Long flowing hair in the wind, a strong chiselled jaw with big muscles and a hearty smile, or perhaps no smile at all. Saving princesses, fighting dragons, befriending beasts and being cavalier. This generic stance of the male hero is discussed in Max Luthi’s essay The Fairy-Tale Hero; however, although the norm, this opinion of a male protagonist is not as immovable as it may seem. Max Luthi’s opinion of Grimm’s, Hansel and Gretel is that Gretel is the leading character and that the males are irrelevant to the outcome of the story. Instead of accounting for the different scopes of personalities of the males, Max Luthi dismisses them as non-instrumental characters. For example Hansel uses wit to defeat the evil witch and is detrimental in the survival of the two. Also The Father breaks the traditionalist view of a Male character, as he is pressured by his wife to rid of the children. Male characters in traditional fairy tales do not have to abide by a strict convention and may have different of roles including being witty or cowardly instead of being primarily brave and strong.
Intelligence can be a more useful tool than brute strength. Strength can be misleading. Strength is the primary choice of most who chose to become heroes; while wit allows a simple man to become a hero. Hansel, in the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, shares the leading role with his sister throughout the tale. Hansel is thrust into becoming the hero of the tale as he and his sister are left in the woods to die. Hansel, senses this and uses his intuition in order to find the way back home. “The moon was shining bright, and the pebbles around the house glittered like silver coins. Hansel crouched down and stuffed his pocket full of them.” (Grimm 143) This e...
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...d on Male leads in his critical essay, The Fairy-Tale Hero. The character of Hansel depicts the intelligence and quick thinking that can lead to great results. Being just a child, Hansel decides that he and his sister must be watchful in there escape instead of rash. The father is an example of cowardly behaviour. Being one of the few adults in the tale, he displays himself as a pushover with indecisive characteristics. This extremely opposes other tradionalist fairy tales; as it seems most of the adults portray a symbol of composure instead of naivety. Although this fairy tale is the furthest thing from reality, the characters, especially the males, show the ideals of typical human interactions. This refreshing take on an unrealistic circumstance is well ahead of its time and illustrates the plethora of roles that males can symbolize in fairy tales and in life.
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.
Fairy tales today are commonly viewed as fantastical stories - often with magical characters or elements - aimed to entertain children. Moreover, they frequently contain lessons or principles to be instilled in youths, promoting the morality of future generations. The values associated with a certain fairy tale can be identified quite easily these days, especially with the more prominent and well-known stories. For instance, the modern version of Beauty and the Beast schools readers to look past the exterior of others, for true beauty is measured by one's character. However, contemporary fairy tales have often been subject to censorship and revision from their origins in order to facilitate their presentation of these ideals. Oftentimes, the essence of these ideas in the original works is not so clear-cut. In Giovanni Franesco Straparola‘s “The Pig King”, though a happy ending is eventually reached, the path taken is one filled with wrong turns.
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
There is nothing more precious and heartwarming than the innocence of a child. The majority of parents in society want to shield children from the bad in life which is appreciated. Within human nature exists desires of inappropriate behavior; envy, deceit, selfishness, revenge, violence, assault and murder. The most well-known fairy tales depict virtue and the evil in life. Even more important, the form and structure of fairy tales suggest images to the child by which he can structure his daydreams and with them give a better direction to his life. (Bettelheim).
Folktales can be used to share morals or a lesson using symbols, and this is true of the classic “Cinderella” story. Madonna Kolbenschlag, a feminist, writes “A Feminist’s View of ‘Cinderella,’” explaining the Cinderella story in a more sexist view. Bruno Bettel-heim, a distinguished psychologist, centers his article, “‘Cinderella’: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts” very specifically on the sibling rivalry exhibited in the classic “Cinderella” story. He also writes about the oedipal period of a child’s life. Both authors agree that “Cinderella” is most likely the best-known and best-liked fairy tale. Although, according to Stith Thompson, folktales have been passed form country to country and through different time periods,
The simplicity, linearity and one dimensionality of fairytales have led to the belief in there allegorical nature, a conviction that fairytales mean something quite different from what stands in the text. As with most literary works there is deeper meaning in fairytales than just meets the eye. Little Red, the Wolf, and Grandmother are all one-dimensional characters. The illustrations are simple and sweet. No one character has more emphasis than the other and the focus is on the highly symbolic language, images.
read through the article I had to pick out ten important facts about the fairy tale genre and its origins. Collecting my facts was difficult because there were many writers that changed the audience for fairy tales. I didn’t want to just write down 10 authors and their works t...
In this essay, I examine what Zipes means by institutionalised, define what makes a fairy tale and evaluate how different versions of Little Red Riding Hood reflect the social ideology of the period.
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.
...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.”
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 Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, were German romantic historians in the 19th century, and their work with fairy tales has influenced many of the modern stories we enjoy today. “The Brave Little Tailor” by: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm is the story of a poor, working-class tailor that kills seven flies in one blow, which leads to a misunderstanding in the kingdom. The tailor stiches on his belt, “Seven at one blow”, and he tricks a group of giants and citizens of the kingdom into spreading the word that he is a brave man (Hallet & Karasek 207). The King hears of the tailor’s deeds, and enlists him in his army. The King promises the tailor his own daughter and half his kingdom in return for completing several dangerous tasks. Later on the King and the Princess find out that the tailor is a not a nobleman. The King tries to strip the tailor of the power he was given and threatens to kill him, but the tailor tricks his challenger into keeping his half of the kingdom and lives “happily ever after”. This essay is an in depth analysis of “The Brave Little Tailor” by: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm; the application of the Marxist theories, character analysis of the id and ego, and the lack of superego in the story will be investigated.
Tatar, M. (1987). Sex and Violence: The Hard Core of Fairy Tales. The hard facts of the Grimms' fairy tales (p. 3). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
Folktales are a way to represent situations analyzing different prospects about gender, through the stories that contribute with the reality of the culture in which they develop while these provide ideas about the behavior and roles of a specific sex building a culture of womanhood, manhood and childhood. This is what the stories of Little Red Riding Hood of Charles Perrault (1697) and Little Red-Cap of the Grimm Brothers (1812) show. This essay will describe some ideas about gender in different ways. First, the use of symbolic characters allows getting general ideas about the environment in the society rather than individuals. Second, it is possible to identify ideas about gender from the plot from the applied vocabulary providing a better understanding of the actions. Finally, the narrative perspective of the tales analyzes deeply the status of the characters referring to the thoughts among the society.
Fairy tales have been a big part of learning and childhood for many of us. They may seem childish to us, but they are full of life lessons and intelligent turnings. Components of fairy tales may even include violence, but always with the aim to provide a moral to the story. Hansel and Gretel is in itself a very interesting story to analyze. It demonstrates the way that children should not stray too far from their benchmarks and rely on appearances. In 2013, a film adaptation was produced. This film is produced for an older public and has picked up the story to turn it into a more mature and violent version. Hansel and Gretel is a German fairy tale written by the Grimm Brothers which has undergone several changes over the years and across the cultures which it touched, but for the purposes of this essay, I will stick to the original story. In the development of this essay, I will analyze the components of this tale by the Brothers Grimm based on the factors listed in the course syllabus (violence, interpersonal relationships, the function of magic and the ending), and I will then do a summary and comparison between the story and the film which was released in theaters recently.