Perrault’s Tales And Their Childhood Influence
Charles Perrault was a renowned French writer who managed to give literary form to classic children’s tales.
Since the first edition of Perrault’s Tales was published in Paris in 1697, more than 300 years have passed. However, they continue to be a source of inspiration in literature, art and popular culture.
8 Perrault tales that positively mark childhood
The Tales of Mother Goose is one of Perrault’s most famous tales. These stories that contain moral values, but full of charm, have become children’s favorite readings.
The characters are fairies, talking animals, witches, ogres and prince charming. They usually have happy endings, and in the end Perrault includes a moral.
Sleeping Beauty of the Forest
The story consists of two parts, the sleeping beauty and the prince’s mother who tries to eat her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Fairy godmothers represent goodness, personal commitment and generosity.
The selfish fairy represents bad attitudes like selfishness, envy and rancor. At first, evil seems to triumph, but it fails. The values he highlights for children are: love, compassion, courage and commitment.
little Red Riding Hood
Of Perrault’s tales, this is the only one in which evil triumphs because Little Red Riding Hood doesn’t pay attention to what the environment around him does, he doesn’t think or reflect, confuses evil with good and sees the evil wolf as a good friend.
Little Red Riding Hood is the naivety and the lack of prudence or judgment. The values represented are: reflection, prudence and justice.
Blue Beard
His ugly physique represents personal disfigurement and, although he is very rich, he is alone. He pretends to be kind and generous to his wife, but he doesn’t really want to ask for forgiveness.
This story shows children that the secret to happiness lies in honesty, learning to share and seeking the good of others. Therefore, the values that this story teaches are: sincerity, forgiveness and authenticity.
The cinderela
Evil hurts everyone, whoever is evil and selfish is distorted as a person, but good brings happiness that, in the end, triumphs over evil. The highlighted values are: forgiveness, kindness and generosity.
the Puss in Boots
The cat shows that true wealth lies in adopting a creative attitude. The boots represent your availability, and the bag, your receptivity. It is not limited to the immediate, but goes beyond.
Genuine friendship seeks your friend’s well-being. The cat conquers evil with cunning. Values that stand out: creativity, cunning and friendship.
Little thumb
It symbolizes good, representing it as weak, small and discreet, as opposed to evil, which is represented by the ogre who is strong, big and noisy. In the end, good wins aided by intelligence. Basically, the values highlighted in this story are: generosity and intelligence.
Topknot Ricket
True beauty is in the heart and can only be appreciated with the eyes of love. This tale warns of judgment based on first impressions, teaching that the values achieved at the level of creativity are the ones that bring true happiness. In essence, the values that it highlights for children are:
- Beauty.
- Intelligence.
- Generosity.
Benefits of Reading Perrault’s Tales
Children’s tales are ideal for children to learn to recognize the world in which they live in a fanciful way, while having fun in the first years of life. They also bring other benefits such as:
- Develop the imagination.
- Promote interest in reading.
- They exercise memory from an early age.
- They present a richer and more varied language.
- They allow the little ones to relax and fall asleep more calmly, which helps them to reflect on their actions and have more confidence.
In short, Perrault’s fairy tales have served throughout time to educate children. Basically, starting from your own emotions, such as feelings of loyalty, sincerity, love, justice and courage.
Undoubtedly, Perrault’s tales include many values that influence children’s emotional and moral education. Why not start today by reading one of these short stories, or perhaps one of their lighter versions?
