The more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free.
A. S. ByattRead
I am not sure how much good is done by moralising about fairy tales. This can be unsubtle - telling children that virtue will be rewarded, when in fact it is mostly simply the fact of being the central character that ensures a favourable outcome. Fairy tales are not, on the whole, parables.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote questions the effectiveness of imparting moral lessons through fairy tales, suggesting that outcomes are often based on narrative roles rather than virtues.
A. S. Byatt critiques the common practice of moralizing fairy tales, which often imply that being virtuous will lead to a rewarding outcome. Instead, she argues that these stories typically favor the main character regardless of their moral standing, highlighting that narrative structure plays a significant role in determining outcomes rather than ethical behavior.
Themes
Fairy TalesMoralityNarrativeVirtueCharacters
In practice
Example use cases
During a lesson on storytelling, one might reference this quote to emphasize the difference between fiction and moral lessons.
More from A. S. Byatt
All quotes →It's because I'm a feminist that I can't stand women limiting other women's imaginations. It really makes me angry.
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Why do we take pleasure in gruesome death, neatly packaged as a puzzle to which we may find a satisfactory solution through clues - or if we are not clever enough, have it revealed by the all-powerful tale-teller at the end of the book? It is something to do with being reduced to, and comforted by, playing by the rules.
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Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs.
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Only write to me, write to me, I love to see the hop and skip and sudden starts of your ink.
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I am a creature of my pen. My pen is the best of me.
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