Page 28 - Ruminations

26. The uses of transmogrification

The transgressions and transformations in stories told to children
can be categorized in three ways:

1. Characterization: role reversal

Animals acting like humans
Humans acting like animals
Supernatural beings acting like animals or humans
Animals or humans acting like supernatural beings
Authority figures acting foolishly, impotently
Weak figures (animal or human) acting powerfully

2. Message: explicit

The mundane or trivial can become serious or worldly
(cautionary)
The mundane or trivial can become otherworldly or fantastic
(cosmically important)
The serious or worldly can become mundane or trivial
(silly or satirical)
The serious or worldly can become otherworldly or fantastic
(horrifying or apocalyptic)
The otherworldly or fantastic can become mundane or trivial
(demystifying or moralizing)
The otherworldly or fantastic can become serious or worldly
(moral, spiritual)

3. Message: implicit

Profound change is perilous, not to be undertaken lightly.
Risk-taking creates opportunity otherwise unavailable.
Drastic change may occur unexpectedly.
Unexpected consequences can thwart expectations.
That the world is in fact enchanted should not be forgotten.

Transmogrification, as a narrative strategy to impart life lessons via
fairy tale and fable, effectively provides and exploits a system of
metaphor and cultural values deemed necessary for the social and
intellectual development of children. The boundaries of the possible
will harden as the audience ages, but the lessons have been imparted.