Library program explores darker side of fairy tales
What really happened after Sleeping Beauty was awakened by the Prince's kiss? "Happily ever after …" was only relative - and what relatives inhabit these lurid tales.
Listen to the 19th-century tales of the Brothers Grimm as originally intended for adults, transformed through Judith Heineman's and Dan Marcotte's 21st-century interpretations, at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the library, 355 Schoenbeck Road, Wheeling.
The dramatic retellings are accompanied by music played on the 16th-century Renaissance lute. Some take the form of ballads set to 16th-century French and English tunes.
Bruno Bettleheim, in "Uses of Enchantment," discusses the power of fright in children as a necessary and useful survival tool. Listening to narrow escapes in ghost stories and gothic tales strengthens human survival instincts, thus, justifying the enjoyment we have always shared in hearing a good, scary story.
The event is produced in part by Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, a program that provides organizations statewide with affordable, entertaining and thought-provoking humanities events for their communities.
A roster of speakers, hailing from 20 different towns and cities across Illinois, present topics in history, culture, literature, music, politics, law, science and more.
Admission is free, but registration is requested at (847) 459-4100. For information, call (847) 459-4100 or visit www.itpld.org.
The Indian Trails Public Library District serves 68,000 residents in Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Prospect Heights and Arlington Heights by providing programs, services and materials to ignite the imagination.
Illinois Humanities is an independent, nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities.
Illinois Humanities creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. Illinois Humanities is supported by state, federal, and private funds.