Well first, I feel that their perspectives differ in many ways. Bettelheim is concerned with the development of children and what qualities and characteristics in the fairy tales are contributing to which elements of development. Bettelheim claims that the fairy tales that are not so clean cut with happy endings provide a better context for children to produce meaning from them. He is a little drastic when he claims that many children do not have meaning and he strives to provide meaning in children's lives through fairy tales. Darnton looks at more of how the fairy tales originate and what their context means within the particular culture. He stresses more about what you can gather from hints within the fairy tale about people of a certain time and place.
I think that Darnton is more convincing because he looks at more than just the morals and happenings of the fairy tale. Yes they are enjoyable for children and can help foster development but at the same time, there is more to them than just this. There is cultural and historical significance that provides a window into the lives of societies. Even though I do feel like Darnton's is more convincing, it is not necessary to take sides. The two are written from completely different points of views with different goals and theories in mind. Therefore, they can relate and differ from each other, but at the same time they are two separate entities that can stand alone.
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