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Relentless Progress
Can fairy tales subvert consumerism? Can fantasy and children's literature counter the homogenizing influence of globalization? Can storytellers retain their authenticity in the age of consumerism? These are some of the critical questions raised by Jack Zipes, the celebrated scholar of fairy tales and children's literature. In this book, Zipes argues that, despite a dangerous reconfiguration of children as consumers in the civilizing process, children's literature, fairy tales, and storytelling possess a uniquely powerful (even fantastic)capacity to resist the "relentless progress" of negative trends in culture. He also argues that these tales and stories may lose their power if they are too diluted by commercialism and merchandising.
Stories have been used for centuries as a way to teach children (and adults) how to see the world, as well as their place within it. In Relentless Progress, Zipes looks at the surprising ways that stories have influenced people within contemporary culture and vice versa. Among the many topics explored here are the dumbing down of books for children, the marketing of childhood, the changing shape of feminist fairy tales, and why American and British children aren't exposed to more non-western fairy tales. From picture books to graphic novels, from children's films to video games, from Grimm's fairy tales to the multimedia Harry Potter phenomenon, Zipes demonstrates that while children's stories have changed greatly in recent years, much about these stories have remained the same--despite their contemporary, high-tech repackaging.
Relentless Progress offers remarkable insight into why classic folklore and fairy tales should remain an important part of the lives of children in today's digital culture.
Stories have been used for centuries as a way to teach children (and adults) how to see the world, as well as their place within it. In Relentless Progress, Zipes looks at the surprising ways that stories have influenced people within contemporary culture and vice versa. Among the many topics explored here are the dumbing down of books for children, the marketing of childhood, the changing shape of feminist fairy tales, and why American and British children aren't exposed to more non-western fairy tales. From picture books to graphic novels, from children's films to video games, from Grimm's fairy tales to the multimedia Harry Potter phenomenon, Zipes demonstrates that while children's stories have changed greatly in recent years, much about these stories have remained the same--despite their contemporary, high-tech repackaging.
Relentless Progress offers remarkable insight into why classic folklore and fairy tales should remain an important part of the lives of children in today's digital culture.
189 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2008
3 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Jack D. Zipes
152 books245 followersJack David Zipes is a retired Professor of German at the University of Minnesota. He has published and lectured extensively on the subject of fairy tales, their linguistic roots, and argued that they have a "socialization function". According to Zipes, fairy tales "serve a meaningful social function, not just for compensation but for revelation: the worlds projected by the best of our fairy tales reveal the gaps between truth and falsehood in our immediate society." His arguments are avowedly based on the neo-Marxist critical theory of the Frankfurt School.
Zipes enjoys using droll titles for his works like Don't Bet on the Prince and The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Ridinghood.
He completed a PhD in comparative literature at Columbia University. Zipes taught at various institutions before heading German language studies at the University of Minnesota. He has retranslation of the complete fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Zipes enjoys using droll titles for his works like Don't Bet on the Prince and The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Ridinghood.
He completed a PhD in comparative literature at Columbia University. Zipes taught at various institutions before heading German language studies at the University of Minnesota. He has retranslation of the complete fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 12, 2015
"In olden times, when wishing still helped, there lived a king..." so begins the final version of "The Frog Prince," by the Brothers Grimm. In the original story the frog prince was chucked against a wall by the princess. The kissing came many years, and many revisions, later. Jack Zipes, sage of children's literature, shows the persistent appeal of fairy tales as a cultural artifact and how it keeps evolving in history. The topic of the frog prince is just one chapter in a thought-provoking book that looks at the history of the fairy tale and how capitalism and globalization are reconfiguring children as consumers of children's literature, fairy tales, and storytelling as commercialism focuses on spectacular productions and hyping that comes from movies, toys, music, and more, in an ever-changing publishing industry.
At our library, I've seen Zipes name as the editor on the "Norton Anthology of Children's Literature" and "The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children Literature." When I saw this individual book of his I thought I'd give it a go. I'm kind of exhausted now that I'm done reading it. I performed a marathon read because someone put it on hold. This would have been better read in bits and pieces. Zipes is brilliant and I'm not qualified to analyze this topic in a fair way. It is very scholarly and requires someone who has immersed herself in the field or is at least familiar with the argument. I haven't. I would like to reread it and chew on it, though. There's some good stuff here, folks. I'll just provide a brief summary. At least it will give you an idea of what it is about. Then you can decide if you want to kiss the frog prince or throw him against the wall. I wanted to do both. Especially when I didn't understand Zipes. The resources are exhaustive and I will pursue some of them to get a better handle on the topic. I think I got the gist of what he's saying. Here's goes...
The first chapter opens a dialogue with readers regarding how global marketing and publishing conglomerates have affected children's reading by stressing profit over quality and consuming products over creating meaning. He covers the history of the fairy tale and its origins as an oral tradition and growth during the 1800s in Europe. Next he argues that fairy tales help people adapt to society by providing an understanding of complex topics, such as mating in "The Frog Prince." Another section dissects globalization and 21st century digital society that has ironically caused Americans to become estranged and isolated from one another because of losses of local communities and identities. This causes people to reach for what is safe and secure in the past and comes in forms of religious fundamentalism and excessive forms of consumption.
I'm not sure I've got that right, so I'll let Zipes explain: "Yet until we relate to one another differently by overcoming the socio-economic forces that foster nonsynchronicity, relentless violence, and estrangement, and until our relations are not mediated by spectacles that prevent cognition and self-reflection, storytelling will not nourish us but merely entertain us, help us pass time on the globe with less suffering, and minimize our struggles to determine our fates. At its very best, it will counter the lies that invade our lives and puncture the delusions and illusions that interfere with communication." (148)
Zipes embraces the changes in modern day fairy tales but what is bothersome is when the fairy tales do not help listeners or readers understand and navigate through the world. "There are indeed many pieces of delectable literature that we simply eat and spew from our systems like candy bars that provide instantaneous pleasure but are not nutritional or long lasting." He is worried about children being raised as mindless consumers in a society where capitalism has gone amuck.
In the beginning books were created for enlightenment, recreational reading, and morality. As commodities they were sacred and authoritative, associated with the upper class or cultivated people. The elite defined what was cultured for all classes; hence, books were considered civilizing agents that "Rousseau and Locke saw as beneficial and dangerous." Today conglomerates make distinctions on moral and ethical stands in society but the move is from morality to amusement and the spectacular. It is a chilling thought and one to ponder.
I really like how Zipes analyzes other writers and different books as someone who enjoys reviewing. It is humbling to read someone that is so good at analyzing books from a scholarly viewpoint, as well as enlightening and aspiring. Too bad Zipes does not have a writing review blog. I know I'd be a fan.
At our library, I've seen Zipes name as the editor on the "Norton Anthology of Children's Literature" and "The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children Literature." When I saw this individual book of his I thought I'd give it a go. I'm kind of exhausted now that I'm done reading it. I performed a marathon read because someone put it on hold. This would have been better read in bits and pieces. Zipes is brilliant and I'm not qualified to analyze this topic in a fair way. It is very scholarly and requires someone who has immersed herself in the field or is at least familiar with the argument. I haven't. I would like to reread it and chew on it, though. There's some good stuff here, folks. I'll just provide a brief summary. At least it will give you an idea of what it is about. Then you can decide if you want to kiss the frog prince or throw him against the wall. I wanted to do both. Especially when I didn't understand Zipes. The resources are exhaustive and I will pursue some of them to get a better handle on the topic. I think I got the gist of what he's saying. Here's goes...
The first chapter opens a dialogue with readers regarding how global marketing and publishing conglomerates have affected children's reading by stressing profit over quality and consuming products over creating meaning. He covers the history of the fairy tale and its origins as an oral tradition and growth during the 1800s in Europe. Next he argues that fairy tales help people adapt to society by providing an understanding of complex topics, such as mating in "The Frog Prince." Another section dissects globalization and 21st century digital society that has ironically caused Americans to become estranged and isolated from one another because of losses of local communities and identities. This causes people to reach for what is safe and secure in the past and comes in forms of religious fundamentalism and excessive forms of consumption.
I'm not sure I've got that right, so I'll let Zipes explain: "Yet until we relate to one another differently by overcoming the socio-economic forces that foster nonsynchronicity, relentless violence, and estrangement, and until our relations are not mediated by spectacles that prevent cognition and self-reflection, storytelling will not nourish us but merely entertain us, help us pass time on the globe with less suffering, and minimize our struggles to determine our fates. At its very best, it will counter the lies that invade our lives and puncture the delusions and illusions that interfere with communication." (148)
Zipes embraces the changes in modern day fairy tales but what is bothersome is when the fairy tales do not help listeners or readers understand and navigate through the world. "There are indeed many pieces of delectable literature that we simply eat and spew from our systems like candy bars that provide instantaneous pleasure but are not nutritional or long lasting." He is worried about children being raised as mindless consumers in a society where capitalism has gone amuck.
In the beginning books were created for enlightenment, recreational reading, and morality. As commodities they were sacred and authoritative, associated with the upper class or cultivated people. The elite defined what was cultured for all classes; hence, books were considered civilizing agents that "Rousseau and Locke saw as beneficial and dangerous." Today conglomerates make distinctions on moral and ethical stands in society but the move is from morality to amusement and the spectacular. It is a chilling thought and one to ponder.
I really like how Zipes analyzes other writers and different books as someone who enjoys reviewing. It is humbling to read someone that is so good at analyzing books from a scholarly viewpoint, as well as enlightening and aspiring. Too bad Zipes does not have a writing review blog. I know I'd be a fan.
March 31, 2014
Zipes has many compelling arguments about children in consumer culture, but sometimes gives some grouchy arguments against pop culture. The Disney fairy line, for example, is something to look at critically, but he at one point asserts that its lacking because real fairies aren't cuddly best friends. To that I say, well, fairies change. Like many fairy tales, they change. Why should fairies only have one proper meaning? It's just silly, really.
That gripe aside, it's a very good read that can be used for scholarly work.
(I'm also very tired right now and can't come up with a better review than this, which it most definitely deserves.)
That gripe aside, it's a very good read that can be used for scholarly work.
(I'm also very tired right now and can't come up with a better review than this, which it most definitely deserves.)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews