Fairy-Tales And The Existential Predicament- Bruno Bettelheim 1977- Questions-

1. How might Bettelheim's ideas help us to understand the purposes of Fairy-Tales?

Bettelheim's understanding/ idea's surrounding Fairy-Tales suggest that they are used in order to give further understanding to a Child's Life, as "a Child needs to understand what is going on within his conscious self so that he can also cope with that which goes on in his conscious".
This suggests that Bettelheim's Theory is that if a Child wants to understand the inherent fears/ desires with Life, they must see how to act upon these circumstances. It is Bettelheim's belief that a Fairy-Tale offers an original view point that can allow the growth of a Child, to the extent they are able to further understand the way in which Life can create situations beyond the control of any Human.
Therefore, this allows the suggestion to be created that to be kept from Society will in fact cause naivety for any Child- as it is better for any Child to be shown the danger's of Reality through the Fairy-Tale, than for said Child to live without any true knowledge to how the World works- to the extent that they are forever isolated from the truth of Reality/ Society.
Bettelheim to attempts to show how the triumph of Good over Evil is too a fundamental part of Society, as the Fairy-Tale is too there to show how the victory of the Protagonist over any Evil force outweighs any feelings that a Person may get as the 'Bad Guy' within Life.
It is Bettelheim's belief that as a Parent to in a sense attempt to protect a Child from the truth's of the World at a young age will in fact have an adverse effect on the growth of the Child- as if a Child is unable to see how Cinderella can 'rise above' her Step-Sisters in order to seek a better Life for herself then a Child may become, in a sense, without the boundaries of Right/ Wrong within their Life. This is because if a Child is unable to see at a young age how the triumph of Good over Evil is not without its hardships- but it is these hardships that mould the Person they will become- then said Child will attempt to glide through Life under the assumption that Good is natural- whereas in Reality it has to be worked at, as "Real Life is not all sunny".

2. How do Bettelheim's idea's help us to understand the purpose of the Gothic?

Bettelheim's idea's regarding Fairy-Tales allow the Gothic to be explored, as Bettelheim suggest that the darker side of Life needs to be explored in order to raise a Child in the correct way. This is shown as Rapunzel is locked in a Tower due to her Father's defiance of the law, meaning that for a Child to grow they will need to understand how Life is unfair in many situations- but it is how these situations are dealt with that defines the Character of a Person- as the more malevolent aspects of Life must be portrayed in order to provide an understanding to a Child, despite the opinion that suggests Violence in any form should not be shown to Children as Parents want them to believe that "all Men are good".
This links to the idea of the Gothic Genre as, like Bettelheim, the Gothic attempts to explore the duality of Life- as not all Men are Good, but that the battle of Good vs. Evil must be shown in order for the more Evil side of Human nature to be expressed within a text.

3. Why do you think Angela Carter mixes the Fairy-Tale and Gothic Genres in 'The Bloody Chamber'?

This allow Carter to employ the overt and the covert within her texts- as the Fairy-Tale brings out what is seen on the surface of the text, as something that is not harmful/ has no singular deeper meaning but through employing the Gothic Carter is able to show sinister meanings within a Fairy-Tale that may not been seen if not placed in more overt Gothic situation.
This is shown through the Simulacra in 'The Tiger's Bride'- as it allows the child-like idea of a mimic to be brought into the Fairy-Tale, whilst simultaneously creating a deeper meaning that every Man/ Woman is simply a copy of the stereotype they are perceived to be- as the Simulacra is a symbol for the materialistic Society that is never content, so therefore must continuously develop until they become something they are not.