In a Kingdom Far Far Away....

("Once Upon a Time", Gordimer)



This satire of children's stories compares well with works similar to "The Brothers Grimm"; however, some of the core aspects of the work are comparable to more traditional tales, some found in the musical Into the Woods. One of the best similarities is between the family and the classic tale of Rapunzel. Both stories display a desire by a parent-figure to protect the innocence of a child-figure. The world is the enemy, therefore, hiding from the world in tower or behind "Dragon's Teeth" is the best solution. And both tales soon reveal that a lack of knowledge is the biggest danger. Similar to the wounding/death of the young boy, Into the Woods captures the raw emotion of the wicked witch as her beloved Rapunzel suffers from a lack of knowledge. The following link goes to a link of Barbra Streisand singing "Children Will Listen", a song from Into the Woods involving the importance of parental influence on children: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiTaDJ9E1I0&feature=related . This clip also has a bit about the obscure lessons of children stories.