Disney's snow white comes under fire

[BoldonLad]

Just shows how persistent stereotypes and societal expectations are, I guess. My daughter has always loved Art. However she did really well in all her GCSE's, including Science. We were a bit surprised her school, which is very academic, didn't suggest she do Science A levels. I think if she was a boy they probably would have. We suggested it but after consideration she decided she would enjoy the arts stuff more, which is fair enough.

We are all heavily socialised about this stuff from the minute we are born, it's near impossible to detach yourself from it. The best you can hope is that your kids approach it all with a critical eye and don't swallow all the nonsense we are surrounded by.

Indeed. An open mind, but, not an empty one

 

[Yellow Fang]

Children's literature a good stepping stone for new writers like Meghan Markle to test the waters before writing real books. A children's book inspired by the relationshop between Harry and Archie is sure to appeal to a new generation educated in emotional intelligence and correct ideas.

Well, it's nice she's writing something her husband can enjoy.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Everyone should read that book. Although the film wasn't bad, if they're too busy.

Fahrenheit 451 was alright. Not as good as 1984 or Brave New World.

 

[FishFright]

Fairy stories evolve and change according to the times . Try not to make yourselves look like fools pretending they are set in stone.

 

[winjim]

Fairy stories evolve and change according to the times . Try not to make yourselves look like fools pretending they are set in stone.

People now see the Disney films as the definitive versions. Reading the Little Mermaid for example, my 5yo asks if it's Ariel so I have to tell her that yes, that was her name in the film, but in the book you don't learn her name, she's just The Little Mermaid. We've had the book/film discussion when reading His Dark Materials though, and talked about how her interpretation of Lyra is different to mine, which it wouldn't be if were watching a film.

 

[Edwardoka]

Everyone should read that book. Although the film wasn't bad, if they're too busy.

I loved his short story The Pedestrian set in the same world, so was prepared to really enjoy it.

Honestly, Fahrenheit 451 was one of the toughest reads I've forced myself to sit through, and I say that as someone who has read the Bible (and its companion, The Silmarillion) cover to cover. Literary devices other than tortured metaphor are available, Mr. Bradbury.

The thing is, the thing the book is most famous for - book-burning as censorship - was at best, tertiary to the plot, which was far more concerned with the rise of TV supplanting the written medium, and a warning of the dulling effect that passive consumption of media has on the human mind.

The city got nuked so that the pseudo-intellectual protagonist was free to follow a railway in the dark so that he could stumble upon a camp of people who were basically a device for the author to deliver a Randian monologue.

I read it 2 or 3 years ago. I hated it.

 

[Nibor]

There is a solution to the Snow White issue

 

[Yellow Fang]

I can imagine an Intel interpretation of Snow White. No matter how nice a guy you are, if you're not a prince you're a dwarf, and stand no chance.

 

[AuroraSaab]

People now see the Disney films as the definitive versions. Reading the Little Mermaid for example, my 5yo asks if it's Ariel so I have to tell her that yes, that was her name in the film, but in the book you don't learn her name, she's just The Little Mermaid. We've had the book/film discussion when reading His Dark Materials though, and talked about how her interpretation of Lyra is different to mine, which it wouldn't be if were watching a film.

Someone once gave my kids an illustrated hardback of Hans Christian Anderson stories. The pictures were lovely but we quickly gave the book away. Little Match Girl - unbearably sad. Dancing Shoes - horrific.

 

[Beebo]

Someone once gave my kids an illustrated hardback of Hans Christian Anderson stories. The pictures were lovely but we quickly gave the book away. Little Match Girl - unbearably sad. Dancing Shoes - horrific.

I imagine that at the time when infant mortality was so high that a story like little match girl was comforting for some children.
But not very comforting for today’s audience.
Things change, who knew?

 

[matticus]

I loved his short story The Pedestrian set in the same world, so was prepared to really enjoy it.

Honestly, Fahrenheit 451 was one of the toughest reads I've forced myself to sit through, and I say that as someone who has read the Bible (and its companion, The Silmarillion) cover to cover. Literary devices other than tortured metaphor are available, Mr. Bradbury.

The thing is, the thing the book is most famous for - book-burning as censorship - was at best, tertiary to the plot, which was far more concerned with the rise of TV supplanting the written medium, and a warning of the dulling effect that passive consumption of media has on the human mind.

The city got nuked so that the pseudo-intellectual protagonist was free to follow a railway in the dark so that he could stumble upon a camp of people who were basically a device for the author to deliver a Randian monologue.

I read it 2 or 3 years ago. I hated it.

Yebbut now you've read it, you can say all that - what did you get out of the other readathons you mention, hmmm? And it took a lot less time than the Bible or the Silmarillion, amiright?

 

[Edwardoka]

Yebbut now you've read it, you can say all that - what did you get out of the other readathons you mention, hmmm? And it took a lot less time than the Bible or the Silmarillion, amiright?

The Bible is a collection of tattered bits of scribblings and oral tradition made by various people over the course of centuries, curated and edited by people with a keen understanding of human nature and absolutely no interest in reality.

The Silmarillion is a collection of tattered bits of scribblings and world building made by two people over the course of half a century, curated and edited by Christopher Tolkien, the one person on the planet with a keen understanding of his father's work. Some of it is amazing. e.g. The Fall of Gondolin and Beren and Luthien come to mind (both were later extracted into their own self-contained novels), a lot of it is very dry worldbuilding and glum elvish poetry.

Fahrenheit 451 is self-satisfied dribble created by one person over the course of 9 days that makes the mistake of thinking that it is far cleverer and subversive than it actually is.
What if firemen ... get this... set fires! *mind-exploding.gif*

Bradbury was a decent sci-fi author but his attempts at social commentary failed to be remotely as meaningful or evocative as even the weakest of Orwell's works.

Edit: On reflection I think I'm being unfair to Bradbury and the novel. In the prevailing context where other people finding F451 worthy of all the praise in the world, I found it sorely wanting.

In the context of a novel smushed into existence by combining several short sci-fi short stories he'd already written into one, it's not terrible. It's a passable example of genre fiction, although the abuse of metaphor makes it a challenging read - but not interestingly so.

 

[matticus]

I sense either an expectation management error, or a wilful desire to be contrary and display superior intellect over less well-read readers (who were ignorant enough to enjoy the thing , and will probably enjoy it on re-reading ).

Let's review the give-away phrases:

...
Fahrenheit 451 is self-satisfied dribble created by one person over the course of 9 days that makes the mistake of thinking that it is far cleverer and subversive than it actually is.
<snip>
In the prevailing context where other people finding F451 worthy of all the praise in the world, I found it sorely wanting.
...

Not the first book review on this thread to betray rather strong pre-conceptions.

Nevertheless, I have enjoyed your work on this subject - particularly the Silmarillion comment. I shall recommend your pamphlets to friends (whilst warning that they might be a lot less interesting than the author thinks).

 

[stephec]

Someone once gave my kids an illustrated hardback of Hans Christian Anderson stories. The pictures were lovely but we quickly gave the book away. Little Match Girl - unbearably sad. Dancing Shoes - horrific.

Has Christian Anderson's quite dark for kids stories, but probably seemed quite normal at the time.

 

[Edwardoka]

I sense either an expectation management error, or a wilful desire to be contrary and display superior intellect over less well-read readers (who were ignorant enough to enjoy the thing , and will probably enjoy it on re-reading ).

Let's review the give-away phrases:


Not the first book review on this thread to betray rather strong pre-conceptions.

It was definitely the former. I went into it thinking it's going to be this amazing cautionary tale about society and censorship, like how detailed and evocative the world of Nineteen Eighty Four was with its memory holes, unpersoning, thoughtcrime etc, and it just... wasn't.

Hands up, you are right that the "thinks that it's far cleverer than it is" stuff was largely in my head, but that's still the feeling I took from it. Both the spiel from the well-read head fireman and the authorial self-indulgence at the end sat ill with me.

I shall therefore amend my review to read: "People think it is far cleverer than it is."