Research sources

CoP theme: Culture

'In order to master the psychological problems of growing up [...] a child needs to understand what is going on with his conscious self so that he can also cope with that which goes on in his unconscious. [...] It is here that fairy tales have unequaled value, because they offer new dimensions to the child's imagination which would be impossible for him to discover as truly on his own.'

KEY TERMS: SOCIALISATION, IDEOLOGY, MYTH, NARRATIVE, STORYTELLING, ORAL HISTORY, MORALITY TALE, PROPAGANDA, DAYDREAMS, NIGHTMARES, GOOD, EVIL, HERO, VILLAIN.

LCA Library:

1. Franz, Marie-Louise, 1996, The Interpretation of Fairy Tales
2. Zipes, Jack, 1988, The Interpretation of Fairy Tales
3. Franz, Marie-Louise, 1993, The Feminine in Fairy Tales

Google Books:

1. Zipes, Jack, 2006, Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre, New York, Routledge
2. Haase, Donald, 2004, Fairy Tales and Feminism: New Approaches, Michigan, Wayne State University Press
3. Zipes, Jack, 1994, Fairy Tales as Myth, The University Press of Kentucky
4. Joosen, Vanessa, 2011, Critical and Creative perspectives on Fairy Tales, Michigan, Wayne State University Press
5. Tatar, Maria, 1992, Off with their heads!Fairy Tales and the culture of Childhood, New Jersey, Princeton University Press
6. Campbell, Joseph, 1949, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Green Press Initiative

Google Scholar:

1. Cook, Elizabeth, 1969, The Ordinary and the Fabulous: An Introduction to Myths, Legends, and Fairy Tales for Teachers and Storytellers, Cambridge University Press
2. Bacchilega, Cristina, 1997, Postmodern Fairy Tales: Gender and Narrative Strategies, University of Pennsylvania Press
3. Zipes, Jack, 1997, Fairy Tales, Children and the Culture Industry, New York, Routledge

Websites

1. http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15745/1/Influence-of-Fairy-Tales-on-Children.html
2. http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/society-and-culture/moral-of-the-story/153.aspx
3. http://www.exquisiteterror.com/a-fairy-tale-influence
4. https://prezi.com/ywhwndbhu4dc/how-fairy-tales-impact-our-lives/

JStor

1. Bottigheimer, Ruth, 1986, Fairy Tales and Society: Illusion, Allusion, and Paradigm, University of Pennsylvania Press
2. Sparks, Christopher, 1984, Using Fairy Tales with Younger Children, International Literacy Association
3. Kidd, Kenneth, 2011, Freud in Oz: At the Intersections of Psychoanalysis and Children’s Literature, University of Minnesota Press
4. Stone, Kay, 1975, Things Walt Disney Never told Us, American Folklore Society

  
  

Type- Production and Distribution

Our third lecture was on the history of Typography. The lecture was focused on the chronology and evolution of type. I found the lecture very interesting, especially seeing the origin of different languages and how long some different kinds of type have been around that we still use today. I found the observation that "Type is what language looks like" very interesting. We focused on the occidental hemisphere and the origins of writing here that led to the creation of western languages. I found it very informative and interesting, particularly the slides about how symbols in different languages have evolved, such as egyptian, greek and latin. I also found it interesting to learn about the Rosetta Stone, which I had never heard of before. Towards the end of the lecture we talked about the Bauhaus movement and how it is almost a modernist idea of a visual language, and industrialisation mixed with design. The lecture on type will continue with part 2 next week.

OUAN401- Seminars

List of Quotes

During our first seminar with Richard, he introduced us to a list of quotes, one of which we would pick to focus on for the year to investigate and write essays on. I decided on the following quote;

'In order to master the psychological problems of growing up [...] a child needs to understand what is going on with his conscious self so that he can also cope with that which goes on in his unconscious. [...] It is here that fairy tales have unequaled value, because they offer new dimensions to the child's imagination which would be impossible for him to discover as truly on his own.'

I chose this quote as it was the one which appealed to me the most. The quotes were obviously intended to be challenging but this is the one I felt I could explore the most without becoming too frustrated or losing interest. I am looking forward to exploring the deeper meanings to Fairy Tales and the fact they aren't merely stories for children. I thought many of the topics we have to explore, such as gender, would be interesting to write about in the context of Fairy tales.

OUAN401- History of the Image lecture

History of the Image

In this lecture with Richard we were introduced to the visual communication of art throughout history. We began by talking about prehistoric cave paintings on walls and how drastically art has changed over such a long period of time. We discussed artists such as Rothko, and how emotions are connected to art, or how we are expected to react to different artists work. I found this all very interesting, if a little hard to get my head around. Richard then discussed how modern art has been affected by consumerism and reproductions  of the original work, for example how widely spread the image of the Mona Lisa is now in the digital age, and how it takes value away from the actual work itself and is purely for profit. This lecture opened my mind to the way art can be perceived, from cave paintings to modern art that may not be seen as 'real art' but means a lot to the artist who created it.

COP1 Visual Literacy lecture

Visual Literacy

  In our first lecture we were introduced to the importance of visual language and how it is our job as animators to communicate through image, type and motion. We need to be able to effectively communicate ideas, concepts and content to different audiences in a range of contexts. Visual communication is based around the shard understanding of signs, symbols, gestures and objects, and is affected by audience, context, media and method of distribution. I found it very interesting to explore how much influence Visual literacy actually has on society. The ability to construct meaning from visual images and type is a necessary skill in society today. It is essentially the idea that pictures can be read. The conventions of visual communication are a range of universal and cultural symbols that we are surrounded with on a daily basis. Fred used many different images as interesting examples of how expansive and effective visual communication can be. For example, what does the following image communicate to us:

And why does our interpretation of it change whenever it looks like this:

One of the most interesting points that Fred brought up was the following; "All that is necessary for any language to exist is an agreement amongst a group of people that one thing will stand for another." We also learned about Visual Semantics and Visual Syntax. Syntax refers to the pictorial structure and visual organisation of elements while Semantics refers to the way an image fits into a cultural process of communication. 

We then learned about Semiotics: the study of signs and processes. I found this part of the lecture very interesting as we learned about how different versions of an image can act as symbols signs, and signifiers. For example, how the Apple logo symbolises an apple but is a sign for Apple products. It signifies quality, innovation, creativity, design etc. Fred further broke this down into logo, Identity and Brand. He also talked about Visual Synecdoche, the term applied when a part is used to represent a whole, or vice versa. The main subject is substituted for something that is connected with it, however this only works if what the synecdoche represents is universally recognized. He also talked about Visual Metonym and Visual Metaphor.