How did the cultural and socioeconomic status of the Grimm brothers as well as the conditions in 1800 Germany influence the theme of poverty and wealth in “Cinderella” and “Hansel and Gretel”
There have been several scholarly debates that the Grimm brothers were among the pioneering contributors of the kind of German nationalism whose tragic consequences engulfed the twentieth century. Disregarding questions over the validity of this statement, what remains evident is the invaluable influence the Grimm brothers had on the new culture of the German society through their writings. One of such influences was breaking or challenging the issues of social class with specific effect on wealth and poverty. In several of the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales, this issue of social class is an ever present theme. In most cases, if not always, there are dichotomies and physical representations that depict a distinction between the characters in their tales. This theme of social class translates into the basic idea of the haves and have-nots of these tales. Those possessing enormous property and fashionable attires are associated with wealth while those in servitude and clothed in rags are normally associated with the proletariat class. These are recurring facts that engulf their versions of the fairy tales, “Cinderella” and “Hansel and Gretel”. Because of the Grimm brothers’ socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, the effect of social classes, with specific focus on wealth and poverty, was inseparable from their writings.
The “German” nation, before it even became known as Germany, had undergone a period of transition from its inherited culture as a result of the French invasion and the Napoleonic wars. There was a sense that the German cultur...
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Modern-day feminists state that there are many repressed attitudes and fears which keep women in a kind of half-light, forcing them to subconsciously retreat from the full use of their minds and creativity (Dowling, 595). The archetypal Cinderella is often criticized by feminist critics for waiting for something external to transform her life (Abel, 192). Contrary to this assumption, passivity is not prevalent in the original Brothers’ Grimm tale. However, actions performed by women in the tale are often associated with darkness. It is this overpowering association with the color black and its implications that truly keep women in a “half-light” in the tale.
Many Americans can link their heritage to German origins. However, the German’s values, norms and beliefs have shifted when combined with American culture. Within Germany’s culture, there are common themes of organization, compartmentalization, and formality. The interaction between these themes of values, norms and beliefs influences the German culture, structured society, and worldview. While there are similarities between German and American culture, these two countries have difference views on human psychie.
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Throughout the years, the story of Cinderella has changed as different authors, including the Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney have weaved their perspectives, morals, and agendas into their retellings. Just as varying rhetors can ha...
Throughout the criticism, the author bombs the popular folktale story of Cinderella, she states this about Cinderella returning by midnight “...great emphasis on the “midnight” prohibition given to Cinderella. The traditional connotation would, of course, associate it with the paternal mandate of obedience, and a threat: if the heroine does not return to domesticity and docility at regular intervals she may lose her “virtue””. The classic story of Cinderella constantly insinuates that she must be restricted in all aspects of her life. In contrast, the story written by Hurston paints
Before going into what they influenced, it will be easier to see what motivated the Brothers Grimm to write all of these tales. Jacob and Wilhelm were the oldest of six children born unto Dorothea, the daughter of a councilman in Kassel, and Philipp Wilhelm Grimm, and ambitious lawyer and later a district judge in Steinau. (Zipes, my book) Growing up they were part of the wealthier middle-class who lived in a large home with a few servants.(zipes, my book) This made them familiar with the social requirements within that class that would late...
There has been lots of controversy about the Grimm Brothers and if their book, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, is too grim for children to read. Long before the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm, even thought about writing their book, they were inseparable. Even though the brothers were inseparable, they were complete opposites. Where Jacob was serious, introverted, and active; Wilhelm was outgoing and talkative. They came from a large family with five brothers and a sister. Once their father died, the brothers being only ten and eleven, the family struggled and had to rely on relatives and their father’s pension to feed everyone. Even with the family struggling and the hard times, the family sent the brother to high
In the classic story of “Cinderella”, a beautiful young woman is treated badly but in the end lives happily ever after with a prince. The French version of “Cinderella” is romantic and happy, where the Cinderella character forgives her bad stepsisters by finding them husbands and allowing them to live in the palace with her and the prince. However, in the German version of “Cinderella” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the stepsisters are violently punished for mistreating Cinderella.
When the French took over Germany under Napoleon’s leadership, Jacob and Wilhelm increased their studies. They gathered fairy tales because they hoped no one would forget German culture (Hettinga pg.66). The fairy tales the Brothers Grimm wrote are tales that other people told them (Hettinga). Some of the tales that the Brothers Grimm wrote are very grim! There is one story about these kids who were killing pigs, but they were not careful and they ended up killing each other. This is one of the reasons parents did not think the Brothers Grimm fairy tales were suitable for their kids (Hettinga pg.78). The Brothers Grimm fairytales have been changed over time, in different countries. In Cinderella the glass slippers have been changed into different material like leather instead of glass (Hettinga pg.X). The Brothers Grimm asked all their friends to collect stories or phrases from anyone who might of happened to have one (Hettinga pg.). Another scholar was collecting tales at the same time as the Brothers Grimm. He asked them if he could borrow their manuscript. Fortunately they copied it down by hand because he never gave it back (Hettinga pg. 73+74).
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...
Fulbrook, Mary. A Concise History of Germany. 2nd ed. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.
“Cinderella” the tale of a suffering young girl who finds her prince charming, and lives happily ever after in a big beautiful castle. Truly, the dream of many young female readers. This story is well known all around the world and has many different versions. This paper will specifically focus on the versions by Charles Perrault and Giambattista Basile. One cannot argue that while writing their individual version of Cinderella both Charles Perrault and Giambattista Basile were strongly influenced by the many other tales of Cinderella, and this can be seen by the repetitive plot line, character and morals in both their stories. Giambattista Basile story was called “The Cat Cinderella” and Charles Perrault named his “Cinderella” or “Little Glass
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.
Some fairy tales are so iconic that they withstand the passing of time. One of those fairy tales is that of Cinderella. The rags to riches story that gives even the lowliest of paupers, hope that they may one day climb the social ladder. While the core message of the story has transcended time, over the years it has been adapted to address a variety of audiences. One of those renditions is Perrault’s Cinderella where the traditional idea of gender is conveyed and therefore associated with good/evil. This idea is challenged by a fellow 1600’s French author, L’heriter de Villandon’s, who’s version of Cinderella brings about a female protagonist who is also the heroine.