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The influence of grim fairy tales
The influence of grim fairy tales
Literary period for grimm brothers
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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.
Since their early lives Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm showed creativity and potential for success. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born only a year apart in Ganau, Germany in the years 1786 and 1785 (World of Tales). The Grimm brother’s father was a successful lawyer who tragically died in 1796, leaving his sons with many household responsibilities. (Bio.com). As the two eldest of six children Jacob and Wilhelm were forced to mature and become responsible for their siblings following their fathers death ( Bio.com) .
During the boys adolescent years they put their creativity to work in their studies and writings. Luckily Wilhelm and Jacob’s aunt paid for their school tuition, allowing the boys to test their knowledge and find a career they would enjoy (World of Tales). Surprisingly Both Wilhelm and Jacob went to college to become lawyers, as you may have guessed the Grimm brothers didn’t stay in the law school for long (Bio.com). After being influenced by German Romanticism writers, the brothers quit law school and began studying folklore a subject that truly interested them. (Bio.com).
After the Grimm brothers studied folklore they decided that they would write their own cre...
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...om their early life, to their writings, and finally to their fame. Without creativity the Grimm brothers works would be dull, lifeless and unpopular. Creativity used by the Grimm brothers set their stories apart from any other story of its time and paved the way for many other similar stories. The Grimm brother’s creativity inspires many other writers to test their ideas and make breakthroughs in the world of writing.
Works Cited
"The Brothers Grimm Biography." Welcome to the Brothers Grimm Biography! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. www.worldoftales.com/fairy_tales/Brothers_Grimm_biography.html
"Candlelight Stories." Grimms’ Fairy Tales. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. www.candlelightstories.com/storybooks/grimms-fairy-tales
"Wilhelm Grimm Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. www.biography.com/people/wilhelm-grimm-21085173?page=2
Tatar, Maria. "Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’" The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2002. 17-27 371-373. Print.
Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 1812. Pinkmonkey. Online. 6 Apr. 2014. .
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.
Through use of literary devices such as repetition and symbolism, the Grimm Brothers are able to effectively reveal the moral of Little Snow-White to a young audience.
Grimm, Jacob Ludwig Carl and Wilhelm Carl. "Rapunzel." Stories. Ed. Eric S. Rabkin. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1995. 514-517.
During the 1800’s two brothers, known as Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, began writing short stories that reflected their lives in central Europe. At this time the French under Napoleon’s rule had overrun Germany, which caused a lot of political issues. Germany’s new governmental ruler cut off the country of its local culture (National Geographic). The Grimm brothers tried to preserve the traditional oral stories of the time. They didn’t plan for their writings to become popular, or for them to be for the younger population. The Grimm brothers were motivated to change the stories up a bit as their tales captivated more people. They incorporated a softer side with a primary moral of the story for the readers (GrimmFairytales.com). It is from these original Grimm versions that modern fairytales, such as Cinderella originated from.
Over centuries of children have been enjoying the classic fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers and Charles Perrault. The fanciful plots and the vivid details allow children to be entranced by characters and adventures that can only be found in these stories. One of the most beloved fairy tales, which both the Perrault and the Grimms have their own separate versions of, is Cinderella. Cinderella is able to show how both versions are able to feed off the same plots while personifying the century and social economic situation in which they have lived.
The Grimm’s stories have strict criteria for good and evil. Good women are not the hero, they do not plan, nor do they get themselves out of bad situations; they are obtuse and wait until a Prince saves them. These qualities doom the female protagonists (and readers) to pursue the only destiny women have, and that is to be a wife and mother (Rowe, 1978). Cinderella is the heroine and the ideal good girl. She is unambiguously beautiful, kind, and compassionate. She does not complain or get angry. This is foreseen early in the Grimm’s Cinderella story:
The colorful Grimm fairy tale was premiered by Walt Disney Studios - becoming fast known for pioneering sophisticated animation.
Originating in Germany, the Brothers Grimm, also known as Jacob and Wilhelm, took an interest in folktales. This interest truly sparked when a man at school told them of a library filled with old books. From both books and folktales that were often told to them by women, the brothers began collecting their own group of stories. After graduating from the University of Marburg, the brothers moved to Gottingen, where they held positions as librarians and professors (Grimm). They eventually began working on their own tales, which were originally not aimed toward children. The brothers “viewed themselves as patriotic folklorists, not as entertainers of children.” Jacob and Wilhelm intended to “save the endangered oral tradition of Germany” with their works (O’Neill).
Most modern fairytales are expected to have happy endings and be appropriate for children, nonetheless, in past centuries most were gruesome. Consequently, fairytales have been modified throughout time. The stories “Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont and “The Summer and Winter Garden” by Jacob and Wilherm Grimm share similarities and differences. The two stories are distinct because of the peculiar year they have been written in. LePrince de Beaumont’s story is written in London of 1783 and Grimm’s in Germany of 1812. At the time, wealthy people in London, were educated and had nannies who would read to their children; whereas, in Germany, the Grimm brothers created their own interpretation into a short story. Because many high class parents in 18th century London would not be able to spend time with their children, nannies would read “Beauty and the Beast” to them since they were intended for children and considered appropriate. In “The Summer and Winter Garden,” the Grimm’s’ story was mostly based to entertain misbehaved children and teach them the valuable lesson that everyone should be treated with kindness. The Grimm brothers’ goal in rewriting this short story is to better children’s behavior which worked quite well. Since these stories have been re-written for children, it would be safe to say the reason why parents expose the two stories to their children is because they both portray the same moral: good things happen to good people. The two interpretations of “Beauty and the Beast,” although written in separate countries, share important similarities and differences even though the authors have different interpretations and came from different cultures.
...hat is the main purpose of the story. Even though it is the main theme the writers and directors have edited the timeless tale by Brothers Grimm. It is the classic fairy tale that will live on forever because it touches everyone’s heart in some aspect.
...nges that are used to adapt to the culture they are being told in. The Brother's Grimm and Giambattista Basile each wrote a fairytale that was almost the same as the other, but as previously mentioned they are different in order to adapt to their surroundings. Nevertheless, psychologically speaking, the psyche of the characters besides the father are both the same. They portray different archetypes that contrast and cause tension in the fairy tale. Each character can easily represent a certain personality trait. Regardless, fairy tales appear to people and their is more to why they are passed down time and time again in different versions. This reason falls back to the human psyche. According to Jungian theory, subconsciously we enjoy telling fairy tales because they relate so much to us and are basically showing a closer view of our subconscious on a cultural level.
During our infancy mostly of us (I hope) heard about the fairy tales that help us to imagine unrealistic ways of actions. Fairy tales also help us to think more broadly to solve a problem. We are used to read, listen, or see those compositions that are always written and censored many traumatic aspects to avoid bad interpretations. The majority of the stories are simplified to target lower ages, however, fairly tales can be scary. Sometimes, we do not notice the horror behind those stories. But to a great extent of stories, the fairy tales can be scary. The Shining is one of those fairly tales, where the father tries to kill his family. It is a fairy tale that is misinterpreted; however, the film itself depicts to be a fairy tale.
A Folktale is described as the general term for the verbal, spiritual, and material aspects of any homogeneous preliterate or subliterate culture. These stories have been around and past down generations for thousands of years. Much controversy surrounds Folktales in determining the authenticity of the story. Many cultures strongly believe in their history and the tales that come along with it. On the other hand, many skeptics are headstrong in their beliefs that such characters featured in these folktales cease to exist and are told as entertainment and a way to promote strong ethical values in the generations to come. Folktales fall into the non-fiction genre of literature, which may cause confusion with some people considering we were all