|
IF TALES Interactive Fairytales by Martin Higgins
Overview IF TALES, in interactive CD-Rom, book, film and video form, will fully exploit the universality of the Fairy Tales as a vehicle to address the emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of modern children. These products will be exciting, innovative and fun, while retaining the original appeal and familiarity of the Classic Fairy Tales. Nascent CD-Rom technology allows us to offer a child interactive control of main and subordinate characters so, subsequently, the direction and outcome of each story varies with each playing, with each child. Indeed, the child may "become" any of the characters with the resultant shift in POV bringing keen insight not within the reach of books and rarely seen in films or videos. The common components of all computer/video/CD-Rom adventures are: a series of trials, collecting significant items, mastering skills and using the collected items, experience and intuition to overcome an adversary or situation. This format is instantly recognizable to even the youngest player for it is imbedded in the foundation of our collective unconscious. In fact, if the software adventures are designed with suitably multi-layered sub-plots and are optionally icon driven, the audience could range from pre-school to the Inner Child of an adult, ideally realized as an adult with child on knee sharing the magic of the Fairy Tale together. The way they have for centuries. Children need and crave Fairy
Tales and the Classics are all they need to guide them in the world,
if that world is central Europe in the Eighteenth century.
Surely, the verbal dimension of each surviving original is merely a
framework lesson that has survived oral tradition and repeated interpretations
by reduction to its most elemental form. Hence,
the full effect of the intended moral (or admonition) is dampened by the
exclusion of contributory experience or consequence of outcome scenarios. This remarkable canon of
children's mythology need no longer be under-utilized.
IF TALES provides a larger view of the interior lives of well-known characters to offer insight, problem identification and guidance to children whose questions are not quelled by "happily ever after". In addition, this recasting of the tale will help compensate for the loss of subtextual information usually communicated by intonation, gesture, facial expression, along with all the other vital components of a live performance that are understandably missing in a recorded version.[1] The basic needs of children have not changed: shelter, nourishment, safety, security and guidance. But, in info-networked, process-as-product, keystroke-retrieval America, our children learn early that information is power; power is equality and equality/integration is survival. The old models are not entirely wrong, merely insufficient. Today, no girl marries a Prince and lives "happily ever after", just ask Diana, Madonna or Ivana; and no boy returns from war to reign as King without scars and ghosts, witness J.F.K., Oliver North or Michael Jackson. This generation of media-savvy tots is less gullible and more suspect of any authority that endorses two-dimensional answers to real world problems. In honesty, there is more personality and motivation in The Terminator than in all the charming Princes, more "nuts and bolts" inspiration and instruction in Barney than all of Aesop's animals. The purpose of a work of art is not fulfilled when it becomes rigid and is passively taken in by observers or listeners. Legitimate as it may be for the Fairy Tale to be harmonious (i.e. not an idle substitute for an inharmonious reality, but a helpful model) -- it is just as legitimate that the lively spores bound up in it should liberate themselves and enter a new life in another narrative, or in the memory hoard of the listener, where the individual motif can maintain it's power of illumination, even increase it, when the whole has been forgotten.[2] In their defense, Fairy Tales were never meant to instruct directly, but rather to instill a universal ideal or aspiration. Rarely, if at all, do they outline a specific process for recognizing, managing and conquering shame, guilt, fear, anxiety or pain. IF TALES go beyond a simple re-telling, to a "re-tooling" of the Classic Fairy Tales that includes additional aspects of growth, emotional development and problem solving without losing the recognizability and marketability of the original characters and stories. If the King and Queen, Prince and
Princess, Witch and Wolf, Giant and Dwarf are to thrive in the Twenty-first
Century, we must account for their deeds, share their revelations, examine their
"post happy-ending" burdens and problems and join them in a quest for
solutions that work in both worlds. To
do any less would further marginalize these old acquaintances, at a time when we
need friends, fables and fun more than ever. Stories CINDERELLA / ASHPUTTLE The Development of Glory through Menial Service The purpose of this document is to examine the personality of Cinderella, evaluate her relationships within the story as it is commonly known and create a healing process that enables her to deal with the jealousy and favoritism in her step family. Ultimately, an "insert" sub-story will be created that illustrates how the girl, with help from her Higher Self, comes to understand her options in dealing with the emotional pain of her situation. This healing provides her with the spiritual stamina to continue her mundane labors until the day of the Prince's Ball and the insight to deal with the responsibilities of being the Princess. Although there are literally dozens of versions of this tale based on the Perrault[3] rendering, for simplicity and recognizability, the Disney translation[4] has no peer. To provide deeper backround information not found in either of these works, material has been added from The Brothers Grimm[5] iteration, but only that which is in line with the overall spirit and context of the character's personality and situation. A projected psychological assay allows us to frame ancillary events that may have led to, or resulted from, the original story's climax. KEY
INSERT STORY SCENE: Overwhelmed by the abuse and humiliation heaped on her by her step-family, Cinderella leaves to visit her mother's grave and "water the sprig that grows thereupon with her tears". She enters a changed forest inhabited by hostile entities who sow the seeds of confusion and fear to block a traveler's progress. It is here that Cinderella's resolve to escape her plight is tested as she endures three trials: A Trial of Will, A Trial of Heart and a Trial of Soul. Then, with the aid of her spirit/animal friends and a "voice from within" she finds her way to the gravesite. When she arrives, she is startled to find that the sprig has grown into a mighty oak tree whose limbs murmur in growing wind. The girl entreats the spirit of her mother to deliver her from the cruelty of her step-family and a Wise Old Woman steps out of the Living Oak to walk with her and grant three "options" for the future: to have revenge, to have mediocrity or to have a healing transformation. At first she rejects her Higher
Self and we witness the nightmare of her revenge on those who have humiliated
her, in a reversal of roles with her sisters.
She finds this to be unsatisfying in that her new existence is no more
significant than that of her former tormentors.
In reaction, she chooses mediocrity and we glimpse her years later; older
and more beaten down by never having changed.
Finally, she chooses healing and, by her choice, she is
"re-covered": cleansed, re-dressed and re-created by a fire/ash/water
ritual with her Higher Self. INSERT
STORY POINT TO MAKE: Magic is a personal ritual that
can be used to eliminate shame and create radiance. CLASSIC
STORY POINT TO DOWNPLAY: The nobility of suffering and martyrdom earns a magical transformation. CHARACTER
ANALYSIS: Obviously, there must have been a revelatory episode that healed her childhood abandonment wound and prepared her to endure the cruel treatment afforded her by her step-sisters and step-mother. Her even temper, forbearance and willing acquiescence in their household would indicate that this transformational experience had taken place somewhere between adoption and betrothal. Unlike the parentless boy story in Woyzeck[6], Cinderella's earliest memories of her mother provide the initial strength to reach her first major transformation: becoming the adopted child of a nobleman. The next significant change we witness in the commonly understood saga is her elevation to Princess by the desire of the Prince. This repeated arrogation by "noble males" forces us to view Cinderella as needlessly passive and effete, rather than recognizing her intuitive internal harmony with cycles of dominance and oppression, growth and death, fire and ash. After all, she is the "cinder-girl" whose responsibility for tending the life-sustaining hearth is at once humbling and divine. Before her eyes (and by her hand), the wood yields its heat to become ash, the heat warms and cooks food, the food yields its strength within us and the ash returns to soil to feed another tree. Fire may well have been the first enshrined divinity of pre-historic man. Fire has the property of not being diminished when halved, but increased. Fire is luminous, like the Sun and lightning, the only such thing on earth. Also, it is alive, in the warmth of the body it is life itself, which departs when the body goes cold.[7] Fairy tales enacting Oedipal conflicts usually split the mother in two: one mother (Fairy God-Mother) who stands by her child and another (step)mother who stands in the way.[8] Of the two components that shape female Oedipal plots -- the fantasy of an amorous father and a rivalry with the mother -- only the latter has become a prominent, virtually undisguised theme in popular tales while the father qua father has faded into the backround or is simply absent from the tale (Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood).[9] Significantly, it would appear that the Fairy God-Mother is an older, wiser version of Cinderella, perhaps a portent of her future development. CINDERELLA'S
PERSONALITY PROFILE:
ENNEAGRAMATIC[10]
ANALYSIS: Personality Type Nine: The Peacemaker -- peaceful, reassuring, passive, repressed. An average Nine is prone to accepting conventional roles and expectations naively and unquestioningly, subordinating themselves and "sweeping problems under the rug". It is significant to note that the Disney version featured a strong alliance and communication between Cinderella and her animal friends which is in no way out of character for a healthy Nine. Childhood Origins: The key element in her development is a close, supportive relationship with one or both parents (at least in early childhood) where she learned to identify with other people. This accounts for her profound receptivity, responsible for providing a deep emotional stability and peacefulness, which only presents a problem when she chooses to ignore persons or situations that threaten her peace.
The unhealthy Nine becomes too repressed, and inadequate personal development results; helpless and ineffectual, they look to others to save them. If problems persist, they dissociate from anything threatening and become disoriented, depersonalized and immobilized. Direction of Disintegration: Out of touch with reality, Nines move to Six (likable-loyal-dependent-Masochistic), exhibiting overwhelming anxiety and irrationality which causes a profound interactional dichotomy. The disintegrating Nine attacks those who seek to help while simultaneously becoming increasingly dependent on others to solve her problems. Direction of Integration: Healthy Nines move to Three (self-assured, ambitious-Narcissistic-psychopathic), interested in developing themselves and their potential. As their sense of self develops, Nines become more self-assured, assertive and independent with a self-esteem that allows them to live in the real world, rather than in their idealizations. SNOW WHITE Search for the Integrated Self and
Developmental Stasis before Transformation The purpose of this document is to examine the personality of Snow White, evaluate her relationship with the Dwarves in the story as it is commonly known and create a process that enables her to fully utilize her talents and develop emotional and social skills. The "insert" sub-story illustrates how the girl, with help from her seven friends (fragmented aspects of the Self) comes to understand her options in dealing with the emotional confusion and pain of her situation. This healing provides her with the spiritual education needed to enter the next phase of her life: the responsibilities of a Princess. Again, for simplicity and recognizability, the Disney translation[11] has been used for it's core story with appropriate material relating to Snow White's personality added from The Brothers Grimm.[12] A psychological evaluation allows us to postulate ancillary events that support a broader understanding of her transformation. KEY INSERT STORY SCENE: Snow White, while in her magical "sleep", journeys in spirit with each of the Dwarves who teach her new skills. She travels through space and time to re-experience important moments in her previous lives and re-creates them using her new-found talents. The Seven Dwarves here represent the seven Chakras/archetypes/guides: the Intuitive, the Thinker, the Communicator, the Fool/Wizard, The Caretaker, the Healer and the Warrior. As she successfully learns each aspect, they present her with gemstones from their mine that indicate each level of mastery. Together, they form a dazzling necklace of power. Snow White travels from Intuitive down to Warrior gaining the experience and confidence she needs to deal with the jealousy of the Evil Queen / Stepmother. In the final confrontation, she finds that her skills, when used in concert enable her to be fully-actualized and function in the real world. INSERT STORY POINT: True self-awareness comes by recognizing and utilizing your talents and strengths. CLASSIC
STORY POINT TO DOWNPLAY:
That Snow White's failure to follow the advice of the Dwarves results in
her ultimate reward. CHARACTER ANALYSIS: Snow White and Cinderella shares a certain amount of early childhood history: evil stepmother, absent father, strong connection to nature and the dream of being rescued by a stranger. But, although she is humbled by her position as housekeeper to the Dwarves, Snow White is never subjected to the humiliation endured by Cinderella. Although Snow White yearns for her Prince "to come along", she seems remarkably well adjusted to her humdrum existence in a strained if not downright bizarre surrogate mother situation with the "little men". Freudian interpretations of the tale usually regard the little men as "developmentally stunted", "pre-Oedipal" or "phallic in nature", but for our purposes let us view them in the mythological sense of inner earth beings who know where the treasures are and gladly repay even the smallest kindness with wealth. The dwarves seem content with their endless cycle of work in the subterranean world, rest in their dormitory/home and enjoying meals prepared by Snow White, troubled only by their inability to meet or even fully comprehend her needs and aspirations (passions). When she eats the apple, the child in Snow White dies, and is buried in a transparent coffin made of glass. There she rests for a long time, visited not only by the dwarves but also by three birds: first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove. The owl symbolizes wisdom; the raven -- as in the Teutonic god Woden's raven -- probably mature consciousness; and the dove traditionally represents love. These birds suggest that Snow White's death-like sleep in the coffin is a period of gestation which is her final period of preparing for maturity.[13] SNOW
WHITE'S PERSONALITY PROFILE:
ENNEAGRAMATIC[14]
ANALYSIS: Personality
Type Four: The Artist -- creative, individualistic, introverted, depressive. Average Fours take an artistic, aesthetic, or romantic orientation to life to avoid expressing themselves, preferring to reveal personal feelings indirectly, through something beautiful. They intensify their reality through fantasy, imagination and heightened passions. When emotionally overwhelmed, a Four may withdraw, becoming self-absorbed, self-conscious and shy. Childhood Origins: Negative identification with both parents with feelings of being misunderstood and abandonment. The key element in early formation is that, because of a lack of role models, Fours were forced to create their own identities by looking inward to their feelings and imagination. This would account for Snow Whites' ability to feel a part of the Dwarves' household in spite of any shared interests or goals. She is on a "search for herself" and fast approaching self-awareness.
Direction of Disintegration: Severe problems occur because deteriorated Fours move toward Two (concerned-helpful-possessive-manipulative) and hate themselves, ruining even the relationships on which they have become dependent. Despairing at the thought of never becoming actualized, unhealthy Fours coerce someone else into taking care of them; living with parents, friends or, as a last resort, in an institution with the simple choice of treatment or suicide as a way out. Direction of Integration: Healthy Fours go to One (idealistic-orderly-perfectionistic-intolerant) by transcending self-consciousness and their introversion; no longer controlled by their ever-changing feelings. They act on objective principles rather than subjective moods. Rather than feeling different and exempt from participation, they make a place for themselves in the world with bring self-discipline and creativity. [1] The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales, Tatar, Maria. 1987 [2]The FAIRY TALE, Luthi, Max. 1987 [3]Histoires ou Contes du temps passe', Perrault, Charles. Paris 1697 [4]Cinderella, Walt Disney. 1950 [5]Nursery and Household Tales, Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. 1818 [6]Georg B chner: The Complete Collected Works, translated by Henry J. Schmidt. 1977 [7]Myths To Live By, Campbell, Joseph. 1972 [8]The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim, Bruno. 1989 [9]The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales, Tatar, Maria. 1987 [10]Understanding the Enneagram, the Practical Guide to Personality Types, Riso, Don Richard. 1990 [11]Snow White, Walt Disney, 1937 [12]Nursery and Household Tales, Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. 1818 [13]The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim, Bruno. 1989 14]Understanding the Enneagram, the Practical Guide to Personality Types, Riso, Don Richard. 1990 |