his error. Bettelheim "did a Columbus" in many ways, but vital knowledge has been built by those who have taken the good of his work and highlighted and corrected his errors. It is this book's existence which is its vital quality, because that existence has been the catalyst of so much progress.Over 40 years ago I was in a long-term relationship with a psychotherapist. She "generously" gave me her copy of this book, because "it was out of date and she didn't want it any more...". That copy disappeared recently; it's nice to have its replacement on the shelf. (And this copy is free of the "challenging" additions made by the first owner of the copy it has now replaced...)

I am still reading this book and I found it absolutely fascinating. No wonder I had such a happy childhood - I loved reading fairytales, myths and legends as a child and I felt very emotionally secure. It does make you wonder that if young children today were encouraged to read more of these stories and spend less time on social media or on their ipads there wouldn't be the same level of mental health issues. Every parent and grandparent should read this and yes... sometimes we do know best!

I read this book when I was training in psychiatry and it was the most enjoyable and readable text of my training. It brings together beautifully the key concepts in psychoanalysis with stories that we were all brought up with. He writes with brevity and clarity and knows his subject inside out. Its a delight - abundant eureka moments.

I was recommended this book. Told it was excellent for linking psychology with fairytales. Looking forward to sitting down and reading this little gem. What’s in a fairytale???

Hugely interesting book, I wish I had read it when my kids were small as I would've made a better effort at ensuring we covered all the traditional fairy tales. It is a joy of discovery and an eye opener to the child's developmental mind.

Well packaged and delivered entact.and quickly.I've read this before, and this is the book to read first if you want to know about the psychology of fairy tales, Bettelheim is a master of psychology. He well understands psychological and physical trauma and healing in a 'natural' way. No other therapist/self helper author can even begin to approach his deep and respectful humanity.

I first purchased this book 20+ years ago when training as a creative arts psychotherapist. I loaned it out (big mistake) and it never came back. I’ve been looking out fir it since and finally discovered it on good old Amazon!!!!!

I loved every page of this book. I was a counselling student when I read it, and was fascinated by the insights of this skilled depth psychologist.

exceptionally informative - should be in everyone's library. it's an eye-opener. i wish all parents would read this, but it's also an important work for anyone who wants to understand the fundamental importance of fairy and folk tales. great for therapists as well. a valuable resource

The world of fairy tales becomes much more fascinating when you enter it from a psychodynamic standpoint.

Este libro te hace pensar y recapacitar sobre el origen de los cuentos de hadas y su influencia y finalidad para con los niños y niñas. Lo descubrí hace tiempo gracias a una amiga, y tenía ganas de comprármelo. Ha sido una decisión estupenda, estoy encantadísima con el.

I love this books......what a study.Also go for 'Metaphors'.The author takes the reader into the mind of a story.

It is well known that storytelling is an innate expression of civilization, in an effort to define who we are and to make sense of the world. The fairy tale is an important part of this tradition that has a long and rich history spanning thousands of years.First published in 1975, Bruno Bettleheim, one of Sigmund Freud's followers and an important contributor to psychoanalysis, has written an incredible book, suggesting that the fairy tale has a pedagogical use, educating the child about the struggles in life, that these struggles are an intrinsic aspect of existence. Following Plato, he believes that the literary education of children should begin with the telling of myths. In other words, the fairy tale can present models for behaviour, providing meaning and value to our lives. This wonderful book expresses this view extremely well and also provides a frame of reference towards the child's overall psychological development.I have read Freud for some years, and nowhere, including Freud himself, have I read a more succinctly expressed view on the ultimate purpose of psychoanalysis, than in this book by Dr. Bettleheim, he writes,"Psychoanalysis was created to enable man to accept the problematic nature of life without being defeated by it, or giving in to escapism. Freud's prescription is that only by struggling courageously against what seems like unwieldy odds can man succeed in wringing meaning out of existence." (P.8)Fairy tales inform us about life's struggles, hardships and the reality of death. From Bettleheim's point of view, the fairy tale is a "manifold form" that communicates to the child, educates them, against life's vagaries and realities, which are the unavoidable aspects of our existence. More specifically, the fairy tale is an educational tool to help children grow and develop into adults. He goes on to say that the child needs to be given "...suggestions in symbolic form about how he may deal with these issues and grow safely into maturity." (P.9)Bettleheim adeptly sets out to prove his theses by analysing well known fairy tales in the context of psychoanalytic theory, persuasively arguing the value of these tales towards the child's psychological development.If you are interested in psychoanalysis and would like to know more about the profound positive effects the telling of fairy tales can have on our young, this incredible book is indispensable.