The Witch Must Die: The Hidden Meaning of Fairy Tales

by Sheldon Cashdan

In The Witch Must Die , Sheldon Cashdan explores how fairy tales help children deal with psychological conflicts by projecting their own internal struggles between good and evil onto the battles enacted by the characters in the stories. Not since Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment has the underlying significance of fantasy and fairy tales been so insightfully and entertainingly mined.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fairy Tales, Psychology, Folklore, Literary Criticism, History, Research

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1999

Reviews

[Irene Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

¡Maravilloso!

La única pena es el análisis de La Sirenita, que se queda anticuado dado que se descubrieron las cartas del autor hacia su amigo, dejando claro que ese cuento era una metáfora de su vida y sentimientos hacia él (y no, como nos comenta el análisis de Cashdan, una forma de advertir a los niños sobre el deseo sexual prematuro).

[BAM who is Beth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book. it's a psychological breakdown of the symbolic meanings behind fairy tales, both mainstream and obscure. the book goes through the "deadly sins" of mankind (vanity, greed, sloth) and basically dissects fairy tales and how they fit into each of the sins. at the core, the book is an argument that these stories teach children that they should destroy/kill/banish the wickedness they hold inside of themselves...

i agree with other reviewers, the most interesting part of the book, to me, was the peak into the true fairy tales as they once were written by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, etc...the sexual and incestuous and rather disturbingly violent parts of these stories many only know as happy ending "Disney" classics. it has prompted me to read some of these well known stories as they were originally intended...

very interesting read.

[Berna Labourdette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un gran ensayo sobre el rol de los distintos cuentos de hadas, bajo la premisa que cada uno de ellos enseña sobre un pecado capital (Hansel y Gretel: gula, Blancanieves: vanidad, Pinocho: pereza y así, con análisis de cada uno de los personajes y formas de cómo abordar el cuento cuando se lee a niños pequeños). El autor además abarca cuentos modernos como "La sirenita", "El Mago de Oz y cuentos feministas y analiza la influencia de Disney en dar énfasis a ciertos aspectos de los cuentos que perjudicarían el mensaje principal (como sucede en Pinocho). 

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un buen libro para saber más sobre los cuentos de hadas y sus significados. Gracias a él he recordado cómo me gustaba Madre Nieve de pequeña, y cómo este y otro cuento sobre la constancia eran mis preferidos.
La razón por la que le he dado las tres estrellas es a causa de las erratas del libro de esta versión, que se podían haber corregido fácilmente.
En conclusión, espero que se reedite (y se actualice) algún día.

[Abel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante ensayo sobre el papel de los cuentos en la formación de los niños, sobre todo una vez pasado el tramo inicial en el que habla sobre los cuentos desde la óptica del psicoanálisis. Como siempre que leo un ensayo no estoy de acuerdo con todo lo que dice, pero merece mucho la pena leerlo. De hecho tengo el libro lleno de post-its con los que he ido marcando algunos pasajes a los que me gustaría volver más pronto que tarde.
Ahora: es de vergüenza que una editorial como Debate publique un libro con tantos y tan graves errores ortotipográficos. Jur...

[Marina Tena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay pocos libros de ensayo que me atrapen tanto y que encuentre tan interesantes. Me ha gustado muchísimo ver este punto de vista sobre los cuentos clásicos y lo encuentro especialmente útil para profesores, padres u otros colectivos que traten con niños en su día a día.

[Rotaru Rebeca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Must the witch really die though?

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise was fairy tales in the context of the seven deadly sins, but it veered off into other topics and stories. While I am sure you can take just about any story and find elements of fairy tale in them, that doesn't mean they should be in this book. He jumps from the topic headings of Vanity, Gluttony, Envy...to "Objects That Love". That is not a sin, and was irrelevant and annoying. He gets the ending of The Velveteen Rabbit wrong, and I almost quit reading at that point. He oversimplifies much of what makes fairy tales enduring, and the inclusion of so many stories that ARE NOT fairy tales drove me nuts. I expected much more from someone with a Ph.D.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as one way to understand the draw of fairytales and how they speak to us psychologically. The treastise is interspersed with recaps of many fairytales and their different versions. I discovered with pleasure some fairytales I hadn't heard before and enjoyed immensely. I also really like the idea that the witch represents our own inner vices and thus, to live happily ever after, the witch must die. Definitely.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a women's book club. It was a fun read and it gave me such rich dreams.

[Lenka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting insight into the hidden meanings & symbolism of fairy tales

[❀ Diana ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairy tales were part of everyone's childhood. However, some of them were more sinister than what we were exposed to.

Sheldon Cashdan presents us several stories that most of us are familiar with and corelated the protagonists with the seven deadly sins as follows:

・Snow White was a symbol of vanity. Here we can also talk about the legend of Cupidon and Psyche;
・Cinderella tells us a story about envy. Or the story of Aschenputtel, a grimmer tale than Cinderella;
・Jack and the Beanstalk is an excellent example of greed;
・And we also cannot forget about Pinocchio's laziness and how it endangered his life.

[Chris Cipollini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im a life long fan of fairy tales. I love them. The souped up Disney versions, the cheerfully deranged originals and some of the contemporary yarns. I would go so far as to say they are probably one of my favorite thigs in the world. So I was delighted to come across this tome.

I truly enjoyed "The Witch Must Die". Being a fairly analytical person, I appreciated the psychological view the author took in assessing each tale, but not coming at the reader with just psycho babble, and also paying homage and telling the original narritive. I was even introduced to a few tales I had never heard of. ("The Adroit Princess" anyone?)
I love how the 7 deadly sins were incorperated as well. Each tale is assigned a sin and shown how the underlying narrative of the story is about said vice. IE-Snow White is a classical tale of Pride and Vanity run amuck.

I could go on, but if you told an interested in uncovering these classical tales from a deeper perspective and why they have such a hold on our culture and what they mean to our oral tradtions, I implore you to read this book. The author approches each story with ample respect and none of the tongue in cheek irony so many of these tales have been plastered with.

Happy Reading!

[Seb Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Witch Must Die is an interesting exploration of what fairy tales mean to children and social life more broadly. Specifically, it looks at the importance of the witch character and why they must die to complete the meaning of the fairytale and fulfil its purpose. The book also offers alternative interpretations of Freudian analysis, which it is suggested has dominated a lot of literary criticism of fairytales up until now. Cashdan interprets a number of the classic fairytales, while also introducing a few less well known stories.

It isn't easy to agree with all of the conclusions made in the book, but it poses entertaining questions and the quality of the reading experience is enhanced by the fact that Cashdan sticks to a narrative and line of thinking, rather than getting bogged down in more traditional academic hedging. Definitely a book that I would recommend for both people who are fans of fairytales and the more casual reader.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witch Must Die is a straightforward, readable analysis of fairy tales from the perspective of childhood psychology. It's refreshing to see an author chuck elaborate Freudian analysis and explain the appeal of fairy tales as a way for children to deal with the temptations of the various ways to be bad. Cashdan describes "the witch" as both a representation of 'the bad mother' and of the negative side of the self, and explains why the witch must die. She also explores fairy tales that help children to wrestle with the 'sins of childhood': envy, vanity, sloth, greed, gluttony, deceit, and lust (premature sexual activity). Cashdan's analysis is intelligent but not at all stuffy. Her references to modern books and movies and chunky quotes from comparative versions of the same fairy tales easily continue to engage the casual reader's interest.

[Jernelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Analyzing fairy tales from a psychoanalytic way is what got me to pick up this book. I found the stories to be the most potent in just themselves, and found the explanations and analysis wasn't as in depth as I hoped. I liked the Jungian theory analysis (the shadow self, self-actualization) which I tend to side more with than Freud ideas (sexual oppression and desires) which Cashdan seems to agree. I enjoyed learning about child psychology and concepts like transitional objects and the Good Mother / Bad Mother. Interesting!

I liked the premise and the stories just not necessarily the depth I had hoped for. Still, a good read and basic introduction with engaging stories with helpful explanations. I'm glad he included where to find more fairy tales in the appendix. I'm itching to learn more and read more stories for their own sake.

[Megan Beals · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent thesis on how we relate to fairy tales in our formative years, and why they have such a hold on us as adults. Cashdan explores a different fairy tale in each chapter and relates it to its central sin (gluttony in Hansel and Gretel, envy in Snow White...), and how those themes are encorperated into our internal ideas of self. It's a very smart, very readable way of looking at fairy tales as they are seen by children. And it gleefully reincorperates tales as they were originally written, and how fairy tales have changed over the years to reflect our ideas of childhood.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an interesting view on fairy tales. I like how Cashdan brings in other opinions on what fairy tales mean and then says why he does or does not agree with them, and in the appendix is a large list of other books to pursue for further study if interested. I mostly agree with Cashdan's analysis, though there were one or two things that just did not sit quite right with me and I am still thinking upon them. He presents himself and his ideas clearly and easily, quoting directly from fairy tales to highlight his point instead of just assuming the reader is familiar enough with each story to follow.

[Americanogig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I appreciated the focus on some of the older, darker fairytales and yes, even I, had not heard of quite of all of them. However, a lot of the psychological underpinnings attached to the tales seemed to be quite a reach. I was hoping for more of a sociological perspective. Why society as a whole needs these things. I think the book would have been stronger had it just focused on the psychological aspect (again, though I disagree with many of the author's conclusions or connections) or the deadly sins aspect and not tried to interweave and incorporate.

[Andie Froim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I learned so much about fairy tales from this book. I've had my fair share of literature courses, and this book was as informative of the best of them - and was enjoyable to read. I probably enjoyed it as much as I would enjoy reading any of the fairy tales the book is about.
I love the real stories behind a lot of the cleaned-up, Disney-fied versions of fairy tales that we have today, especially Sleeping Beauty. Who knew! I enjoyed hearing the author's ideas, and I love the interpretations of the stories and the power they have over the children who read them today.

[Lizzie K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author delves into the world of fairy tales and sorts the stories by the sins they contain. The author poses a theory that fairy tales are built to help children deal with their shortcomings and discusses what each type of character means in a story. This book was amusing, had lots of puns, and introduced me to some new fairy tales I had not heard of before along with stories I grew up with. I highly recommend for people who love fairy tales and who want to analyze them.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super interesting look at fairy tales and why we 'need' them.. What I like most about it was really that you got read the real versions of the fairy tales and not the disney versions. The real versions are really not that PG, they can be kind of intense. Like the real story of Sleeping Beauty, Sleeping Beauty was raped by the prince when she was 'asleep' or under the spell of the witch. Yeah I can't figure out why that didn't make it into the movie.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes through all the fairy tales and explains some of the hidden meanings behind them. Whether you take the meaning to heart or not is completely up to the reader. It was intriguing to learn some of these meanings, as well as see the differences from the original stories and the stories we know today through Walt Disney. It will inevitably have you looking at fairy tales in a whole new light, and you will probably never see them the same way again. I enjoyed it though!

[neverwhere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic overview of faerie tale motifs, and a perfect starting place for for anyone interested in the psychology of children's literature. Written in a very accessible style, this book covers enough ground to be diverse and interesting, but doesn't weigh itself down with excessive details or confuse the layman with scholarly jargon. Recommended for those wanting a basic introduction to faerie tale criticism that will definitely leave you wanting to know more. :)

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting exploration of the power of fairy tales, the underlying meaning of the stories and how they can be used to teach children to avoid different vices. The book compares different versions of familiar fairy tales that have been "Disneyfied." The author also introduces some less familiar Russian fairy tales. Some of the theories are a bit out there but they are entertaining none the less!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting analysis of the place fairy tales have in culture. I warn you, it can get rather deep into psychology (simply look at the other books the author has written), but even a layman would, I imagine, get a lot out of it. I was pleased to note that he rejected the Freudian analysis of most stories. Psychoanalysis can get very tedious with regards to hidden meanings and the like, so I enjoyed their absence (for the most part)

[Verónica Juárez · Rating 4 out of 5]

¿De qué modo los cuentos de hadas influyen en los niños? es la interesante interrogante que plantea Sheldon Cashdan en La bruja debe morir, un análisis para descubrir los significados simbólicos de los cuentos de hadas clásicos y su relación con los pecados capitales.

Reseña completa en uvejota.com

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent blend of psychology and fairy tales. Admittedly two of my passions, however, Cashdan explains and interprets the fairy tales in an easy manner to maximize understanding. Loved how he would compare the actual tale itself with popular interpretations today - think Disney. I would recommend this book to any parent or teacher interested in teaching their child fairy tales.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some really insightful bits in here, and Cashdan clearly has a thorough background on fairy tale scholarship and psychology. But I was not entirely convinced by the argument that fairy tales were focused on these "sins," and would occasionally get annoyed by all the references to Cashdan's personal experiences with family members and patients.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very pleasant. I remember reading my Blue Fairy book as a little girl and being really frightened by how dark and scary some of these stories were but being unable to stop reading them. I loved the explanation for why we crave scary stories, the defense of Disney and evolution of these stories today. Great book, I'd recommend it to anybody who loves folk tales.