Volt egyszer egy mesevita
There Was Once a Debate Over Fairy Tales

Summary/Abstract: On the occasion of a radio adaptation of a fairy tale in Hungarian in 1956, the daily newspaper “Magyar Szo” had begun a discussion whether a fairy tale has a harmful or beneficial effect on the child's psyche. Namely, the world of fairy tales contradicts both the materialist view of socialism as well as the mystification of scientific and technical progress in modern times. Discussion participants barely referred to methodological issues of radio adaptation of fairy tales as a literary expression, in spite of the fact that it was happening in their presence or even that they were the creators of it. From time distance, it seems that the real reason was the emancipation of fairy tales, “real fairy tales”, while in the same time there was a silent rebellion against the ruling ideology, as a subsequent turbulence after the discussions in Yugoslav literary life. Although the positive influence of fairy tales on the child’s psyche was not denied by any participant, some of them couldn’t or didn’t want to free themselves from observing the fairy tales through class struggle while they were analysing their the conflictuous structures. Of course, this attitude was not necessarily their conviction, it was more the subordination to the superiors or what they thought were the expectations of political representatives. Strongly defending the importance of the magic world of fairy tales (at the same time, repeating this expression, they basically meant just folk tales, without taking in consideration their multilayerism) while they were primarly overemphasising their didactic function.

• Details
• Contents