Day 4 - 217 -- Fairy Tales

Fairy tales -- stories that are familiar across ages and cultures. They generally involved some form of enchantment and magical creatures. The stories consist of cautionary tales as well as the 'happily ever after' tale. For a couple of centuries, these stories have been part of children's literature, though they have been part of oral tradition for much longer than that. Many are rather dark stories that have been sanitized in the past 70 or more years.  They have been translated into opera, ballet, plays, and movies. The stories are told and retold in all genres. They are timeless, drawing listeners even when the ending is known from the outset.

A cable channel showed a series of fairy tale movies today. While doing house work, in the background played variations of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White and the rescuing of damsels in distress. I hadn't seen all of these, so found interest in the way the story was unfolded by the screenwriters and directors.  I'll admit to liking some of the movies I've seen over the years. I've enjoyed Ever After -- the Cinderella story with the inclusion of Leonardo da Vinci. A newer fairy tale, Maleficent, gave the backstory to this darker fairy. Many stories are directed to adults rather than children, so there is something to entertain everyone.

While pondering fairy tales and what they can teach us about courage, hope and kindness, a song ran through my head. It is older, but the cover chosen is by a newer artist. Enjoy!

Young at Heart -- Michael Buble