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IntroductionIntroductiontoFairyTales

The document discusses fairy tales as a type of folktale with origins in oral tradition, highlighting their literary significance and universal themes across cultures. It outlines recognizable motifs in characters, places, objects, actions, and styles that define fairy tales, as well as the impact of the Brothers Grimm on the genre. The document also touches on the Romanticism movement and the debate surrounding the authenticity of the Grimms' edited tales compared to their original oral forms.

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magnessko
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8 views19 pages

IntroductionIntroductiontoFairyTales

The document discusses fairy tales as a type of folktale with origins in oral tradition, highlighting their literary significance and universal themes across cultures. It outlines recognizable motifs in characters, places, objects, actions, and styles that define fairy tales, as well as the impact of the Brothers Grimm on the genre. The document also touches on the Romanticism movement and the debate surrounding the authenticity of the Grimms' edited tales compared to their original oral forms.

Uploaded by

magnessko
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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World Myths and Folktales Unit

What is a fairy tale?


 A fairy tale is a type of folktale.
 Oral tradition
 Fairy tales, much like origin myths, were told and retold
for generations before finally being written down.
 French fairy tales were among the first to be written
down, but the “true” authors of any fairy tale are
unknown.
 Some famous publishers/authors of fairy tales are:
Charles Perrault, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Hans
Christian Anderson, and Joseph Jacobs.
Literary Significance
 Fairy tales come from all over the world. Each culture has its own set of
fairy tales – often reflecting that culture’s particular set of values.
 People everywhere like stories in which truth prevails over deception,
generosity is ultimately rewarded, hard work overcomes obstacles, and
love, mercy and kindness are the greatest powers of all.
 Theme:
 While each culture and geographic region of the world has its own body
of folk tales and fairy tales that it considers "its own," certain themes
and motifs tend to be repeated across many cultures and time periods.
Universal human emotions such as love, hate, courage, kindness,
and cruelty appear in bold, broad strokes on the canvas of fairy
tales.
 Impact of fairy tales on the contemporary world:
 The elements and echoes of fairy tales are alive in plays, movies, and
books for all ages.
Recognizable Patterns in Character, Place, Objects, Action and
Style
Motif
 The essence of a fairy tale is its predictability.

 Motifs are recurring subjects, themes, ideas, etc. in a


story.

 The majority of fairy tales follow similar patterns in


character, setting, plot (action), and style.
 These predictable elements provide comfort, where the
details of the plot and other particulars make each
individual story interesting.
Character Motifs
 Elder
 Usually a king or father
 Stationary
 Sometimes disabled
 Hero(ine)
 Person who gets the most out of the story
 Moves, often vertically
 True Love
 Object of hero’s affections
 Hero often does battle for his/her true love
 Villian
 Opposes hero
 Force of evil
Character Motifs (cont’d)
 Helper
 Often a powerful, magical person
 Gives advice or a powerful gift to the hero
 Often tests the hero
 Friend
 Friend or companion of the hero; often lower class or a
servant
 Binding/unbinding relationship with the hero
 Messenger
 Brings news
Place Motifs
 Home
 An ordinary place (not magical)
 Often the starting or ending place of the story
 Paradise
 Where hero gets his or her heart’s desire
 Often a monster or other obstacle to overcome here first
 Bad place
 Escape is desired!
 Limbo
 Seems dangerous, but isn’t
 Shadowy, mysterious
 Transitions occur, deals are made
Object Motifs
 Groups of objects
 Size (increasing or decreasing)
 Material
 Power
 Ordinary objects with magical powers
 Transportation
 Weapons
 Supply
 Medicine
 Objects that serve a special function
 Token of recognition – how the hero(ine) recognizes his/her
true love
 Often has some relationship to water or liquid
Action Motifs
 Actions of the hero
 Quest
 Endurance test
 Tasks to perform (usually 3) involving:
 Food or water
 Wood
 Fire
 Means for success of hero
 Cleverness of wit
 Virtue
 Courage or strength
 Rewards for the hero
 Wealth
 Love
 Status
Style Motifs
 Use of numbers
 Usually 3, 7 or 12

 Opening and closing lines


 “Once upon a time,” “and they lived happily ever after”

 Chante fable
 The inclusion of a song, change, incantation, etc. that is
repeated in the story
 “Mirror, mirror on the wall…”
 “I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down!”
Recap: Essential Fairy Tale
Components
 Characters: Every fairy tale has characters of good and
of evil nature.
 Setting: Fairy tales take place in an unspecified time
and location.
 Plot: The “good” characters typically have a “happily
ever after” while the “evil” characters are brought to
justice or punished.
 The “fairy” aspect: Fairy tales contain some kind of
magic or supernatural element.
 Style: Fairy tales feature repetition, usually in 3’s.
Grimm’s Fairy Tales
 In Germany, this book has sold more copies
than any other book except the Bible.
 Kinder-und-Haus marchen
 A collection of German folklore
The Brothers
 Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
 Born in the late 18th century (1700’s)
 Not members of the upper class
 Had to work hard to obtain their education
Romanticism
 In the first half of the 19th century, a growing
literary movement in both America and Europe
was romanticism.
 Romantics believed in the power of passion and
imagination
 Themes ventured into were based on the
folklore and the natural environment
 Idealized the “common” peoples’ lifestyles
Folklore
 The brothers Grimm believed:
 Collecting the folklore was an opportunity to uncover the roots of
German heritage
 Folklore contained basic truths about the origins of civilization
 Recorded only “true” laws and customs of the German people
 By publishing the folklore before the oral tradition was lost, they
could provide German readers with a sense of national pride and
purpose that was lacking in the chaotic social and political climate
of the early 19th century
The Stories
Most of the European fairy tales in publication today for children
are based on the stories collected by the Germans Jacob and
Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century.
 Gathered from middle class neighbors who had been told the stories
from their servants or nursemaids
 Publication:
 The Grimm brothers actually published 5 editions of Kinder und
Hausmarchen, and each edition was revised to create more “polished”
literary stories.
 1st publication is much more graphic than 20th century (think: Disney)
retellings
 Besides adding colorful detail, dialogue, and transitions, the Grimms eliminated
sexual and/or other gruesome material and added moral observations to many of
the stories in order to make them (as they deemed) more suitable for family
reading.
 References to Christianity and the Protestant work ethic
Literary Significance
 Scholarship & Debate:
 Some argue that the edited tales have been totally
altered from their original form and purpose, so that
they do not accurately reflect the oral tradition the
Grimms were supposedly trying to preserve.
 Others credit the Grimms with creating a new genre, the
Buchmarchen, or “book tale,” a mixture of oral and
literary traditions.

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