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fairy tales and folk tales
the evolution of fairy tales
the evolution of fairy tales
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Recommended: fairy tales and folk tales
As we look back on the history of fairy tales, we find that they are stories passed down to generations through the oral tradition that generally include a moral or pervading theme that is meant to aid the listener. One characteristic of oral stories are the variations that often occurred with each retelling as a result of errors in translation and interpretations, as well as changes driven by the storyteller’s desire to share a particular point of view with the listener. A modern twist on these variations is evident in children’s literature today. “The Sisters Grimm”, a popular series written by best-selling author Michael Buckley, offers a whole new dimension of changes to classic fairy tales as he reinvents the stories by adding depth, meaning, and humanity to many of the popular characters. Over the course of this paper, I will examine those changes and how they compare to the original Brothers Grimm version.
Little Red Riding Hood is a familiar story in which a little girl is sent by her grandmother to take food to her ailing grandmother who lives in the forest. Before heading off on her journey, she is given clear instructions from her mother: “(…) when you’re out in the woods, walk properly and don’t stray from the path.” (Norton 14) One important distinction between the Brothers Grimm and Buckley versions is this depiction of the lead character: Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH). Different versions of this classic tale portray her as a cunning and mature little girl capable of turning the tables on the wolf (Norton 11) or as a woefully ignorant and immature little girl whose victimization is her just reward (Norton 5). These accounts give us dull, one dimensional character that merely exists as a means to an end for the story...
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... throughout. Buckley uses characters from other popular fairy tales such as: the Mad Hatter, Briar Rose, Robin Hood and Little John, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears to interweave the stories and validate the experiences of LRRH and the Big Bad Wolf. In spite of prior knowledge of this famous tale, you are driven to empathize with the main characters. This, in my mind is the main difference between the two tales: humanity and compassion.
Works Cited
Buckley, Michael. The Sisters Grimm: Tales From The Hood. New York, NY: Amulet Books, 2008.
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. “Little Red Cap.” Trans. Maria Tatar. The Classic Fairy Tales: Texts, Criticisms. Ed. Maria Tatar. New York, NY and London, UK: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1999. 13-16
Tatar, Maria. The Classic Fairy Tales: Texts, Criticisms. New York, NY and London, UK: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1999.
Fairytales share similar themes in the manner in which they approach storytelling for the individual. In “The Great Fairy Tale Tradition”, Jack Zipes has selected and edited stories and categorized them by their respective themes, illustrating the different thematic elements found in each story. Every chapter includes a short introduction to the literary history of the selected stories and their themes. In the “Three Brother’s Who Become Wealthy Wandering the World”, “The Three Brothers”, and “The Four Skillful Brothers” each story explores the adventures and pursuits of brothers who venture into the outside world and are later faced with a test of skills in which they must prove their worth and courage. Although the three tales are incorporated into the thematic chapter of “Competitive Brothers” and share similar characteristics, there are contrasts between their respective stories.
Tatar, Maria. "Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’" The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2002. 17-27 371-373. Print.
Fairy tales are one of the longest lasting forms of literature. Though now they bring to mind classic movies engendered by Disney, many of these stories were first passed on in an oral manner, meant to convey a message, moral, or lesson. Alison Lurie’s “What Fairy Tales Tell Us” covers a broad range of classic tales, discussing how under the guise of an entertaining story comes life lessons we would all do well to follow. To begin this paper, some of the tales Lurie examines in her article will be looked at and critically examined beyond what she discusses. This will then move the text towards its remaining sections, which will take Lurie’s ideas and have them applied to folk and fairy tales that have not yet been contemplated; for the purpose
Warner, Marina. From the Beast to the Blond on Fairy Tales and Their Tellers. New York: Chatto & Windus, 1994. Print.
The simplicity of fairy tales and non-specific details renders them ideal for manipulation allowing writers to add their own comments often reflecting social convention and ideology. Theref...
...n” is a great example of an old myth or tale reconstructed and adapted for a modern audience in a new medium. It is a progression on one hand in its use of modern language, setting, and style but it is also the product of the old myths in that it is essentially the same on the thematic level. In addition, the level of self-awareness on the part of the narrator and, by extension, the author marks it out as an illustration of the very notion of evolutionary changes of myths and fairy tales. Adaptation is the solution to the fairy tale, and fairy tales have been endlessly changing themselves throughout history and, by some strange transforming or enchanting power endlessly staying the same.”
During the 19th century, Grimm’s fairytales were strongly disapproved of due to harsh, gruesome details and plots. One American educator from 1885 stated, “The folktales mirror all too loyally the entire medieval worldview and culture with all its stark prejudice, its crudeness and barbarities.” As childre...
In a society unbridled with double standards and set views about women, one may wonder the origins of such beliefs. It might come as a surprise that these ideals and standards are embedded and have been for centuries in the beloved fairy tales we enjoyed reading as kids. In her analytical essay, “To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tales”, Karen Rowe argues that fairy tales present “cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues.” Rowe presents an excellent point, which can be supported by versions of the cult classics, “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. Charles Perrault’s “ The Little Glass Slipper” and the Brothers Grimm’s “ Snow White” exemplify the beliefs that females are supposed to be docile, dependent on the male persona and willing to sacrifice themselves. In many cases, when strong female characters are presented they are always contradicting in these characteristics, thus labeled as villainous. Such is the case of the Cinderella’s stepsisters in Perrault’s “Cinderella” and the stepmother in the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White.” These female characters face judgment and disapproval when they commit the same acts as male characters. With such messages rooted in our beloved fairy tales it is no wonder that society is rampant with these ideals about women and disapprove of women when they try to break free of this mold.
The common elements in the two stories are the wolf, Little Red (Riding Hood/Cap), her grandmother, and her mother. The beginnings of the stories are also similar: Little Red?s mother sends her to grandmother?s house because the grandmother is ill. Both stories mention that Little Red is personable, cute, and sweet. This is something that, on initial inspection, seems irrelevant but holds a deeper meaning for the symbolism behind the story. In both stories, the wolf, wandering through the woods, comes on Little Red and asks where she is going. When Little Red responds that she is going to visit her sick grandmother, the wolf distracts her with the suggestion that she should pick some flowers so that he can get to her grandmother?s house first. The wolf arrives at Little Red?s grandmother?s house before Little Red and disguises his voice in order to be let in. When he is let into the house, he promptly devours the grandmother and disguises himself in her clothes in order to eat Little Red as well. At this point, the two narratives diverge.
You can see from the tales themselves though, that the amount of similarities is what brings them together, and represents the way that the tale of Cinderella itself has traveled, and evolved, orally through generations, all over the world.
The Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault are both very well-known authors of fairytales. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm are usually the most recognized in our society, but Perrault has his own version of many of the same tales. These authors have very different methods and styles of writing, as well as differences in morals of their stories. Here I will assess some of the differences between certain tales, as well as provide some background behind the authors.
the story. As the stories were altered little by little as it was passed on from one generation to another, so did the way society treated the respective gender roles at their time-frames. This is very evident in the many different versions of the Little Red Riding Hood tales as the story progresses. After close examination of the folk tales, a lot of connections can be made between the characters and the ideas about gender.
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. London: Thames and Hudson, 1976. Print.
..., Maria. “An Introduction to Fairy Tales.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens, Leonard J. Rosen. Toronto: Longman, 2013. 230-235. Print.
Zipes, Jack. Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.