Science, Fairy Tales & Freak Shows | Fairy Tales with Jen

[@katiejlumsden]

Victorians, Darwinism and fairytales. I am most happy with the existence of this video.

[@starcoveredmind]

This was so interesting! It's so fascinating to hear about how people used so see the world!

[@ornleifs]

Fascinating stuff - love the bit about Fairy soap.

[@racheyt9196]

When you said "this is why we have fairy washing up soap" my face was like 😮! I have never heard of this before. Such an enjoyable video, thanks Jen

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you! x

[@franciscorapalo5]

Hi Jen! I'm writing an essay (in my mother tongue, spanish) about the historical evolution of the conception of bodies, disabilities and deformity. Thank you so much for the book's recomendation and your love for fairytales! It will help me! Thanks, Jen. Greetings from Argentina

[@RACHELLOVECOKE]

Have been binge watching your channel(the number of books on my wishlist now is honestly obscene) and this was by far the most fascinating I've watched so far! I've always wanted get into fairytales and mythology more, but the amount of information is overwhelming, it frightens me a little. But I'll definitely watch more of these videos to work my way up because you've been very helpful :) I hope the weeks been treating you well x

[@agutterstar]

This was such a fascinating watch, thank you!

[@GretaShannon]

Dear Jen, I wanted to thank you for making these Fairy Tales series! This semester I have a course on Children's Literature and I've been finding your videos so helpful and insightful. Thank you! :)

[@jenvcampbell]

You're welcome! x

[@ImmaterialDigression]

Didn't realise Fairy washing up liquid was powered by fairies. I definitely appreciate the magic all the more!

[@jenvcampbell]

FAIRIES - FAIRIES EVERYWHERE!

[@aabhasharma8225]

haha!

[@9cloudrachel207]

i feel like im in an interesting university class. yesss!!!

[@artnessbylinnea]

Hi Jen! Thank you for this amazing content. I’m actually writing my thesis on the influence of the pseudoscience of Physiognomy in Victorian Fairy Tale illustration. You bring up some great contextualization. I’ll definitely be looking into the books you recommended!!

[@inpursuitofbooks2654]

Jen, this was so well researched and really, really interesting. I kind of love that dragons were described as 'possibly imaginary'. I've also been fascinated with the reasons behind mythology being linked to disability and deformity for a while - so thank you very much for the book recommendations, will be checking them out as soon as I can.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you; I hope you enjoy the extra reading :) x

[@KAJA530]

I really appreciate your work....it´s always informative and offers a new perspective. I can see you as a lecturer at the University....you would do a great job teaching

[@jenvcampbell]

+KAJA530 thank you :) I do some teaching occasionally as part of my job, and I enjoy it x

[@ruxandrageorgescu6756]

Really intriguing talk, Jen! For better or worse, our world is amazing. Hmm, isn't everything just possibly imaginary? ^^

[@SophieIslington]

This video was absolutely amazing. This is a topic I knew nothing about and I loved learning about it.

[@jenvcampbell]

thank you :) xxxx

[@monicahira7936]

Your mermaid necklace though! ♡♡♡

[@mathildebourguignon718]

This is absolutely fascinating ! So interesting to hear about how people tried to cope with things they did not understand - fairies and science - and tried to bring them together. However, it is unfortunate that freak shows were part of that. Thank you for the great video Jen :)

[@jenvcampbell]

You're welcome - and thanks! x

[@katieclarke1286]

So interesting! I always love your fairytale videos! :)

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you - glad you like them :) x

[@04nelsoni]

This was so good I want to rewatch and take notes! Thanks for making these, I love this series :)

[@wrighty321go]

I've always been fascinated by the link between fairies and fairytales with science as someone who wants to be a scientist but has always had made up fantasy worlds in my head.

[@kittygbooks]

Loved all of this so much Jen, all the knowledge you have is truly fascinating :) such a good video :) xx

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks, Kaitlin x

[@wietskejanse5951]

This was such an intersting video, Jen. I always learn so much from watching your videos. Absolutely love the 'Fairytales with Jen' series :) xxx

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you :) x

[@laurasalgarolo2114]

Really cool video. Thank you for all your research. I wonder if the shift toward promoting fact/science over fiction/religion etc to children affected the concept of children and childhood (moving away from ideals of purity and innocence maybe)? Although the Romantic child is definitely a still a prevalent concept nowadays. hmmm

[@DeeDeeCatMom]

I loved this video, it was fascinating!!

[@samanthalee444]

So fascinating and brilliant I can't think of a proper response

[@MinestroneChad]

Brilliant video!! So insightful and I love the side anecdotes, thank you :D

[@joreads8782]

I really really really enjoyed this video. I loved the exploration of how science influenced fairytales. Do you have any plans to write a whole on all the different topics you have discussed on fairy tales because i would definitely be interested in reading it!

[@jenvcampbell]

At the moment I'm exploring some of these things in fiction :) I'll speak about that in the next few months when I can say more xx

[@BookworminBarrie]

Great video! Also as a side note, love your necklace lol!

[@nicolaspoblete2087]

Robert Bogdan's book remains a classic! ("Freak show: presenting human oddities for amusement and profit"--amazing!)

[@Cetoniinae]

Thank you for sharing all this utterly fascinating information! Speaking of freak shows, I just remembered a very good book: Løvekvinnen (The Lion Woman) by Norwegian author Erik Fosnes Hansen. I'm not sure if it's been translated into English yet, but it is a very beautiful novel about a girl whose body is covered with fur-like hair. For the first years of her life she is kept hidden in a room in a house at the train station where her father works, but eventually she steps out into the outside world and learn how marvelous and cruel the world can be.

[@capulet_belmont]

Fascinating!

[@JuliaJulkaJulichka]

you always provide such interesting points of view and such a careful analysis of the material your read for these videos. how do you prepare for them? it would be nice to watch a video on that! xoxo

[@jenvcampbell]

I don't do anything special - simply read around a topic that interests me, and scribble down some notes :)

[@Literatiloves]

I'm a fairly new subscriber and I LOVE your videos! I always feel like I learn something. I also love your mermaid necklace! 💚

[@mcrbus94]

Such an interesting video :) Do you think Henry Morley's story inspired the cloud men in Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach? xx

[@jenvcampbell]

I suspect Dahl's were inspired by the Titans :)

[@Applepopess]

I love this channel so much!

[@pugsaregreats]

HiWould you be able to link the stories that aren't published currently for example the waterdrops a fairy tale and the wonderland of science. Though also the one ones about fairies. Or where to look for them.

[@jenvcampbell]

You can search for them on Google Books - sometimes facsimiles are uploaded there, or search for them on ABEbooks.com where antiquarian booksellers might be selling them.

[@pugsaregreats]

Thanks for letting me know. Would you mind posting a list of them, I can't even pronounce most of the names let alone write them down. I've bought so many books and loved them cause of your recommendations so I'm sure I'll love them too.

[@jenvcampbell]

These don't come with my recommendation - I like the concepts but they're very old, and the writing style isn't to my taste. I just find it interesting. The Young Liar!! by W. F. SullivanThe Fossil Spirit: A Boy’s Dream of Geology That Very Mab by Andrew Lang Parables of Nature by Margaret Gatty The Water Drops by Henry Morley Real Fairy Folks: The Fairyland of Chemistry by Lucy Rider Meyer The Gresswell Brothers: The Wonderland of Evolution

[@pugsaregreats]

Thanks so much!

[@cristinarodriguezalonso7162]

I love fairy tales with Jen

[@jenvcampbell]

Rimmel 107 :)

[@NoelleMar]

"Fairyland is a place in your brain." OK??? WTF these theories are so weird and fascinating, but also disturbing and harrowing. Basically, humans are wild.

[@h4ch1k0]

There's an excellent novel called The End of Mr Y that explores this Victorian overlap between science, logic and the magical in quite an unusual way. I really recommend it if you haven't read it.

[@Robeeh2]

Thank you for this video Jen. Is Spectacle of Deformity a good read, it appears to be very expensive to buy?

[@jenvcampbell]

I enjoyed it - but it is something that I'm very interested in. Bear in mind it's quite like a textbook (still very readable though :)) x

[@Robeeh2]

Jen Campbell Oh, I don't mind the text book element at all, Jen. If you enjoyed it that's a good sign. x

[@jenvcampbell]

You could see if you can request it at your library? x

[@Robeeh2]

Jen Campbell Yes, that's an excellent solution! Thank you x

[@grodriguez7225]

Makes me think A Christmas Varil as Charles Dickenw wrote it as a cautionary Christmas story during the time when children had to work in factories

[@paulwinchell6904]

I'm always surprised by the superstitions of the past and I wonder what the future will think about our present

[@traceyhart8914]

I need to write a thesis.

[@VeganYogaMama]

I was wondering if you were going to do a video about Peter Pan? Or did I miss it?

[@jenvcampbell]

I am - you haven't missed it. As I said in a previous video, I have been swamped with a book deadline and other work, so it'll be done when I have time.

[@VeganYogaMama]

Great! That'll also give me time to finish reading it. lol

[@NostalgiaCloud]

I regret my previous statement. Not only is jen Campbell correct and knows fairytales inside out but when it comes to the tales published by the brothers Grimm (when standards of beauty were different to that of the 18th century and when cinderella is set, at least in the ladybird version and the film the slipper and the rose ) but there is the story of lean lisa where she is set up as an ideal woman because of her hard work and resourcefulness, The princess in a folktale is always kind and it could spark a debate on what is beauty and what makes the ideal woman a notion that changes from era and culture. Also the queen in snow white is beautiful but horrible and should not be seen as the only villain as what about the prince who wants to buy the corpse of a seven year old murder victim then want to marry her when she just happens to come back to life. Also the tale makes no sense as the wicked queen would need her step daughter alive to keep her power as she could rule as regent until her charge is old enough to rule also she would probably oppose the marriage of her seven year old stepdaughter to a creepy werido (as we all would if we were the queen) and that is a historical standpoint even if this is never in the folklore and I happen to know that in the original 1812 version the queen was snow whites mother and if the mother is a witch, little snow white could have magic powers and that would make for a better story

[@salamalmahi541]

DAMN FAIRY

[@elizabethdecoster]

There's a new book out (in the U.S. at least) about a pair of black brothers who were born albino and kidnapped into a traveling circus. It might be of interest to you! I haven't read it but NPR has covered it quite a bit and it sounds like the author had participation and support from the family: www.npr.org/2016/10/17/498219517/truevine-the-story-of-2-black-albino-brothers-forced-to-work-for-the-circus

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks for the heads up - though (and I realise this word is stated in the article you've linked) the correct term is someone who has albinism; the term albino is seem by most as offensive (and is also the difference between having a condition and being it) x

[@salamalmahi541]

i'd like it very much if you were my teacher :)