Obsession Sunday

To make sure that I update my blog more frequently (i.e. at least once a week) I am starting a weekly extravaganza of monumental proportions circulating around my rather impressive list of interests. Orrrrrr, I am going to obsess about things I'm obsessed about!

Today's obsession? Fairy tales!!!
I know what you're thinking - totally sexist, blah, blah, unrealistic, blah, blah, Disney ate my baby. Well, to start, I am not talking about Disney. Okay? Okay! Second, fairy tales are awesome, and here's why:

1. The illustrations... are gorgeous! (Tried uploading a couple, but unfortunately I am having trouble. Sorry!)

2. They are completely vicious. A common punishment for treachery against the heroine is loss of eyes, via ravenous birds. Ouch.

3. Creepy, creepy, creepy. Whoever said children's stories should be light and cheerful obviously never knew me as a child. The darkness in Grimm's tales was absolutely enthralling to me, and I was always most eager for the versions with more shadow than light.

4. The lessons. As in, if your sister tells you not to drink from a certain spring lest you turn into a wild animal, don't drink from it. Because you will turn into an animal, and you will cry, and no one wants that.

5. There's always a happy ending, you know, unless you live in modern day and would prefer that Cinderella become a prominent fashion designer, and not a decorative wife to some nondescript prince. But whether you covet the prize or not, you have to appreciate the sentiment.

Oh, and they also provide historical insight into the values of an "older civilization," but we won't get into that.

So, any obsessions you'd like to share?