Comparing Soman Chainani's The School For Good And Evil

236 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: An essay on fairy tales

Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil is one example of the modernized interpretation of fairy tale stories. These fairy tales of modernity, have reevaluated not just the gender roles but also the overall storylines. Still today, society can see within film interpretations of classic tales the struggle between gender equality of the modern age and the patriarchy of the past.
Chainani is one of few who has re-envisioned a world of gender equality amidst a fairy tale. The possible reason behind this success is Chainani is not recreating an original story; he has created something almost completely original, a “Hogwarts of Fairy Tales.” The heritage behind classic tales like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty has been engrained in society

Show More
Related

  • Feminism In Antigone And Wicked

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    The texts Antigone and Wicked challenge conventional ideas about gender. Both Elphaba and Antigone demonstrate strong will and are figures of rebellion as they challenge the status quo in their patriarchal societies. The main characters in these books reject feminine constructs of leadership, challenge democracy, and deconstruct ideologies of maternity and male dependency through embracing the label as “the other” courageously.

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Analysis

    2165 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Culture does not make people. People make culture” said Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer and educator, in a presentation on feminism in a TedTalk. The culture in which Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written was misogynistic and it shows in the writing of the poem. Medieval cultural misogyny manifests itself in multiple ways in SGGK. This paper will examine the negative relationships between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and gender by discussing: the representation of female characters, gendered violence, and Christianity in the Middle Ages.

    Read More

  • The Little Mermaid: Hans Christian Andersen vs Walt Disney

    2433 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” published in 1837, contains many patronizing nineteenth-century attitudes towards women, a value system that at least acknowledges the legitimacy of femininity shapes the fairytale. Unfortunately, Walt Disney’s 1989 film version of “The Little Mermaid” eliminates the values that affirm femininity in the original story (Trites 145)

    Read More

  • The Bloody Chamber

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    Angela Carter was a writer in the 1970s during the third wave of feminism that influenced and encouraged personal and social views in her writing. This is demonstrated through her own interpretation of fairy tales in The Bloody Chamber. She combines realism and fantasy to create ‘magic realism’ whilst also challenging conventions of stereotypical gender roles.

    Read More

  • Female Gender Roles in Haggard’s She and Haddawy’s The Arabian Nights

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Enderwitz, Susanne. “Shahrazad Is One Of Us: Practical Narrative, Theoretical Discussion, And Feminist Discourse.” Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies 18.2 (2004): 187-200. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • A Two Tale Comparison

    1449 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thinking back to our childhood, we all remember hearing many kinds of fairy tales. Some of them inspired us others confused us, and most of them taught us valuable lessons. Through out centuries tales and stories have been used as a valuable tool to pass on our culture to new generations. There is a strong belief that these fairy tales mirror and influence society. All cultures interpret tales in their own unique way. They add and subtract various aspects of the tale to fit the needs of their particular society. The same tale in the United States is different from the tale told in Asia. A good example of tale evolution can be seen in one of the most famous tales ever told which is “Cinderella”. As a professor of women’s history Karol Kelley points out in her essay Pretty Woman: A Modern Cinderella “There are some 700 versions of Cinderella”.This fairy tale as many others has been changing for many years, and in recent years Cinderella has come under some criticism for its depiction of women’s roles in society.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Rapunzel

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Grimm Brothers’ “Rapunzel” encourages women to subscribe to domestic roles. Through the tales of various female characters, “Rapunzel” teaches women to embrace their domesticity even at the risk and disadvantage of such a single-faceted lifestyle. The first female character is Rapunzel’s biological mother, who embodies the domestic women by relying on her husband and never leaving her house. Her husband encounters the enchantress in her own garden, who, though supernatural, cannot expand beyond the domestic realm. Moreover, Rapunzel, the heroine herself, willingly relegates her life to a life of stability, dependence, and ultimately, domesticity.

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes in Fairy Tales

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fairy Tales have been around for generations and generations. Our parents have told us these stories and we will eventually pass them down to ours. In this time of age the most common fairytales are Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and The Beast and many more. Children idolize their favorite character and pretend to be them by mimicking everything they do in the stories. The character’s behavior is what is viewed as appropriate in society. These fairy tales show a girl and a boy fall in love and live “happily ever after”. The tales in many people’s eyes resemble a dream life that they would want to have of their own. However, have you ever really looked at what makes up a fairy tale? Many things are unrealistic but the most unflattering aspect of these tales is how women are depicted in them. Fairy tales give an unrealistic view to how women should look and behave in real life.

    Read More

  • Feminism and Fairy Tales

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sleeping Beauty: Feminist Critics

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...present powerful characters, while females represent unimportant characters. Unaware of the influence of society’s perception of the importance of sexes, literature and culture go unchanged. Although fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty produce charming entertainment for children, their remains a didactic message that lays hidden beneath the surface; teaching future generations to be submissive to the inequalities of their gender. Feminist critic the works of former literature, highlighting sexual discriminations, and broadcasting their own versions of former works, that paints a composite image of women’s oppression (Feminist Theory and Criticism). Women of the twenty-first century serge forward investigating, and highlighting the inequalities of their race in effort to organize a better social life for women of the future (Feminist Theory and Criticism).

    Read More

  • The Underlying Truth of Thumbelina

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fairytales exist to create a time for children where they dream of imaginable creatures and people that they wish to be. Some fairytales teach children morals of some sort while some teach them the difference between good and evil. But when an in depth look into the fairytale is executed, what is found? In The classic fairytale treasury’s fairytale Thumbelina Hans Christian Andersen illustrates the patriarchal views that continue to control stereotyped traditional views of men and women in society by insinuating Thumbelina as a sensitive, beautiful, fragile being and the prince and male animals as rich, strong, powerful beings.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Fairy Tales

    1237 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fairy tales are an essential part of literature. They play a significant role in children’s lives as they provide an understanding of the world, as well as the difference between good and evil. Fairy tales are introduced during a time when children soak up knowledge, therefore it is no surprise tales play a role in shaping youth (Nanda, 2014). Knowing this, it is important to be aware of the ways in which characters are portrayed within these tales. The “typical” stereotypes associated with male and female characters can be dangerous as it provides children with a simplified perception of gender roles and the way the world functions. Women are perceived as the beautiful princess who needs help and is “inferior,” while men are the strong and courageous prince who save the naive princess from “evil” (Patel, 2009). Since these portrayals can be found within most fairy tales it allows children to view them as “norms.” This can lead children to have an improper/sexist view of men and women. Due to how often these behaviours are seen, they become “typical.”

    Read More

  • Onceuponatime Gender Roles

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Andrea Dworkin who wrote “Onceuponatime: The Roles” addresses many crucial points about how fairy tales are the primary reason for the gender roles for both men and women in the present day. She comes to the point that it is necessary to realize that men and women have certain roles to live up to when they enter this world. We might not want it this way but it is what fairy tales and society says because of the stereotypes we place on men and women.

    Read More

  • Cinderella Film Analysis

    1281 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 1950’s Cinderella created by world-renown Disney director, Clyde Geronimi, has been established as the most renown and generic story out of all. In comparison to Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella”, the standard storyline, both have the same concepts. Similarities such as the abuse, the magic, and the happily ever after is present in both exactly. Although, there are also horrifying aspects to discuss about Cinderella and their other versions. Certain acts such as the abuse and mutilation are considered to be unjust and not right, no matter the situation; but perhaps Cinderella was not as virtuous and kind as portrayed in the 1950’s film.

    Read More

  • Feminine Beauty In Fairy Tales

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tales that make frequent references to the appearance of women are constantly being remade, such as “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. “Tales that make frequent reference to physical appearance and beauty for women are likely to have been reproduced… those that have been reproduced the most are precisely the ones that promote a feminine beauty ideal” (Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz). References to women’s beauty and physical appearance isn’t limited long stories, but also shortened stories keep the feminine beauty within them. Detail to attractiveness in fairy tales has increased over time (and still is). Fairy tales that have been remade or rewritten suggests that women (and men) are manipulated by media and their ideals of attractiveness. “Beauty, for beauty’s sake,” (Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz) plays a very big part in fairy tales, especially for women. There is a difference in messages between women’s beauty and male’s attractiveness and is consistent in a social control perspective. Fairy tales aren’t always popular because of the (feminine) beauty within, but also because

    Read More

More about Comparing Soman Chainani's The School For Good And Evil

Open Document