Chapter II: Principles of Selection for Fairy Tales (3)

Here we have a tale, which, in its language, well illustrates Stevenson's "pattern of style," especially as regards the harmony produced by the arrangement of letters. From the standpoint of style, this tale might be named, _The Adventure of the Letter E_; it illustrates the part the phonics of the tale may contribute to the effect of the setting. Follow the letter _e_ in the opening of the tale, both as to the eye and the ear:--

A Spid_e_r and a Fl_e_a dw_e_lt tog_e_th_e_r in on_e_
hous_e_ and br_e_w_e_d th_e_ir b_ee_r in an _e_gg-shell.
On_e_ day wh_e_n th_e_ Spid_e_r was stirring it up sh_e_
f_e_ll in and burn_e_d h_e_rs_e_lf. Th_e_r_e_upon th_e_
Fl_e_a b_e_gan to scr_e_am. And th_e_n th_e_ Door ask_e_d,
"Why ar_e_ you scr_e_aming, littl_e_ Fl_e_a?"

If we follow the _e_ sound through the tale, we find it in _Flea, beer, scream, creak, weeps, sweep, reason, heap_, _Tree, leaves_, and _Streamlet_. This repetition of the one sound puts music into the tale and creates a center of the harmony of sound. But if we examine the next part of the tale we find a variety of sounds of _o_ in _thereupon, Door, Broom, stood_, and _corner_. Later, in connection with _Cart_, we have _began, fast, past_, and _Ashes_. Other phonic effects are crowded into the tale; such as the sound of _l_ in _violently, till, all, leaves_, and _fell_; the sound of _i_ in _little_ and _Girl_; of _p_ in _pitcher_ and _passing_; of _t_ in _little_ and _pitcher_; and of _ew_ in _threw_ and _drew_. Altogether this very effective use of sound is a fine employment of concrete language, words which present images that are clear-cut as a cameo. It also gives to the tale a poetical touch.

_Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse_, an English tale, and a parallel of _The Spider and the Flea_, preserves the same beauty and sequence by means of its setting and illustrates the same very unusual contribution of the sounds of particular letters combined in the harmony of the whole. _The Phonics of the Fairy Tales_ is a subject which yields much interest and, as yet, has been almost untouched.

In _The Adventures of Chanticleer and Partlet_, in part I, _The Trip to the Nut-Hill_, taken from Arthur Rackham's _Grimm Tales_, the setting contributes largely to the attractiveness of the tale, as is shown in Rackham's beautiful illustration. The setting is given throughout the tale often in a telling word or two. Chanticleer and Partlet went up the _nut-hill_ to gather nuts before the _squirrel_ carried them all away. The _day_ was _bright_ and they stayed till _evening_. The _carriage_ of _nut-shells_; the _Duck_ they met; the _dirty road_ they traveled in the _pitch dark_; the _Inn_ they arrived at; the _night_ at the Inn; the early _dawn_; the _hearth_ where they threw the egg-shells; the Landlord's _chair_ whose _cushion_ received the Needle; the _towel_ which received the Pin; the _heath_ over which they hurried away; the _yard_ of the Inn where the Duck slept and the _stream_ he escaped by; the Landlord's _room_ where he gained experience with his towel; the _kitchen_ where the egg-shells from the _hearth_ flew into his face; and the _arm-chair_ which received him with a Needle--these are all elements of setting which contribute largely to the humor and the beauty of the tale.

A blending of the three elements, characters, plot, and setting, appears in the following outline of _The Elves and the Shoemaker_:--

_The Elves and the Shoemaker_

1. _Introduction_. A poor Shoemaker. A poor room containing
a bed and a shoemaker's board. Leather for one pair of
shoes.

2. _Development_.

First night ... Cut out shoes. Went to bed. Shoes ready
next morning. Sold them. Bought leather for two pairs.

Second night ... Cut out shoes. Went to bed. Shoes
ready next morning. Sold them. Bought leather for four
pairs.

One night ... Conversation of Shoemaker and his wife:
"I should like to sit up to-night to see who it is that
makes the shoes." They sat up. Two Elves ran in, sewed,
rapped, and tapped, and ran away when the shoes were
made.

Day after ... Conversation. "These Elves made us rich.
I should like to do something for them. You make each
of them a little pair of shoes, and I will make them
each a little shirt, a coat, a waistcoat, trousers, and
a pair of stockings."

Christmas Eve ... Finished shoes and clothes put on the
table. Shoemaker and Wife hid in the corner of the room
behind clothes, and watched. (Climax.)

Elves came in and put on clothes.

3. _Conclusion_.

Happy end. Elves danced and sang,--

"Smart and natty boys are we,
Cobblers we'll no longer be."

Shoemaker and Wife became happy and prosperous.

The characters of this tale are usual, a poor Shoemaker and his Wife; and unusual, the dainty Elves who made shoes in a twinkling. But the commonplace peasants become interesting through their generosity, kindness, and service to the Elves; and the Elves become human in their joy at receiving gifts. The structure of the tale is so distinct as to be seen a thing itself, apart from the story. The framework is built on what happens on two nights and following nights, the conversation of the next day, and what happens on Christmas Eve. The climax evidently is what the Shoemaker and his Wife hid in the corner to see--the entrance of the Elves on Christmas Eve--which episode has been interpreted charmingly by the English illustrator, Cruikshank. The joy of the Elves and of the two aged people, the gifts received by the one and the riches won by the other, form the conclusion, which follows very closely upon the climax. The commonplace setting, the poor room with its simple bed and table, becomes transformed by the unusual happenings in the place. If we should take away this setting, we see how much the tale would suffer. Also without the characters the tale would be empty. And without the interesting, human, humorous, and pleasing plot, characters and setting would be insufficient. Each element of the short-story contributes its fair share to the tale, and blends harmoniously in the whole.

Various standards for testing the folk-tale have been given by writers. One might refer to the standards given by Wilman in his _Pedagogische Vorträge_ and those mentioned by William Rein in _Das Erste Schuljahr_. We have seen here that the fairy tale must contain the child's interests and it must be able to stand the test of a true classic. It must stand the test of literature in its appeal to emotion and to imagination, in its appeal to the intellect through its basis of truth, and to the language-sense through its perfection of form; it must stand the test of the short-story and of good narration and of description. Let us now examine a few of the old tales to see how they stand the complete test:--

_How the Sun, Moon, and West Wind went out to Dinner_

_This story of How the Sun, Moon, and West Wind Went out to
Dinner_ appeals to the children's interest in a family
dinner--they went to dine with their Uncle and Aunt, Thunder
and Lightning. The characters are interesting to the child,
for they are the inhabitants of his sky that cause him much
wonder: the star, the sun, the moon, the thunder, and the
lightning. To the little child, who as she watched a
grown-up drying her hands, remarked, "I wouldn't like to be
a towel, would you?" the idea of the moon, sun, and wind
possessing personality and going to a dinner-party will
amuse and please. The theme of the story finds a place in
the experience of children who go to a party; and secretly
they will enjoy making comparisons. When they go to a party
they too like to bring something home; but they wouldn't
think of hiding goodies in their hands. They are fortunate
enough to have their hostess give them a toy animal or a box
of sweetmeats, a tiny dolly or a gay balloon, as a souvenir.
The greediness and selfishness of the Sun and Wind impress
little children, for these are perhaps the two sins possible
to childhood; and all children will fully appreciate why the
Sun and the Wind received so swiftly the punishment they
deserved. The thoughtfulness of the loving gentle Moon to
remember her Mother the Star, appeals to them. The rapid
punishment, well-deserved, and the simplicity of the story
with its one point, make it a very good tale for little
children. The whole effect is pleasing. What children recall
is the motherly Star; and the beautiful Moon, who was cool
and calm and bright as a reward for being good.

The structure of the tale is neat and orderly, dominated by
a single theme. The form of the tale, as given in Jacobs's
_Indian Tales_, shows a good use of telling expressions;
such as, "the Mother waited _alone_ for her children's
return," "Kept watch with her _little bright eye_," "the
Moon, _shaking_ her hands _showered_ down such a _choice_
dinner," etc. Here we have too, the use of concrete,
visualized expressions and direct language. There is also a
good use of repetition, which aids the child in following
the plot and which clarifies the meaning. The Mother Star,
when pronouncing a punishment upon Sun, repeated his own
words as he had spoken when returning from the dinner: "I
went out to enjoy myself with my friends." In her speech to
Wind she included his own remark: "I merely went for my own
pleasure."--The examination of this tale shows that it
stands well the complete test applied here to the fairy
tale.

_The Straw Ox_

_The Straw Ox_ is an accumulative tale which has sufficient
plot to illustrate the fine points of the old tale
completely. A poor woman who could barely earn a living had
an idea and carried it out successfully.--Her need
immediately wins sympathy in her behalf.--She asked her
husband to make her a straw ox and smear it with tar. Then
placing it in the field where she spun, she called out,
"Graze away, little Ox, graze away, while I spin my flax!"
First a Bear came out of the Wood and got caught by the tar
so that the Straw Ox dragged him home. The old Man then put
the Bear in the cellar. Then a Wolf, a Fox, and a Hare got
caught in the same way and also were consigned to the
cellar.--The plot has so far built itself up by an orderly
succession of incidents.--But just when the Man is preparing
to kill the animals, they save their lives by promising
vicarious offerings: The Bear promises honey; the Wolf a
flock of sheep; the Fox a flock of geese; and the Hare kale
and cauliflower.--Then the plot, having tied itself into a
knot, unties itself as the animals return, each with the
gift he promised.

The setting is the field where the old Woman placed the Ox
and where she spun, the wood from which the animals came,
and the peasant home. The characters are two poor people who
need food and clothing and seek to secure both; and the
animals of the forest. The peasants need the Bear for a
coat, the Wolf for a fur cap, the Fox for a fur collar, and
the Hare for mittens. This human need produces an emotional
appeal so that we wish to see the animals caught. But when
the plot unties itself, the plight of the animals appeals to
us equally and we want just as much to see them win their
freedom. Each animal works out his own salvation by offering
the old people a worthy substitute. Each animal is true to
his nature in the substitute he offers, he promises what is
only natural for him to procure, and what he himself likes
best. The conclusion is satisfying because in the end
everybody is happy: the old people who have all they need;
and the animals who have life and freedom. The distinct
pictures offered to the imagination are the capture of the
four animals and their return with their life-substitutes.
The form of the tale is a good example of folk-story style,
with its vivid words, direct language, and repetition. This
is one of the tales which is finer than at first appears
because it has a strong sense of life. It touches the
present-day problem: "How can the inhuman slaughter of
animals for man's use be avoided?" Its underlying message
is: Self-help is a good way out of a difficulty.--_The Straw
Ox_ also answers the complete test of the tale with much
satisfaction.

REFERENCES:

The Child:

Barnes, Earl: _Study of Children's Stories_. ("Children's
Interests.")

Dewey, John: _Interest and Effort in Education_. Houghton.

King, Irving: _Psychology of Child Development_. University of
Chicago Press.

Lawrence, Isabel: "Children's Interests in Literature." _N.E.A.
Report_, 1899, p. 1044.

McCracken, Elizabeth: "What Children Like to Read." _Outlook_,
Dec, 1904, vol. 78.

Tyler, John M.: _Growth in Education_. Houghton.

Vostrovsky, Clara: "A Study of Children's Own Stories." _Studies
in Education_, vol. i, pp. 15-17.

Literature:

Baldwin, Charles S.: _Specimens of Prose Description_. Holt.

Brewster, William T.: _English Composition and Style_. Century.

_Ibid.: Specimens of Prose Narration_. Holt.

Gardiner, John H.: _Forms of Prose Literature_. Scribner.

Matthews, Brander: _The Philosophy of the Short-Story_. Longmans.
Pater, Walter: _Appreciations. (Essay on Style_). Macmillan.

Perry, Bliss: _A Study of Prose Fiction_. ("The Short Story.")
Houghton.

Sainte-Beuve, Charles A.: _Essays_. ("What is a Classic?")
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Santayana, George: _The Sense of Beauty_. Scribner.

Wendell, Barrett: _English Composition_. Scribner.

Winchester, Caleb T.: _Principles of Literary Criticism_.
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Emotion:

Bain, Alexander: _The Emotions and the Will_. Appleton.

Darwin, Charles: _Expression of the Emotions in Man and
Animals_. Appleton.

Imagination:

Colvin, Stephen: _The Learning Process_. Macmillan.

Curry, S.S.: _Imagination and the Dramatic Instinct_. Expression
Co.

Ruskin, John: _Modern Painters_, vol. r. ("Of the Imagination.")

Children's Literature:

Baker, Franklin T.: _Bibliography of Children's Reading.
(Introduction.)_ Teachers College, Columbia University.

Day, Mary B., and Wilson, Elisabeth: _Suggestive Outlines on
Children's Literature_. S. Illinois Normal, Carbondale.

Dodd, C.F.: "Fairy Tales in the Schoolroom." _Living Age_, Nov.
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Fay, Lucy, and Eaton, Anne: _Instruction in the Use of Books and
Libraries_. (Chap, xv, "Fairy Tales.") Boston Book Co.

Field, Mrs. E.M.: _The Child and His Book_. Wells Gardner, Darton
& Co.

Field, Walter T.: _Finger-Posts to Children's Reading_. A.C.
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Harron, Julia; Bacon, Corinne; and Dana, J.C.: _A Course of Study
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Hosic, James F.: "The Conduct of a Course in Literature for
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_Ibid.: The Elementary Course in English_. University of
Chicago.

Hunt, Clara: _What shall we Read to the Children?_ Houghton.

Kready, Laura F.: "Picture-Books for Little Children."
_Kindergarten Review_, Sept., 1914.

Lowe, Orton: _Literature for Children_. Macmillan.

MacClintock, Porter L.: _Literature in the Elementary School_.
University of Chicago.

Moore, Annie E.: "Principles in the Selection of Stories for the
Kindergarten." _I.K.U. Report_, 1913.
Moses, Montrose: _Children's Books and Reading_. M. Kennerley.

Olcott, Frances J.: _The Children's Reading_. Houghton.