Flights of Fancy, Leaps of Faith: Children's Myths in Contemporary America

Flights of Fancy, Leaps of Faith: Children's Myths in Contemporary America
ISBN-10
0226107787
ISBN-13
9780226107783
Category
Psychology
Pages
158
Language
English
Published
1998-11
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Author
Cindy Dell Clark

Description

Through the mysteries and myths of Christmas and Easter, families balance the values of receiving and giving, of growth and sacrifice. Each aspect of the Santa myth, from his slide down a chimney to his big red suit, plays a part in a child's imagination. Through their offerings of milk and cookies and their letter writing, children bring their relationship to Santa into developing attitudes toward giving and receiving gifts. The Easter Bunny story, with its ritual egg hunt and baskets of brightly colored candy, is explored in terms of life and its possibility of growth. In these examples, Clark shows how children play an active role in constructing family rituals and cultural reality, since their willingness to make the stories their own helps to renew the traditions.

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