Fairy Tale Analysis

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Comparing the elements of William Goldman’s abridgement of The Princess Bride, to the classic tale of “Little Snow-White” by The Grimm Brothers’ allows the audience to determine that The Princess Bride does not meet those set fairy tale standards. Elements of a fairy tale are crucial in whether the story can be classified as a fairy tale or a work of fiction. Setting plays an important role in allowing the story to relate to multiple audiences in various cultures. Generally the numbers three and seven are popular and symbolic in fairy tales. The protagonists and antagonists of a story are clearly established. Love at first sight is an essential feature that all fairy tales have and would not be complete without it. Without meeting these elements There are many variations of this phrase, but they all portray the same idea. Fairy tales have no specific setting because they are make believe stories so there is no need for historical connections. Having no specific setting allows the story to relate to different children in different cultures (McCarthy). “Time becomes timeless so that the protagonist can create his or her own time” (Zipes, "The Revolutionary Rise of the Romantic Fairy Tale in Germany" 101) allowing the audience to adapt the tale into their own settings. In “Little Snow-White,” the Grimm Brothers’ clearly state that the setting is “in midwiter”(Grimm et al 170) and that is just about it. The only type of setting in “Little Snow-White” is when the Queen asks a huntsman to “take Snow-White into the woods” (Grimm et al 171). Other than that, the time and place is not defined leading into the make believe Fairy tales are meant to have a clear message for the younger readers comprehend and apply to their own development in the real world. These tales do not have a concrete setting for the reason of applying to multiple cultures and children. The numbers presented in fairy tales all can be interpreted in multiple ideas, all in relation to the reader 's personal beliefs. Without the precisely defined characters the message cannot be interpreted as wanted by the author leading to confusion and mixed messages. The intention of love at first sight lets the readers know that love is powerful and can dictate fate. Fairy tales impact cultures by giving a moral lesson and teaching children valuable life lessons. From all these years, stories are passed down to teach a lesson, and a specific type are fairy tales that embody aspects of royalty, love, hard work, and

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