[UA] Cloudbusting and an archetype

Gaston Phillips gaston at math.sunysb.edu
Fri May 18 04:22:34 PDT 2001


> a Wonderful Grownup archetype. This is the adult that children love to know,
> as a secret ally against the dull adults of the world. The Wonderful Adult
> might believe in magic, or he might know lots of weird and interesting
> things about science, or he might have a million exciting stories. He knows
> that having fun is more important than being Proper or Serious. This is an
> adult who still has a sense of wonder, who understands children, perhaps is
> a bit of a child still.
> 
> Possible avatars for the Wonderful Grownup might be good authors, the
> primary school teacher that all the boys had a crush on, grandpa, the
> eccentric uncle who has been overseas... other suggestions?
> 
> Some children might also be able to channel the Wonderful Grownup... not in
> the usual sense, I suppose. Are there Avatars by Proxy?
> 
> I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Primarily I want something that is
> relevant to this overlooked population of UA, without the silliness that
> Changeling usually took when dealing with children.
> 
> 


Merlin, in the early arthurian tales
Obi Wan Kenobi
The Pied Piper
Dr. Seuss
Roald Dahl (and/or/as represented by Willy Wonka)
Mary Poppins
Fagin from Oliver Twist

... grown ups who listen to children, and somehow have not "forgotten the
magic of youth".  They take children seriously, they don't laugh at the
kids' imaginations, and they share stories.

At the risk of getting really warped with this, maybe John Wayne Gacy
ascended, turning the Archetype dark and twisted in our age?


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