主題劄記
我已經過了做“公主夢”的年齡。因而，我不會憧憬在夜深之時腳踩高跟鞋流連街頭，不期然地與“王子”四目相對，然後注定一生被羈絆；也不會幻想一覺醒來，自己從平凡的“醜小鴨”變身為高貴的“白天鵝”；更不會奢望當自己身陷囹圄之時，有“獵人”仗義相助，逃出生天。有時候，重看自己昔日喜愛不已的童話故事，我仿佛置身於人工搭建而成的森林公園，一草一木都經過精心打造，而我對“綠色海洋”的想象也不複存在。有多少秘密潛藏在小紅帽披著的鬥篷之下？有多少故事隱藏在囚禁長發公主的高塔之中？
我們曾經深信城堡裏住著公主，那裏衣香鬢影，如詩如畫，她與王子“永遠幸福地生活在一起”。然而歲月告訴我們，她隻是一個打雜的小女孩，最終給予她波瀾不驚的愛情，並陪她看透流年風景的竟是一名笨笨的騎士。而這就是生活。
原來，城堡裏沒有公主。
——Mac
When the people of 1)Hamelin， Germany had a problem with rats， they called the 2)Pied Piper. With his 3)bewitching pipe and enchanting music， he lured the rats away from the city and into a watery grave. But when the people of Hamelin refused to pay the Pied Piper what they had promised， he turned his 4)entrancing music on their children， leading them away to never be seen again. This key moment in a familiar fairy tale carries many insights. It is， at once， a commentary on social values， a vivid example of family tragedy， and a bit of personal psychology. Folklore is 5)compacted wisdom-literature that yields more information with each reading.
There is much we can learn by reflecting on the stories heard in childhood. Magical characters are likely to remain in the imagination for a lifetime. Fairytale is a sub-6)genre of folktale， something that is handed down from person to person for generations； one of the most important identifying features of a folktale is that it belongs to an entire culture， rather than to an individual. That is why folktales give us many insights into the cultures from which they spring.
My own first hearing of many of the old stories was in the places where they originated. Throughout my childhood our family would travel abroad for several months every few years. There were six children. My parents came up with an 7)ingenious and life-changing idea： have us study the local tales. When we were in Denmark， we visited the home of 8)Hans Christian Andersen， and discussed his stories， such as The Little Mermaid. In Germany， we went to the village of Hamelin， where the tale of the Pied Piper takes place. In 9)Baghdad， it was Arabian Nights. In the temples of India and Japan， the tales of Asia came to life.Seeing how the adventures reflected their settings and how the stories are still alive in those places was a powerful experience.