Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Compare and contrast Rapunzel and Cinderella
Literary analysis of rapunzel
Beauty and the beast and cinderella comparisons
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Compare and contrast Rapunzel and Cinderella
Every girl has at one time wanted to be a princess. We held this belief because of the stories we were told as young girls. The stories we heard in which poor peasant girls could become princesses through perseverance, patience, beauty or wit. These stories were introduced to us under the guise of fairytales, which, for many of us are synonymous with the name Grimm, although several of our favorite fairytales are by other authors. Even if you don’t know the name Grimm, you know at least one story by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel, and the list continues. The Grimm Brothers collected and wrote stories scattered throughout the rural countryside, recording them based on a general structure and often containing certain aspects. The stories were affected by the religion, morals and culture of that era, but Grimm’s tales are translatable from the time when they were written to the modern times because of their base in universal themes. Still today their stories are not only being rewritten and reimaged several times over, but used structurally in literature. A notable author is one whose literature is able to withstand time and still be applicable no matter the technology, culture, or religion. The Grimm Brothers are notable authors because they are the founders of modern literature, both in structure and in morals. Let’s look at a simple and famous fairytale, Rapunzel, for the Grimm’s trademark characteristics. First of all, there is the magical aspect, whether a transforming witch, talking animals, or the ability to best death. In Rapunzel, the magical aspect comes in form of witch and the magical growing hair. Always in fairytales, the subject the story is written about... ... middle of paper ... ...hite’s evil step-mother. Gone are Cinderella’s birds, replaced by a charming godmother. Then again, when the original stories were circulating by word of mouth, they were more severe than the version we read now. The difference between their revisions and our revisions is what makes the Grimm Brother authors of literary merit. Works Cited Abler, Alice. "The Moral of the Story." Vision. Spring 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. . Asliman, D. L. "Incest in Indo-European Folktales." Grimm Stories - Grimmstories.com. University of Pittsburg, 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. . "Fairytales of the Grimm’s." Grimm Stories - Grimmstories.com. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. . Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2009. Print.
There is no denying that fairy tales are a major part of our society, especially when it comes to children. The countless number of bedtime stories we were told as children left fun and whimsical tales of beautiful princesses, strong and heroic knights, dragons, and handsome princes swarming in our heads, but do those stories give off the right message? Do we convey the right message to our children, and how is it that the seemingly harmless stories that we all enjoyed as kids could actually be harmful? Maria Tatar, an American academic whose expertise lies in children's literature, German literature, and folklore and is Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, explores these questions and many more in her article An Introduction to Fairy Tales. Throughout Tatar’s article she tackles the developmental issues that result due to fairy tales, how fairy tales control behavior instead of teaching morals, and the irrefutable theme that beauty brings happiness.
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.
Before there was a written language, fairy tales were stories passed on by mouth from generation to generation. Such stories often mirrored the culture to which they were being told and were used to illustrate moral and ethical lessons. Even though each tale began in a different community, or even on a different continent, their basic elements are strikingly similar and the use of fantastical imagery continues to appeal to people of all ages. Over time, the tales’ major components have merged together and made their way into modern day movies, television shows and bedtime stories. As will be examined in this paper, Cinderella and Snow White, two well-known fairy tales developed on separate continents, are no exception.
This modern fairy tale contains diverse characters but none of them are as important as the grandmother. In fact, through her narration the reader gets the basic information concerning the familial context. The story revolves around a grandmother, a mother and a granddaughter, which thus sets the point of view of the story, the grandmother is the narrator therefore the reader gets her perception. Besides the domestic context, the lack of other contextual clues, such as the time or the location of the story, gives room to her story and her final purpose: teaching and, at the same time, protecting her grand-daughter from risks represented by men here symbolized by a wolf. The way this unnamed grandmother reveals her life exemplifies two properties of fairy tale as mentioned by Marina Warner in “The Old Wives' Tale”: “Fairy tales exchange knowledge [using morals] between an older [most of the time feminine] voice of experience and a younger audience” (314). As suggested in the text, fairy tales are a way to teach insights of life through simple stories directed to, most of the time, younger generations. Most of the time because fairy tales' moral work on dif...
When people think of fairy tales, the image that comes to mind is a children 's story with magical beings and lands. Often these stories seem very plausible and actually something that happened in the not so distant past. In 1812, the Grimm Brothers published a collection of stories which contained 86 stories which became the foundation of what we call as fairy tales today. Aside from the fantasy elements, there are many other recurring traits found in fairy tales. Often the protagonist were the downtrodden, the innocent, and mostly young characters. What made them standout was their status: sometimes an orphaned child, generally very bright, and adorably naive. They also have the clear distinction between good and evil and ends with the
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Puritans viewed fairy tales as inappropriate literature because they believed fairy tales to be a form of witchcraft. The attitude toward fairy tales soon changed when the Brothers Grimm published their two-volume collection called Kinderund Hausmarchen or German Popular Stories. Overnight, fairy tales became an acceptable form of literature. This sudden popularity raises some related questions: What are the reasons behind the increased popularity of fairy tales? What function did fairy tales play in Victorian society? Is there a connection between fairy tales and the Victorian social issues? This paper will examine the discourse of fairy tales through a historical lens to reveal how the literary form shaped Victorian society. Fairy tales were the first poetic literature that became a part of people’s lives. For the majority of the population, fairy tales left deep and lasting childhood impressions. Although fairy tales provides warm, comfortable, and entertaining moments, they did not establish themselves as a viable literary form in Victorian England. In England, fairy tales seemed to have gone into hiding opposite to what was happening in Germany and France. The French fairytales came from the oral traditions of French peasants which were edited to not offend the aristocracy. Later, French fairy tales became a way for wealthy women to practice and improve their speech and to discuss morality and manners. German fairy tales were used to create a national identity and unite a divided country than as entertainment for the privileged.
A fairy tale is seemingly a moral fiction, intended mainly for children. A lesson in critical analysis, however, strips this guise and reveals the naked truth beneath; fairy tales are actually vicious, logical and sexual stories wearing a mask of deceptively easy language and an apparent moral. Two 19th Century writers, the Grimm brothers, were masters at writing these exaggerated stories, bewitching young readers with their prose while padding their stories with allusion and reference: an example of which is "Rapunzel." Grimm's "Rapunzel" is packed with religious symbolism, which lends a new insight to the meaning of this classic story.
As old as most fairy tales are, there are some instances in which their relevance has arguably soared rather than dwindled overtime. “The Fisherman and his Wife” by The Brothers Grimm is a primary example in which an isolated case of runaway greed depicted in the tale is commonplace throughout society today. The Brothers Grimm also deviate somewhat from the traditional style of fairy tales. While many common motifs characteristic of fairy tales are present, they are expressed more as reverse motifs; the fisherman or “hero” lacks the traits necessary to succeed in these worlds, thereby achieving little and receiving punishment for it. The Brothers Grimm also apply crucial literary devices such as symbolism and foreshadowing
The Brothers Grimm adaptation of “Hansel and Gretel,” is one of many fairy tales in Grimm’s works and as well as in many others that introduce the story with a weak family. Weak defined as in a family that does not follow the “ideal family structure”(SEC SOURCE), such as having the protagonists family lacking an authoritative father and or caring mother figure. With this as such a common way to introduce a story, in this story in particular, it is utilized and has more of a developmental trajectory for both the protagonist and the reader itself. Grimm exercises a ______ of broken families in means to develop the protagonist and educate the reader. However, one cannot fully understand Grimm’s purpose and safely assume what an “ideal family structure” consists of. In order to do so, historical context and ____ must be analyzed.
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are well known authors of the early 1800 that forever changed the way fairy tales are viewed. The Grimm brothers are best known for their creative renditions of popular fairytales such as Rapunzel, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and many more. Dark and tragic themes were used to create Grimm fairytales, the use of these themes was a drastic change from normal 1800’s fairytales. The Grimm brothers were responsible for creating a new and dark side to children’s stories, their creativity can be seen in their early lives, their writings, and fame.
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 Brothers Grimm are often associated with our beloved Disney princesses. However, examining the original tales reveals a darker side to the stories. The disturbing elements within Grimm fairy tales are struggles women still face today, especially in developing countries.
Grimm Fairy Tales is a popular genre to children and society. The stories and remakes of the fairy tales are the basis of the original. Grimm Fairy tales include Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Ariel, Rapunzel and many others. The story usually includes a curse, a fairy or magic, a prince saving the princess and a moral. Fairy tales have a huge impact on pop culture and how children and young adults perceive reality and love.
I am writing this paper because I was assigned to write it as a class project. Along the way I realized the importance of sharing the real meanings of all these stories. Stories are important because in the society we live in things are constantly changing. Fairytales change but the base of the story always remain the same no matter how many times it has been retold. It’s important to reveal the true meanings of these stories, even with its dark characteristics, because the world is dark .Children need to know that there are people that have told stories relatable to what they are going through. Fairytales help the development of children; it helps their maturity as they confront someone else’s tough situations, instilling hope of a more positive ou...
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. London: Thames and Hudson, 1976. Print.