What is the significance of the Animal Groom cycle of fairy tales? How do these stories help children and adolescents negotiate their relationship to sexuality?

In your opinion and with close reference to the text, why is a fairy tale’s ending so important? Do you think that the happy endings of fairy tales are unhelpfully unrealistic or an important part of encouraging child confidence?

What is the significance of the vague and faraway settings of fairy tales? How does this aid a child’s ability to derive meaning from their themes?

Why does Bettelheim prefer the fairy tale to modern, realistic types of children’s literature? Why does he consider the latter’s lack of violence to be a problem?

According to Bettelheim, why is the moral polarization of characters an important aspect of the fairy tale? Why is it especially important for a child to split the mother figure into an all-giving good mother and a wicked stepmother?

How do fairy tales help children progress in psychosexual development? Refer to at least two tales in your answer.

. What is fairy tales’ role in personality integration? Why does Bettelheim praise fairy tales for giving full license to the id?

Why does Bettelheim believe that a rich imaginative life is important for a young child, and how do fairy tales help in this respect? Refer to at least two tales in your answer.