Transcript Fairy Tales - Ms. Platte's Language Arts - Home

Fairy Tales
History and Interpretation
Vulnerability, Imagination, and the
Transition from Childhood to Adulthood
History of Fairy Tales
It began with…Creation Cosmogenies!
Early man had certain priorities when it came to philosophizing about
his life which revolved mostly around basic survival needs: what can I
eat, where can I be safe, how can I make it to tomorrow, next year.
When they did have time to think about more existential
questions, they asked “why am I here? Who made me? Who
made the earth?”
As science and religion eventually came to answer many of those
questions, humans began to focus their attentions elsewhere.
Myth vs. Fairy Tale
• A myth is a cultural story which is often used to explain something
such as the reason we have a moon. As such, myths often have a
religous basis.
• “Fairy Tales" (derived from the celtic) originally meant "tales of
wonder"
What do you know about fairy tales?
(5 min partner talk)
A fairy tale is a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters (such as
fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and talking animals) and
enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events.
The term is also used to describe something blessed with unusual happiness,
as in "fairy tale ending" (a happy ending) or "fairy tale romance," though not
all fairy tales end happily.
Fairy tales with very similar plots, characters, and motifs are found spread
across many different cultures.
Fairy tales also tend to take on the color of their location, through the choice
of motifs, the style in which they are told, and the depiction of character and
local color.
A fairy tale is a story (literary or folk) that the feeling or
sensation of the supernatural or the mysterious.
But, and this is crucial: it is a story that happens in the past
tense, and a story that is not tied to any specifics.
A story that names a specific "real" person is a legend (even if
it contains a magical occurrence). A story that happens in the
future is a fantasy. Fairy tales are sometimes spiritual, but
never religious."
• Marcia. Lane, Picturing a Rose: A Way of Looking at Fairy
Tales
History of Fairy Tales
A.D. 100-200
The myth, Cupid and Psyche, is written by Apuleius. Some
scholars consider this to be the first literary fairy tale, very
similar in nature to Beauty and the Beast.
A.D. 200-300
A Hindu collection of tales, the Panchatantra, is written. Some of
these tales are thought to be forerunners to a few European fairy
tales.
850-860
The first known literary version of Cinderella in the world is
written in China.
Circa 1300
Gesta Romanorum, a Latin work, is produced. It is a collection of
tales and anecdotes thought to have influenced William
Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser, author of The Faerie Queen.
Circa 1500
One Thousand and One Arabian Nights first recorded
History of Fairy Tales & Children
In medieval times…
After infancy, children were seen as little adults
and not shielded from adult activities (hard
labor, public executions, etc.).
They recognized that children were smaller and
less intelligent but not to the extent that we see
them today.
History of Fairy Tales, cont.
1690-1710: France
The French Salons are filled with fairy tale writing, primarily by
women writers. The most prolific and influential is Marie-Catherine
D'Aulnoy.
1696-1698: France
Marie-Catherine D'Aulnoy, the foremost fairy tale author of the
French Salons, publishes four volumes of fairy tales. They are
translated into English in 1699.
1697
Charles Perrault's Histoires ou Contes du temps passe, also known
as Mother Goose Tales, is published in Paris. The tales enjoy instant
success. Some of the tales included in this collection are Cinderella,
The Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, and Puss
in Boots
History of Fairy Tales & Children
Then, in the 16th and 17th centuries:
People started to see childhood as not only a
social status but a psychological, developmental
one. It mostly began to affect the upper-class
boys first then their sisters.
1815: Germany
• Jacob and Wilhelm
Grimm publish volumes
one (1812) and two
(1815) of Kinder und
Hausmarchen
(Childhood and
Household Tales).
• Popular tales from the
collection include The
Frog King, Hansel and
Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin
and Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs.
1889: England
Andrew Lang publishes the first of his twelve fairy books, The
Blue Fairy Book. Most of the illustrations in the books are
drawn by H. J. Ford. The books remain popular for gathering
tales from numerous sources, essentially presenting
multicultural fairy tale collections long before multicultural
becomes a buzz word a hundred years later.
1890: Russia
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty premieres in St.
Petersburg, Russia on January 15, 1890. Choreography is by
Marius Petipa and the book is by Marius Petipa and Ivan
Vsevolojsky. Some of Tchaikovsky's score will later appear in
Walt Disney's adaptation of the story.
1893: Great Britain
Marian Roalfe Cox publishes her book, Cinderella: Three
Hundred and Forty-five Variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and
Cap O' Rushes. The book discusses many tales which have
not yet appeared in English and indirectly nominates
Cinderella as the most common fairy tale theme around the
world.
Entertainment
• Late 1800s ballets incorporate fairy tales
• Swan Lake, Capellia, Sleeping Beauty,
Cinderella
Operas
• Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Mozart’s The
Magic Flute
1937: United States
Walt Disney's first feature length animated film is
released, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film is a
commercial success and leads to the creation of several
more Disney fairy tale adaptations. The seven dwarfs now
have names, thanks to Walt Disney.
1945: Russia
The premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's ballet, Cinderella, is
presented by the Bolshoi Ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre in
Moscow on November 15, 1945. The libretto is by Nikolai
Volkov and choreography by Rotislav Zakharov.
1946: France
Jean Cocteau's film, La Belle et la bête (Beauty and the
Beast) is released.
1950: United States
Walt Disney's Cinderella is released.
Fairy Tales: Purpose
• Fairy tales are primer to the early education into
a specific culture.
• Children learn key social mores*, gender
expectations and morality from these stories.
• Like creation myths, they emerged from a largely
oral tradition since most children could not read
particularly the poor or female ones.
*“mores” = customs, conventions, practices
Fairy Tales: Key Elements and Purpose
1. To pass along information about how the world and society works
2. To remind people of the need for morals and values
3. To make it easy to pass info around in a world that was void of a
sufficient number of literate people
4. To entertain
5. To give children ways to cope with growing up
a. stories include a childhood fear
b. stories include a fantastical element (magic, fairies, supernatural
events)
c. stories have a moral point or lesson (sometimes spiritual, but
never religious)
d. stories have a happy ending
Changes…
• Censored tales for adults to read to
children
• Added a clear sequential structure
• Made tales more lively by adding
adjectives, old proverbs, direct dialogue
• Made tales reflect middle class values
• Eliminated erotic and sexual content
• Added Christian expressions and
references
• Emphasized traditional roles of men
and women according to the
dominant patriarchal code of that
time
• Added lessons for children—even
harsh ones
• Their primary method of gathering stories
was to invite storytellers to their home and
have them tell the tales aloud
• Most were educated young women from
the middle class or aristocracy who retold
stories of their nursemaids, governesses, or
servants
Didactic
• Intended for instruction.
• Stories with a didactic tone aim
not only to entertain, but also to
inform or instruct the listener or
reader
Fairy Tale Conventions-Stock Characters
Wicked stepmother
Fairy godmother
Clever orphan
Curious children
Slave or servant girl
or boy
• Damsel in distress
• Prince Charming
•
•
•
•
•
Mother Figure
• Fairy Godmother (surrogate mother) –
comforts and directs child
– Represents powers that can be called on for
help when it is needed. Helps young person to
solve own problems (Knapp 71).
• Earth Mother –fulfillment, abundance, and
fertility
– offers spiritual and emotional nourishment to
those who she contacts; often depicted in earth
colors, with large breasts and hips
• http://youtu.be/ppGMNRNgYrg
24
Stepmother/parent
Stepmother
Often attractive
Usually evil
Jealous of beauty or power of the protagonist
Deceives the biological parent about motives
http://youtu.be/_bhopXy8hBw
25
Examples
• Stepmother in Cinderella Briar Rose,
• Mythology: Persephone, Demeter, Hercate,
Gorgon, Medusa
• Literature: Gladriel from Lord of the Rings,
Glinda from the Wizard of Oz, Dante’s Beatrice
• Movies: Ron’s mom
26
Female Soul Mate
represents goodness, innocence,
purity; may be a princess who is
beautiful, sought after and remote.
http://youtu.be/zSVNOzXJuIY
27
Cinderella Archetype
What kind of characteristics does Cinderella have? What about
the stepmother and stepsisters?
28
The Great Teacher/Mentor
Wise old men/women – protects or helps main
character when he or she faces challenges.
Sometimes they work as role models and often serve
as father or mother figure. They teach by example
the skills necessary to survive the journey and quest.
Examples
: http://youtu.be/71_p8P_PVXo
29
The Companion/Sidekick
the companion: Befriends and helps the hero;
may be unusual
http://youtu.be/jJGeeryk0Eo
30
The Innocent
 Child/Youth or inexperienced adult
 Strength is their trust and optimism. Others
like them and support their quest.
 May be blind to or deny their obvious
weaknesses.
31
Double
• Doppelganger
• It is the double or mirroring or split personality
or good/evil
• It is the duplicate of an individual
or part of a divided individual
• Can have many names including
the Other, the alter ego, the second self
• Examples
– Frankenstein
– Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
32
The Sacrificial Redeemer
• “Willing to die for his or her
beliefs; the main character
maintains a strong sense of
morality” (Herz and Gallo 123).
• Embodiment of divine power and
being sent on a mission to
save humanity.
– Jesus Christ
– Erin Brockovich
33
The Sacrificial Scapegoat
The sacrificial scapegoat: hero
who chooses to dies or allows himself to
be sacrificed to restore his people or the
land back to fruitfulness
http://youtu.be/gdIgy-4o4fs
Tyson in Percy Jackson
34
Enchantress/Temptress
Woman to whom the
protagonist is physically
attracted
Brings about his downfall.
 May appear as a witch or
vampire .
The Sirens in Mythology
Mystique from X-Men
35
Villain
• Wolf
• Antagonist
• Bad Guy
http://youtu.be/okvnUzTRwU0
36
Trickster
• A trickster is a god, goddess, spirit,
man, woman, or anthropomorphic
animal who plays tricks or otherwise
disobeys normal rules
– Loki
– Coyote
37
Evil Figure
• The Devil or Serpent
• Represents evil incarnate.
– offers worldly goods,
fame, or knowledge to
the protagonist in
exchange for possession
of the soul or integrity.
• Opposes hero in his/her
quest.
38
Evil Figure, cont.
• Wolves: Initially they were savage monsters that attack
travelers and devour live stock and while the wolf's image
has been getting better in modern times, increasingly being
seen as a "spirit of the wild," people can't quite get
over The Big Bad Wolf. While the wolf is an animal motif at
the same time, the wolf as a threat to young girls/ sexual
predator seems to have its roots in the fairy tale.
– In Germanic countries, the wolf is (or was historically)
the equivalent of the Devil - they even have an
expression about them that's interchangable with
"Speak of the Devil".
Other Archetypes?
• In movies, there are stock characters. They
can be archetypes as well.
– A few of them:
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stock_ch
aracters
40
Check your knowledge
Choose any archetypal character and come up with your own
example from an EPIC movie, story, or book. This should be a
story that many people know!
Create a “sign” with the character’s name & type of character at
the top, and a color picture of the character in the middle.
In the bottom third of the paper, write a 2 chunk paragraph at
the bottom in the Ridge Writing colors describing why this
person / thing / creature fits the character archetype.
TS: ________________ from Title of Movie is a good example of
a __________________________.
CDs: things that happened in the movie/book/story
CM: explain how this shows that he/she/it fits the archetype
41
Fairy Tales: Key Elements and Purpose
Special beginning and/or ending words:
~ Once upon a time...and they lived happily ever after. Sometimes, there’s
a surprise ending…
Good character:
~ Do you see a kind, innocent character? Is the good character clever? Is
s/he helped by others?
Evil character:
~ Do you see a witch? A demon? An evil stepmother? A sinister gnome?
In the end, the evil character usually loses somehow…
Fairy Tales: Key Elements and Purpose
Magic and Enchantments:
~ Do you see magical things happening? Do you see talking
animals/objects? You might see fairies, trolls, elves, goblins, etc.
Reoccurring Patterns / Numbers:
~ Do you see any patterns? Often, you’ll see things, phrases, tasks appear
in "threes," “sixes,” and/or "sevens"
Universal Truths:
~ the tale probably touches on some universal experiences (i.e., coming of
age) or hopes (i.e., to have enough food and love)
Motif
• A conspicuous recurring element, such as a type of incident, a
device, a reference, or verbal formula, which appears
frequently in works of literature.
• Motifs using characters, creatures, and settings from
classic Fairy Tales represent characters or ideas; for example,
a love interest being equated with a Knight in Shining Armor.
• Modern day Cinderella stories commonly mine this fairy tale
trope as well.
Common Motifs
· Talking animals / objects
· Cleverness / trickster / word games
· Traveler’s tales
· Origins ~ where do we come from?
· Triumph of the poor
Common Motifs
• Human weakness explored (i.e., curiosity, gluttony, pride, laziness, etc.)
• Human strengths glorified (i.e., kindness, generosity, patience, etc.)
• Tall story (slight exaggeration – hyperbole)
• Magic words or phrases; repetition of phrases/words (abracadabra!)
Common Motifs
• Struggle between good and evil, light and dark
• Youngest vs. Oldest (sons, daughters, sibling rivalry)
• Sleep (extended sleep, death-like trances)
• Impossible tasks (ridiculously mind-numbing, fantastic effort needed to
complete, etc.)
Common Motifs
• Quests
• Gluttony / Starvation (there’s a fine line between
eating for survival and succumbing to temptation)
• Keys, passes (opening new doors)
• Donors, Benefactors, Helpers
Temptation Motif
• A motif in which one of the protagonist's
primary struggles is the conflict between
his or her sense of (1) personal honor and
ethics and (2) his or her personal desires,
ambitions, or wickedness.
Faustian Bargain
• An example of a Recurring Theme:
The Faustian Bargain, a temptation motif
from German folklore in which an
individual sells his soul to the devil in
exchange for knowledge, wealth, or power.
Archetypes in Literature
World Literature
52
Carl Jung
- Swiss psychiatrist
- Studied dreams, personalities,
and religious connections
- 1925 "Bugishu Psychological Expedition"
to East Africa
What he figured out:
- People all over the world have the same dreams
and stories
- We have a “collective unconscious” from birth
- The collective unconscious comes out in the form
of archetypes in our stories
53
• Archetypes recur in different times and
places in myth, literature, folklore, fairy
tales, dreams, artwork, and religious
rituals.
• Carl Jung theorized that the archetype
originates in the collective unconscious of
mankind, i.e., the shared experiences of
a race or culture, such as birth, death,
love, family life, and struggles to survive
and grow up.
Archetype
• An original model or pattern from which other later
copies are made, especially a character, an action, or
situation that seems to represent common patterns
of human life.
• Often, archetypes include a symbol, a theme, a
setting, or a character that some critics think have a
common meaning in an entire culture, or even the
entire human race.
• These images have particular emotional resonance
and power.
Definition of Archetype
An archetype is the first real example or
prototype of something (as the Model T
is the prototype of the modern
automobile). In this sense an archetype
can be considered the ideal model, the
supreme type or the perfect image of
something (Brunel 111-112, 114).
56
What is an Archetype?
A pattern repeated through the ages in folk and
literary expressions. An original model on
which something is patterned.
Excerpt about Carl Jung & archetypes from
Psychology Classics narrated by
Tom Butler Bowdon
http://youtu.be/dBDGw6AFoSs
57
• These would be expressed in the
subconscious of an individual who
would recreate them in myths,
dreams, and literature. Examples of
archetypes found cross-culturally
include the following:
Archetypal theme #1: The quest
the hero undertakes a long journey towards a goal. Must
perform impossible tasks, confront errors, learn the rules,
suffer doubts and overcome insurmountable obstacles.
One example: http://youtu.be/3mNEgCn5CmI
Another example: http://youtu.be/pWS8Mg-JWSg
59
Archetypal theme #2: Intitaion
The initiation (rite of passage, fall from innocence): The hero
undergoes series of ordeals passing from innocence to social/spiritual
maturity. Pattern of separation, transformation, and return.
Can you think of a story patterned after this
archetypal theme? Write down at least one idea.
One example: http://youtu.be/4sj1MT05lAA
Another example: http://youtu.be/dkX8J-FKndE
Another example: http://youtu.be/ukdRPqtZDEc
60
Recurring symbolic situations:
• the orphaned prince or the lost
chieftain's son raised ignorant of his
heritage until he is rediscovered by his
parents
• the damsel in distress rescued from a
hideous monster by a handsome young
man who later marries the girl.
Wish Fulfillment
• In psychoanalytic criticism, wish
fulfillment refers to something in
literature that satisfies the conscious or
subconscious desires of either the creator
or the reader of a work
Misogyny
• Hatred of women.
• The Grimm Brothers’ versions of the
German folktales are sometimes viewed
as being misogynistic.
Bel-Inconnu
• "The Fair Unknown", a motif common to fairy
tales, folklore and medieval Romance in which the
protagonist's identity remains unknown until
some suitably dramatic moment.
• This may be the result of a child being raised as
an orphan commoner, until the revelation of an
heirloom proves the child is born of noble blood,
or it may be the result of a hero's intentional
disguise in order to penetrate certain social circles.
Bel inconnu
Settings
• Garden
– Cultivated and carefully planned. Restricted to
certain vegetation
66
 Habitat of the Great
Mother (Mother
Nature), the lunar
force. Fertility. The
vegetation and
animals flourish in this
“green world”
because of the
sustaining power of
the Great Mother.
Symbolically the
primitive levels of the
feminine psyche,
protective and
sheltering.
 Those who enter
often lose their
direction or rational
outlook and thus tap
into their collective
unconscious. This
unregulated space is
opposite of the
cultivated gardens,
which are carefully
planned and are
restricted to certain
vegetation.
Forest
67
Tree
• Represents life and knowledge
68
Caves and Tunnels
• Deep down where character delves into self
• Place that character goes when “invisible” or
inactive
• At the extreme may signify death
69
Mountains and Peaks
• Highest peak is place to “see” far
• Place to gain great insight
70
The River
• Crossing river may
symbolize new territory
• Rivers can be boundaries or
borders and on the other
side is something new or
different
• May represent human life
or time passing as we follow
the river from its sourt to its
mouth
71
The Sea
• Vast, alien, dangerous,
chaos
• Waves may symbolize
measures of time and
represent eternity or
infinity
72
Fountain
• Stands for purification; the sprinkling of water
(baptism) washes away sin. Water of fountain gives
new life (Knapp 32).
73
Islands
• Microcosms or small worlds unto themselves
• Represent isolation or get-a-ways
74
Actions/Events
 Journey – “The protagonist takes a journey, usually physical
but sometimes emotional, during which he or she learns
something about himself or herself or finds meaning in his or
her life as well as acceptance in a community” (Herz and Gallo
112).
 Linear
 Circular
 Quests
 Quest for material wealth
 Quest for security, as a secure place to live
 Quest for kin
 Quest for global good, such as when a kingdom is threatened
 Quest for self, for self-identity or self-assurance
75
Sleep
• Crucial for physical and/or psychological
healing. During dreams, person can grow.
Person can fantasize freely in sleep. A
transitional and beneficial period. In dream
sphere can descend to the sphere of the Great
Mother. Person awakens with a greater
understanding of human nature (Knapp 88).
76
The Test or Trial
• “In the transition from one stage of life to
another, the main character experiences a rite
of ppassage through growth and change; he
or she experiences a transformation” (Herz
and Gallo 115).
77
Birth/Death and Rebirth
• “Through pain and suffering the character
overcomes feelings of despair, and through a
process of self-realization is reborn” (Herz and
Gallo 110).
78
The Fall: Expulsion from Eden
• “the main character is expelled because of an
unacceptable action on his or her part” (Herz
and Gallo 111).
79
Annihilation/Absurdity/Total
Oblivion
• “In order to exist in an intolerable world, the
main character accepts that life is absurd,
ridiculous, and ironic” (Herz and Gallo 116).
80
The Collectors
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Charles Perault mid elate 1600s early 1700s
French
Follects Western European
stories.
Most famous for his version
of Cinderella
(the French version)
Charles Perrault
• French
author/adapter of
fairy tales
• Perrault was a wealthy
member of the court
of King Louis XIV
Best-Known Tales:
• Le Petit Chaperon rouge (Little Red Riding
Hood), La Belle au bois dormant (Sleeping
Beauty), Le Chat botté (Puss in Boots),
Cendrillon (Cinderella), Barbe Bleue
(Bluebeard),
Brothers Grimm
• Looking for a sweet, soothing tale to waft you toward
dreamland? Look somewhere else.
• The stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the early
1800s serve up life as generations of central Europeans knew
it—capricious and often cruel.
• The two brothers, patriots determined to preserve Germanic
folktales, were only accidental entertainers.
• Once they saw how the tales bewitched young readers, the
Grimms, and editors aplenty after them, started "fixing"
things. Tales gradually got softer, sweeter, and primly moral.
The Brothers Grimm
• The Grimm brothers,
Jacob (1785-1863)
and Wilhelm (17861859), were born
near Kassel,
Germany. They
were from a family
of nine children, six
of whom survived
infancy.
Their early childhood was spent in the
countryside in what has been described as an
"idyllic" state. When the eldest brother Jacob
was eleven years old, however, their father,
Philipp Wilhelm, died, and the family moved
into a cramped urban residence. Two years
later, the children's grandfather also died,
leaving them and their mother to struggle in
reduced circumstances. (Modern psychologists
have argued that this harsh family background
influenced the ways the Brothers Grimm would
interpret and present their tales. The Brothers
tended to idealize and excuse fathers, leaving a
predominance of female villains in the tales—
the infamous wicked stepmothers.
Nationalism
• The Grimms became interested in the study of
ancient Germanic literature and folklore.
• They lived during the Napoleonic Wars and
French rule of Germany—the brothers supported
German unification
• They gathered these tales in part out of a desire
to increase German Nationalism by giving
Germans a shared literary and oral heritage.
• Children’s and Household Tales (Kinder- und
Hausmärchen)—the first volume was published in
1812.
• The first volumes were much criticized because,
although they were called "Children's Tales", they
were not regarded as suitable for children, both
for the scholarly information included and the
subject matter
• The Grimms’
principal goal was to
uncover the
etymological and
linguistic truths that
bound the German
people together
• The Grimms
believed that
historical knowledge
of customs, mores,
and laws would
increase selfunderstanding and
social enlightenment.
Fun Grimm Facts
• Between 1990 and the 2002 introduction of the euro currency in Germany, the
Grimms were depicted on the 1000 Deutsch Mark note—the largest available
denomination.
• The 1962 film The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm shows a
fictionalized account of the conflict in the brothers' lives between their tale
collecting and their philological work, as well as dramatizing three tales.
• 2005 found the brothers portrayed in the Terry Gilliam movie The Brothers
Grimm starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger.
• In their roles in the collection of fairy tales, the Brothers Grimm are sometimes
referenced in modern adaptations of fairy tales, such as The 10th Kingdom
where they are said to have visited the magical realms before returning to Earth
or Ella Enchanted where the revisionist magical beings repeatedly complain
about "those Grimm Brothers" making stereotypes about them.
• One issue of particular concern to women of the
period was the common practice of arranged
marriages, particularly among the upper classes.
• Women had no legal say in these arrangements,
often conducted as business transactions between
one aristocratic family and another.
• Daughters were used to cement alliances, to curry
favor, and to settle debts.
• There was no possibility of divorce.
• Young girls could find themselves married off
to men many years their senior or of vile
temper and habits; disobedient daughters
could be shut away in convents or locked up in
mad–houses.
• Little wonder, then, that fairy tales are filled
with girls handed over to various wicked
creatures by cruel or feckless parents, or
locked up in enchanted towers where only
true love can save them.
Hans Christian Andersen
• Hans Christian Andersen
was born in the slums of
Odense, Denmark. His
father, Hans Andersen, was
a poor but literate
shoemaker who believed he
was of aristocratic origin.
• Andersen's mother worked
as washerwoman. She was
uneducated and
superstitious, and
introduced her son to the
world of folklore.
• Andersen's Fairy Tales and Stories, written between 1835 and
1872. Tales, Told for Children, appeared in a small, cheap
booklet in 1835.
• In this and following early collections, Andersen returned to
the stories which he had heard as a child, but gradually he
started to create his own tales.
• The third volume, published in 1837, contained 'The Little
Mermaid' and 'The Emperor's New Clothes.' Among
Andersen's other best known tales are 'Little Ugly Duckling,'
'Princess and the Pea,' 'The Snow Queen,' The Nightingale.’
• With these collections, Andersen became known as the father
of the modern fairytale.
• Andersen's works were original. Only 12 of his 156 know fairy
stories drew on folktales.
• Andersen broke new ground in both
style and content. Fairy tales at his time
were didactic, he brought into them
ambiguity.
• Children and misfits often speak truth;
they serve as Andersen's mouthpiece in
moral questions
• Ugliness of the hero or
heroine often
conceals great beauty,
which is revealed after
misfortunes.
4 Approaches to Reading FT
1. Children’s reader response (moral of the story)
–
What is the child supposed to learn from reading the story?
2. Literary Analysis
– Narrative devices (plot, character, themes, conflict, rising
action, etc.)
– Figurative devices (puns, rhymes, symbols, personification,
imagery, connotations)
3. Psychoanalytic Approach
– Bettelheim: unconscious, coping with growing up,
adolescence
4 Approaches to Reading FT
4. Feminist Approach
– Feminist criticism is concerned with "...the ways in
which literature (and other cultural productions)
reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social,
and psychological oppression of women" (Tyson). This
school of theory looks at how aspects of our culture are
inherently patriarchal (male dominated) and "...this
critique strives to expose the explicit and implicit
misogyny in male writing about women" (Richter 1346).
(quoted from Purdue’s OWL website,
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/11/>)
“Hansel and Gretel”
Reader Response Question
1. What is the child reader supposed to learn? In
other words, what is the moral or overarching
lesson of the story? (There may be multiple
morals and lessons.)
“Hansel and Gretel”
Literary Response Questions
1. Who is the protagonist of the story? Why is she or he
the protagonist?
2. What external conflict leads to the parents’ decision to
leave the children in the woods?
3. What two major events constitute the rising action to
the climax of the story?
4. What are two examples of foreshadowing to the
climax of the witch’s death?
5. Identify 3 different symbols and how they tie into the
story.
Psychoanalytic Criticism:
Freudian & Jungian questions
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How do the operations of repression structure or inform the work?
Are there any oedipal dynamics - or any other family dynamics - are work here?
How can characters' behavior, narrative events, and/or images be explained in terms of psychoanalytic
concepts of any kind (for example...fear or fascination with death, sexuality - which includes love and romance
as well as sexual behavior - as a primary indicator of psychological identity or the operations of ego-idsuperego)?
What does the work suggest about the psychological being of its author?
What might a given interpretation of a literary work suggest about the psychological motives of the reader?
Are there prominent words in the piece that could have different or hidden meanings? Could there be a
subconscious reason for the author using these "problem words"?
What connections can we make between elements of the text and the archetypes? (Mask, Shadow, Anima,
Animus)
How do the characters in the text mirror the archetypal figures? (Great Mother or nurturing Mother, Whore,
destroying Crone, Lover, Destroying Angel)
How does the text mirror the archetypal narrative patterns? (Quest, Night-Sea-Journey)
How symbolic is the imagery in the work?
How does the protagonist reflect the hero of myth?
Does the “hero” embark on a journey in either a physical or spiritual sense?
Is there a journey to an underworld or land of the dead?
What trials or ordeals does the protagonist face? What is the reward for overcoming them?
“Hansel and Gretel”
Psychoanalytic Questions
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What “growing up” stage are Hansel and Gretel in? In other words, what
kind of transition(s) are they preparing to experience?
What family dynamics are at work in the story?
Are there prominent words in the piece that could have different or hidden
meanings? Could there be a subconscious reason for the author using these
"problem words"?
What symbols can you find in the story? What are they symbols of ?
How does the protagonist reflect the hero of mythology?
Does the “hero” embark on a journey in either a physical or spiritual sense?
What trials or ordeals does the protagonist face? What is the reward for
overcoming them?
Feminist Questions
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How is the relationship between men and women portrayed?
What are the power relationships between men and women (or characters assuming male/female
roles)?
How are male and female roles defined?
What constitutes masculinity and femininity?
How do characters embody these traits?
Do characters take on traits from opposite genders? How so? How does this change others’
reactions to them?
What does the work reveal about the operations (economically, politically, socially, or
psychologically) of patriarchy?
What does the work imply about the possibilities of sisterhood as a mode of resisting patriarchy?
What does the work say about women's creativity?
What does the history of the work's reception by the public and by the critics tell us about the
operation of patriarchy?
What role the work play in terms of women's literary history and literary tradition?
“Hansel and Gretel”
Feminist Questions
1. How is the relationship between males and
females portrayed in the story?
– Discuss the relationship between the woodcutter
and his wife.
– Discuss the relationship between Hansel and
Gretel.
– Discuss the relationship between Hansel and the
stepmother.
– Discuss the relationship between Gretel and the
witch.