Psychoanalysis of Cinderella,

The Psychoanalysis of Charles Perault and His
Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper.

Charles Perault reveals much of his core value, upbringing, personal experiences and
subconscious addenda’s in his work Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper.  The psychoanalysis of this story reveals many details of the life of Charles Perault’s. Further more, Perault uses his writing to help children, but also subconsciously advocates his personal addenda’s from his life experience.

The psychoanalytic approach of looking into an authors writing gives great insight into much of the past experiences and subconscious musings of the writer. With this approach the piece will be examined for details that could “express the secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the author” (Delahoyde, 2011). This analysis is based on the theories, and ideas of “Harold Bloom, Jacques Lacan, Sigmund Freud” (AIO, 2011). Typically when reviewing a story most look to the characters and try to decipher how the author is attempting to express themselves through an individual character. This however is typically not the case in the Psychoanalytic approach as the author is assuming identities in all characters, elements and happenings in story and they are in turn all projections of the writer. As the text is examined the reader searches for key components that point to unresolved emotions, guilt, or conflicts that position a subconscious expression from the writer. Then considering the author’s personal upbringing and traumatic experiences from family, addictions, sexual confusion, and the like stresses that are tucked away in the characters of the piece of literature. This is unpackaged and revealed by using technique of symbolism, condensation, and displacement.

One of the key elements in the psychoanalytic criticism is the analysis is never attempts to identify the author’s underlying intension for the piece. Rather, it is a probing search to find what the author never intended to reveal in their work, the details of their past. The text is evaluated, searched, and scrutinized for the details that are repressed or buried in the subconscious memory the authors mind truly looking to reveal.

Looking at the background of the author Charles Perault, several details are useful as the as the analysis begins. He was born into a wealthy family that lived in Paris, France. He always was looking to gain more knowledge and went to the best schools where he would achieve top rankings in his classes. The most interesting fact about him is that his fairy tales did not come about till the end of his life. “He was almost 70 years old when he wrote his first fairy tales in 1697” (Unknown 1, 2011). Another very critical detail about Perault, is that his wife passed “in 1678” after 6 short years of marriage (Unknown 2, 2011).

In reviewing Cinderella, or the little Glass Sipper, one thing is very evident using the psychological analysis is we see the writer has an understanding of wealth. The story is about kings, balls, hopes and dreams. This indicates that author has experienced this wealthy life. At the same time, he also shows us that he has an understanding of the working class that supports the upper class. He has communicated a definite attitude against those who have had the wealth handed to them, verses those who have had to work for it. It would be easy to see how he has buried himself in the Cinderella character, as he had to go to school and work for his success. He understood the upper class, but also expresses an undertone of disenchantment with those who did not have to work for their status. 

Considering also how the main character Cinderella is treated, it begs the question of the opposition Perault must have faced in being successful in school. Seeing that he has created this character that is so good, yet faces so much opposition points to his great success, and possibly feeling that he never was giving the recognition he truly deserved.

The author also places himself in the character of the Godmother. This is truly what the story is about, his gift to children. Consider his age, and how long it had been since he had experienced the wonder and excitement of his childhood. The Godmother in this story brings the gift of experience to the main character Cinderella. Consider then how Perauslt has placed himself in that character as he has revealed wonder, and excitement to children through his story. 

Another aspect to consider in Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper is the hidden addenda in his communication of characters in this story. “His tales were intended to train young girls in how to become ladies” (Unknown 3, 2011). Being raised with the upper class Perauslt learned quickly what a lady was. He admired the true beauty of a woman with class. His story addresses true beauty and attempts to put his values of what it takes to be a beautiful woman. Consider the moral. “Beauty in a woman is a rare treasure that will always be admired. Graciousness, however, is priceless and of even greater value. This is what Cinderella's godmother gave to her when she taught her to behave like a queen. Young women, in the winning of a heart, graciousness is more important than a beautiful hairdo. It is a true gift of the fairies. Without it nothing is possible; with it, one can do anything.” (Lang, 1891).

Taking Perauslt’s projection of a beautiful refined young woman and how they behave a step further, consider how much of his imagination of beautiful young women is represented in his fantasy in his fairytales. Consider his wife dieing at such a young age, and how he used his stories to carry on his idealism of his deceased wife. This technique is a coping mechanism as well as a technique to fulfill his romantic drive.

By using the Psychoanalytic approach to examine the work of Charles Perauslt, it is clear there he is expressing his subconscious messages through the story. These messages give the reader insight about his values, personal views, struggles, childhood and loss in life. These subtle messages in his stories were not an intentional effort, especially as he was writing to young children, but the subtle elements are key indicators of his personal history and life experiences are much of his work. Some might judge Perauslt with revealing these elements in his work, but the truth of the matter is that every writer expresses their deep-rooted emotions and values in their work. After it all it is their life and experiences that have shaped the individual into who they are. With creating and writing Perauslt was bound to reveal himself in his stories. Even if it was not intentional, his values, character, childhood and personal perception made him into the author that was able to write so many classic tales. He could not have written any other way.

Works Cited:

AIO Classroom, Children's Literature | ENG4010 P01. Week 1, Web. 26, November
    2011.

Lang, Andrew, The Blue Fairy Book, 5th ed. (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1891),
    pp. 64-71.

Delahoyde, Michael. Psychoanalytic Criticism. Washington State University - Pullman,
    Washington. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. .

St. Martin’s, VirtuaLit: Critical Approaches. Default. Web. 05 Dec. 2011.
    .

Unknown 2, "Charles Perrault | Fabulous Fairy Tales." Welcome | Fabulous Fairy Tales. 
    Web. 07 Dec. 2011. .

Unknown 1, The Story of Charles Perrault. Perrault Fairy Tales. Web. 06 Dec. 2011.
     .

Unknown 3, "Charles Perrault." Perrault Bio. Web. 06 Dec. 2011.
   
    /WebProject/Bios/Perrault%20Bio.htm>.

The Change From Book To Film

DISCUSS TOPIC:

In what ways does changing the medium (book to film) alter the social commentary?

When a classic children’s story is recreated for film many times elements of the story need to be altered. “Transforming stories from one medium to another or transplanting them from one setting to another involves trade-offs for good or ill.” (Stahl).  When stories are recreated, and retold many times the process involves altering the story.

Many times the medium in which the piece has been observed first sends an expectation of how one would expect to find the piece in other mediums. For me personally remember the many different Dr Seuss stories that I read as a child. The tone, storyline, imagery and voice inflections were so different from the film versions. I found myself to be very disappointed. Especially looking at the new series on PBS Kids, The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That. In the books the cat seemed to be more irresponsible and looking for fun. This new version seems so tame and scaled back. The cat is more concerned about education in each episode compared to just wanting the kids to have fun.

Another very drastic example of this is in the PBS Kids show Super Why.

Each episode takes a classic children’s story and draws conclusions to help children solve their daily problems. Part of the problem solving the show reveals is actually changing the story to solve the problem. While there is so many examples to pull from this show, one simple concept that has been modernized is that Little Red Riding Hood, has been renamed to Red. She also is always wearing skates.

Many times change is necessary in literature works as the culture pushes forward. As film directors pull the classics and recreate many times we see the final product is drastically different, as the story did not lend well to the visual story line. Also consider how small adjustments to a story could simply be a director’s preference and creative expression. A great example of this is in the 1994 Romeo and Juliet remake movie. Much of the classic speech and is used, but the story setting is contemporary. Even the activities of the characters are more matched to modern day. In one scene the two main characters are dropping acid. This was not part of the original, but was an element that seemed to related to the current culture. 

With a progressive culture always looking to change, improve or modernize the classic works of literature, one might question if the works of the greats will be lost with the noise of the new versions. To some point the works of the greats will be lost. I am personally thinking of all the stories I thought I knew before I took this class. In reading the older versions I have found that I did not ever know the original story. But when we consider how today information is at our fingertips, it is not far fetched to research and find appreciation for the classic work. As it was mentioned in the beginning of this class, many times the hype from a new released story in a new medium creates hype to make the story popular once again. It is just an old product that has been remarketed and branded to a new target group.

Works Cited:

Stahl, J. D., Tina L. Hanlon, and Elizabeth Lennox Keyser. Crosscurrents of
       Children's Literature: an Anthology of Texts and Criticism. New York:
       Oxford UP, 2007. Print.

Resources:

AIO Classroom, Children's Literature | ENG4010 P01. Week 6, Web. 08 December 2011.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins, The Book VS. The Film.

DISCUSS TOPIC:

Please select a story which has been made into a movie and research into its production. Investigate to see if you can find out whose idea it was to create the movie, what ideas guided the production, and so on. Be sure that you cite this information.

As a young child, I had heard and loved the story of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. I can still recall the story written by Richard and Florence Atwater about a house painter and his very entertaining penguins. The book was written in 1938 and was awarded with the Newbery Award. The plot expressed and contained a very unique story about “the adventures of a housepainter and his brood of high-stepping penguins” (Unknown, 2011).  The classic piece became very popular over the years for young elementary students. In 2011 the story was taken and made into a film. While both the book and film have similar concepts, and ideas, and characters when the story was recreated for film many aspects of the story were changed. 

In 2011 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment released their modernized film of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. This new release featured drastically changed the unique family story. From character relationships, values, careers and even the setting of the story has a drastic contrast as the book is compared to the film.

This classic tale took quite a twist when it hit the big screen. The main character is portrayed quit differently in the two different mediums. “The Mr. Popper of the movie is not the carefree, slightly eccentric Mr. Popper of the book” (Wendy, 2011). Looking at the main character, Jim Carey, it is fairly simple to have a good idea of how this character is portrayed in the film. Carey has earned himself quite a reputation for his silly faces, and comical combinations. Considering other movies like, Ace Ventura, Liar, Liar, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Yes Man, Bruce Almighty, Me, Myself & Irene and even Batman Forever have all pushed Carey forward with unique yet similar characters that have made Carey into what he is today. Despite Carey’s extreme success in his film career, knowing how his characters are always over-the-top which in turn puts a different spin on this classic tale. We can see how the film chose to rely on the personality of the actor and their entertaining qualities, rather than the quirky characteristics. The book was driven from its entertaining story and well developed characters. 

Looking into the film story we see how the story has been modernized to out current culture. The classic tale sets the story in a fictional small town where the Popper family all live together. The film has a drastically different setting as it is places the story in New York City, and the Poppers have a typical divorced American family. In addition to this detail, the book puts Mr. Popper in a humble job as a house painter. When Hollywood got a hold of the storyline they made some major adjustments to Mr. Popper’s life, as in their version he is a very successful businessman who “has little time for family” (Wendy, 2011).

Another major change in the storyline is the origin of the penguins. The classic tale paints the picture of Mr. Popper’s sense of adventure and how he longs to explore the south pole.  Explorer “Admiral Drake” sends Mr. Popper penguins as a gift (Unknown, 2011). The new film version ties in some issues with Mr. Poppers father that he is carrying over from his childhood. He then acquires these penguins as a gift from his father.  

Overall both the book and the movie are fun and amusing. But if the viewer is planning on the film following the classic story written in text, they will instead find “a very loose interpretation of the book” (Wendy, 2011).  When it comes to a better message to children and their families, it is clear that the classic story shows more character and better values than the new fling. Adapting a classic story to fit better with our modern culture might make it more believable, and easier to related to, but at the same time can pull away many key elements that made the story a classic in the first place.

Works Cited:

Wendy. "Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Book and Movie Review – Caribousmom." Caribousmom. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .

Unknown, "Mr. Popper's Penguins | Scholastic.com." Scholastic | Children's Books and Book Club | Scholastic.com. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .

SWF File Format

 

Using an “Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Air Software” SWF files carry text, videos, vector graphics, and sound to millions viewers over the world wide web (SWF Technology Center, 2011).  It was designed specifically to “deliver graphics and animation over the Internet” (A Concise Guide to the SWF File Format, 2011). With a high compatibility rate of  “ over 98%” with web enable desktop computers, and over “800 million” personal handheld devices, the SWF file format has proved to be a very efficient an effective way to exchange this binary data (SWF Technology Center, 2011).

While the format is extremely useful for displaying the binary information, SWF does not offer editing capabilities, which forces creators and editors to keep the original document in a different format. At the same time, the inability to edit SWF files, serves somewhat as security for the files that have been created.

The format was created with a handful of key goals in mind. The creators knew the importance of having a file created primarily for on-screen display. The on-screen display would then need to offer “fast rendering to a bitmap of any color format, animation and interactive buttons” (A Concise Guide to the SWF File Format, 2011). It also needed to be expandable so it could easily evolve with technology and demand, as well as, maintain compatibility. There was careful consideration placed in the ability to have files compressed for quick loading regardless of the speed, and bandwidth, as well as, then ensure high quality of the viewed information. Having files that were no longer dependent on other external source files was also very important. This removed the concern for linking external files like fonts, source graphics, videos or even sound. Everything would be contained with in the SWF file. Finally the other area development considered is how the file would interact with different sized displays. With continually changing resolutions, screen sizes and shapes it was important to make the file format scalable.

Works Cited.

"A Concise Guide to the SWF File Format." The Labs: Homepage. Web. 22 May 2011. .

"SWF Technology Center | Adobe Developer Connection." Adobe. Web. 22 May 2011. .

Lewis W. Hine - Men Working on Skyscrapers

Objective: Select an image that you consider to be representative of today's documentary photography and that resonates with the documentary examples:

(NYPL Digital Gallery, 2011) Title: Rivetting on the dome, a quarter mile up Artist: Lewis W. Hine Date: 1931 Location: Rochester, NY Medium: Photography “Lewis W. Hine. Rivetting on the dome, a quarter mile up during construction on the Empire state Building in New York City 1931 Photograph George Eastman House, Rochester; New York” (Pohl, 2002).    (Working on Skyscrapers | Aashish Puniany, 2011) Title: Working on Skyscrapers Artist: Unknown/Aashish Puniany Date: Unknown Location: Indonesia Medium: Photography In studying the images in the book I was very drawn to the work of Lewis W. Hine.  In his “Hine. Rivetting on the dome, a quarter mile up” I was quite amazed at the angle of the shot. The photographer is actually higher than the workers. The viewer normally would see the large towering buildings above them, not as small distant shapes below. The dark images of the men and structure contrasting the lighter city really show the viewer how far below the city is. This concept is very impressive totally captures how dangerous the condition is for the men working.  His title fills in some questions a view might have. First of what is, how high are these men, and the second is what are they doing. It was difficult to find a modern version of this today with so much “red tape” and liability issues. Most photographs I found were stock images that were save and shot from the bottom of the structure with a large lens. In my mind that is a completely different photo. I finally found some photos that are quite similar to what Hine is doing in his. On Aashish Puniany’s blog, he features a small series of photos very similar to Lewis W. Hine of men working very high up on a building over looking the city below. Aashish Puniany also uses black and white photos like Hine, which creates a dynamic contrast, as he too shows his foreground darker and distant city below lighter.  His angle of his subject is not quite as drastic as Hine, but the photographs are still taken slightly above the subject to reveal they breath-taking height. A few of his photos defiantly highlight the lack of safety and danger of what these workers are doing.  Works Cited: "NYPL Digital Gallery | Detail." NYPL Digital Gallery | Home. Web. 05 May 2011. . Pohl, Frances K. Framing America: a Social History of American Art. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2002. Print. " Working on Skyscrapers | Aashish Puniany." Images, Videos, Websites and Many More. Web. 05 May 2011. .

Wasteland - Vik Muniz - Murals Out of Waste

The other night I saw something I found to be most interesting though as a new technique for murals. It was a documentary on PBS about the artist Vik Muniz and how he is creating huge murals out of trash. I think the film is called "Wasteland". Check out this piece below from www.wastelandmovie.com

Allie Mae Burroughs, Wife of a Cotton Sharecropper- Cirtique

QUESTION: Although documentary photography attempts to be impartial about the situation it records, there are aesthetic approaches taken by photographers that elicit a strong reaction from the viewer. Allie Mae Burroughs, Wife of a Cotton Sharecropper, Hale County Alabama, taken by Walker Evans that was made as part of a project that addressed the plight of migrant workers during the Great Depression. Consider his choice of setting, lighting, compositional arrangement, and title, among other strategies, to describe aspects of the Evans photograph that you think have been manipulated by the artist to produce an empathetic response from the viewer.

(Uppsala Universitet, 2011)

Walker Evans has set up his photograph “Allie Mae Burroughs, Wife of a Cotton Sharecropper, Hale County Alabama,” beautifully. I would speculate that every technique used in this photo was used with the intention to reveal a simplistic way of life that has been very wearing. 

In first looking at the 3 main textures captured in the photo the viewer sees the rough wood grain of the backdrop, the detailed pattern material on Allie Mae’s blouse and the smooth texture of her skin. These three main textures create a great contrast. This contrast reveals a rough abrasive environment that this soft individual is surrounded by. The building is her environment, and it is rough and surrounds her every moment. Her blouse is her labor and tasks. She is very busy not having even a moment for herself. She has so much too do and barely enough time to do it. Her environment requires her labor. The third main texture is her skin. It is soft and smooth and is the only constant in the piece. We see how the skin is revealing wrinkles showing time and abuse from the environment and labor, but the skin is resilient against its opposition. 

The flat lighting creating little dimension, may lead the viewer to further speculate that the life of this migrant worker is very simple and monotonous. She works hard long hours day after day sticking to her routine. Her stark expression cues the viewer to know she is turning into a machine. She has been hardened, by life, extreme conditions and hard work. The wrinkles on her forehead help the viewer know she is less than happy about her current situation, but the gaze in her eyes show that she knows this is all she has. 

Work Cited:

"Uppsala Universitet - PM_fotografi2 - Mynewsdesk." News Releases Mynewsdesk - Search, Monitor, Publish and Share Press Releases. Web. 03 May 2011. .

Jackson Pollock Early VS Later Work - Is there a connection?

QUESTION: Jackson Pollock is known for his abstract work. Much of his career focused on the production of work that was meant to avoid illusionism. His early training, however, was based on a realistic approach to the representation of the artwork. Naked Man with Knife is an early piece by Pollock. Compare it to his Autumn Rhythm No. 30. Discuss similarities between the two works. In your opinion, has his early training influenced his later work? Justify your response.

    

(Pollock, 2011)   

  (Jackson Pollock, 2011)

At first glance Jackson Pollock’s Naked Man with Knife and Autumn Rhythm No. 30 do not appear to have many similarities at all. Overall the pieces are very different. In Naked Man with a Knife, His earlier work, he reveals the figure in more of a cubistic style, but non-the-less a figure is discernable as well as the knife. In Pollock’s later work, in this case Autumn Rhythm No. 30, there are no discernable figures in this piece.

Looking deeper into each of Pollock’s paintings the viewer begins to uncover subtle similarities. Each piece reveals great a sense of chaos, yet shows great balance and unity. Each piece also reveals an enormous feeling of energy and creates a unique affect to almost release internal aggression. One of the most obvious similarities between Pollock’s pieces is the circular swirling motion continually leading and guiding the viewer around each piece.  Both pieces also appear to use a more limited color pallet. While Nakade Man with Knife introduces reds, blues and yellows, the overall tone is more muted creating a more monochromatic effect. Autumn Rhythm No. 30 uses black, white and a tan color which also creates a very muted earth tone.

Both pieces have a very full visual plane, but Naked Man with Knife, does lead the viewer to focus on the knife. I believe among the chaos created in the piece the knife is revealed to be the focal point. The many faces and exaggerated figure leads me to believe Pollock is shows a battle within in this piece. In Autumn Rhythm No. 30 Pollock may also reveal a battle within, but does not have the piece establish any form of visual hierarchy. “There's no central point of focus, no hierarchy of elements in this allover composition in which every bit of the surface is equally significant” (Jackson Pollock, 2011).

In my opinion his early work did defiantly influence his later style. The swirling and circular motion is very apparent in both. I think in the beginning Pollock revealed more of what was behind his paintings. As time progressed Pollock was able to use a more expressive abstract style, but hold his core meaning on a more private personal level. I think he also grew to move away from a focal point, wanting his work to be viewed as an entire expression instead of focusing on just one area of the piece. His early work was needed, and necessary for him to be able to evolved to his later works.

Works Cited:
Pollock, Jackson (1912-1956) - 1938-40 Naked Man with Knife (Tate Gallery, London) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 03 May 2011. .

"Jackson Pollock: Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) (57.92) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Metmuseum.org. Web. 03 May 2011. .