Roses in Fairy Tales

Last year, leading up to Valentine's Day, I did a post on roses in fairy tales because it seemed rather fitting, but the subject could be explored so much more, that post was really only a scratching of the surface. So this year I'm following up on some more ways to look at roses.

You can even use the image to look at the complexity of tales themselves, such as Marcia Lane does in her book Picturing the Rose: A Way of Looking at Fairy Tales.

From the introduction:

"If I say to you, 'Think of a rose,' your mind conjures up a picture of a flower-but your picture is unique. You imagine a new, tight bud, or a full-blown flower. Everyone sees a different rose. Take it by the stem and rotate it slowly and, second by second, it transforms right before your eyes. Each time you look at it, it's different, but the rose is still there. In much the same way, fairy tales tend to change as we live with them, examine them, and tell them. Return to the rose. Close your eyes and the perfume will resurrect the image of the flower. Always the same, always changing. These stories will blossom as you examine them; you can look and look, and they will never lose their ability to delight and enchant. Such is their power!"

Image

Over the next couple weeks there will be some more posts on roses in fairy tales; hopefully even if Valentine's Day isn't really your thing, you can enjoy looking at all the decorations and ads popping up through a fairy tale lens!