Public Reactions to Harry Potter and Grimm's Fairy Tales

My son recently was a guest in my home for a few days, during which my wife, our son, our daughter, and our son-in-law went to the see the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. During a conversation about Harry Potter, my son wondered what the reception for Grimm's Fairy Tales was compared with the reception for Harry Potter. I already knew about the public reaction to Harry Potter: it was mixed--many loved the books and movies; others thought that because the books were set within a world of witchcraft and black and white magic, they should not be read. Many Christians, in particular, thought the series should be banned from schools and that Christians should have nothing to do with Harry Potter.

What was the public reaction to Grimm's Fairy Tales? I decided to do a little research. According to Wikipedia, the response was also mixed. Some people objected that the stories were not suitable for young children for two reasons: (1) First, the information that accompanied the fairy tales was deemed to be too scholarly for young readers and (2) The subject matter was felt to be bad for children. It is interesting to note, according to an article on Salem Press.com, that the first edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales was published as a scholarly work complete with footnotes and no illustrations.

In response to criticisms, the Grimm brothers made changes in the stories. Family ties were protected, for example, by changing a wicked person from a mother to a stepmother. Sexual references were eliminated. However, says Wikipedia, the violence in the stories was increased, especially if it was violence applied to evil people.

Overall, the German public enthusiastically praised the fairy tales. A major reason was because of the underlying Germanic source of the stories. According to Wikipedia, when the stories first appeared in 1811, German mythology was in danger of disappearing because of the occupation of Germany by Napoleon and Napoleon's desire to destroy German culture. In that context, Grimm's fairy tales were seen as authentic expressions of the Germanic spirit and a way to preserve that spirit.

Like the Harry Potter stories, Grimm's Fairy Tales contained magic (as well as kings and talking animals) and they were considered to be scary, as is Harry Potter. However, and still like Harry Potter, the fairy tales collected by the Grimm brothers can teach us valuable life lessons about morality, friendship, good and evil, and even death. These are themes that seem worthy of our time and effort, whether they come to us in fairy tales or fantasy. I enjoyed the fairy tales when I was growing up and so did the rest of my family.

We'll have to wait on history to tell us how well the Harry Potter books will endure over the long run. The sales of Grimm's Fairy Tales, says Wikiipedia, have been exceeded only by sales of the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare. Obviously there was a market for the fairy tales and there still is.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimm's_Fairy_Tales
salempress.com/Store/samples/great_events_from_history_19th/great_events_from_history_19th_brothers_grimm.htm