User:Chen Junyu/graduation/theise/project proposal/Draft:EMO

Giants & Little People

Why

What this topic interested me is, “scale" is the feature truly appearing on every object, either in the real world or in our imagination. When this feature is limited on human body, there is a variety of datas can support our impression of it－－the median height of American men is 5 feet 9, Dutch are the tallest average people，or children and adolescents have, on average, increased in height by about and inch and a half every 20 years... and so on. We analyse all the elements which have an impact on our height--nutrition, inheritance，sports and so on. We try different ways to make ourselves grow taller in a "normal" range, since if someone is far too height or short than normals, like gigantic or dwarf, other people will look at them weird.

But when we look at on all kinds of arts, all the works related to human figure, the scale of the human figure is hardly the same as the real size of human being. The most obvious phenomenon is，there are very few human figure statues is made in a real size, especially those human-like gods statues. An interesting example is, in Taiwan, there is certain standard for the size of gods statue to place in different occasions. such as 5 feet 1 and half, 6 feet 2 and 6 feet 3 and a half are special for temple (in Taiwan measure standard). On literature, either fairytale or myth, we can find different kinds of stories related to "giants" or "little people", which all have distinct difference on scale compared with human being.

[[Usually When what we image comes true, such as the appearance of an unicorn or angle, the awake of dinosaur, they will lead us to different feelings, either scare or wonder. But when we think about the feedback on human being ourselves, our reaction is mostly negative -- weird, curious and rejective. Somehow we draw this kind of "abnormal human being figures" in art again and again. This comparison is so evident, therefore I cannot ignore it easily.]]

• What is the meaning of "abnormal size" for us ? the reaction of seeing our selves in an super giant or little size, is scary or happy ?

the awareness we get from "seeing ourselves"

how people generate this thinking of " giant people" 巨大崇拜症？

Background

We only discuss "giants" and "little people" in a fairy tale context here. Fairy tale has a feature that it transfer and broadcast orally at the beginning, and changes by the time. Compared with other literature genes, the structure of earlier fairy tales and the trend of the story are mostly shaped by audiences. For instance, we can find seven versions of published "Grimms' Fairy Tales". Even though " Grimms' Fairy Tales" already used literature as the tool of broadcasting, still, to gain the volume of sales，also release the dissatisfaction from the public about the negative impact of their books on children, brother Grimms improved their first darker version to much softer stories. In the discussion made in 1929 between Petr Bogatyrew and Roman Jakobson, this infection was named as "correcting influence of the group".Quote from "Folktale As A Special Form Of Creation" :"An item of folklore begins its existence only after it has been adopted and sanctioned by the community. As in the development of langue, the environment prunes a created work to fit its taste; if the community rejects it, it simply dies out."

Surely there is much more to say about the scale of human-figure works or why people generate this idea of magnifying or diminish ourselves, as the scale of a creepy monster or a cute fragile toy. if we really think about the magic reaction during the appreciation of a sculpture from Ron Mueck or Maurizio Cattelan, or

Examples

• "The Selfish Giant" Oscar Wilde: The Giant is strong, gruff and rude. It seems time flows more slowly on him than it usually does (He keeps talking to Cornish ogre for seven years, until they have said all they want to say).At the beginning of the story, the Giant has all the worst traits with him.Therefore after the endless lonely and frozen winter, the Giant turned to be so gentle and softhearted. The impression of him turned to be so antagonistic compared what he was before.

• ”Thumbelina“ Hans Christian Andersen：Thumbelina is pretty and fragile. In the story, Thumbelina has been forced to get married with toad, beetle and mole. With the help of swallow, Thumbelina arrives at a beautiful flower field and meet the male fairy. They get married at the end.

• "Der junge Riese" (The Young Giant): There is a conversion in the beginning of this fairy tale. The young giant is used to be a thumb-size boy, he is so weak to help his father, therefore he asks the giant if he can bring him with the giant. After growing up with the giant, the thumb-size boy turns to be a giant also. When he goes back home, there is no enough food for him, therefore he left home to live on himself. The story ends up with he punishes the miller couple who want to kill him.

• "The Evil and His Grandmother": The Evil is a giant, also his grandmother.The giant evil in this fairytale is savage and gullible. His grandmother is much kindhearted, she saves the three soldiers at the end.

• “Jack and the Beanstalk”：There are two giants existing in this fairytale, the Giant and his giant wife. The Giant likes to eat children, for protecting Jack, his wife lies to the Giant. At the end, the Giant dies since he falls down from the beanstalk.

• "The Elves": In this fairytale, the two little people always appear at night and help the shoemaker to do his work secretly. And they are dexterous and easy to be content.