Abstract

Storytelling reveals myth and the mores of society for a catharsis of everyday, cultural conflict. The translation of that content-revealing art form has moved from 19th century interpersonal communication to 21st century convergent media. By an analysis of the German folk transition within Grimm fairytales through print to electronically mediated forms, an understanding of cultural assimilation can be gained. It is posited that neither the printed page, nor the subsequent convergent media, nor the dissolving of a Germanic culture, have eradicated the deep-set truths these narratives hold. Violence couched in fictional narrative, whether aural, visual or interactive, could be a necessary ingredient for the survival of today’s child.