Philippine E-Journals

FEMINIST USES FOR ENCHANTMENT: A GENDERED READING OF CRISTINA PANTOJA-HIDALGO'S TALES FOR A RAINY NIGHT

Paz Verdades M. Santos

Discipline: Literature, Feminism

 

Abstract:

There are no wicked witches, madwomen or vampires. The women characters are basically good and when they do turn to witchcraft or madness, it is to help someone else.

 

In The Uses of Enchantment, Bruno Bettelheim (1978) discusses how fairy tales are of value, psychologically and spiritually, to children and adults. Bettelheim lists the following uses of enchantment for children: delight, enlightenment, personality development, imagination, security, and the formation of moral values.