Part 2/11:
In response to this pessimism, the speaker draws parallels with early 19th-century cultural guardians Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. These figures recognized that their culture was under threat but believed in the importance of preserving its core qualities—traditions of clear gender roles, family unity, and societal cohesion. The Grimms understood that societal stability depended on collective memory and cultural continuity, which fairy tales and stories could encapsulate.