1. Introduction to Fairy Tales
Mrs. LaRubio
Information for this slide show is paraphrased from the following article unless otherwise cited:
Tatar, Maria. Ed. “Introduction.” The Classic Fairy Tales. New York: Norton, ix-xviii.

2. Archetype
A term used to describe universal symbols that evoke deep and sometimes unconscious responses in a reader. In literature, characters, images, and themes that symbolically embody universal meanings and basic human experiences, regardless of when or where they live, are considered archetypes. Common literary archetypes include stories of quests, initiations, scapegoats, descents to the underworld, and ascents to heaven.

3. Fairy tales are a type of archetypal literature.
Fairy tales are universal the world over
Believed they are a part of the “collective unconscious”
Essential story is the same, though setting, hero/heroine name, the character qualities, practically every aspect of the story is subject to change based on the geographic and cultural influences of those telling the tale
However, there are some things that stay the same…

4. Fairy Tales follow a basic “Tale Type”
Fairy tales follow a basic plot structure of episodes which are constant despite cultural differences
For example, “Beauty and the Beast” follows the following basic structure
The monster as husband
Disenchantment of the monster
Loss of the husband
Search for the husband
Recovery of the husband
Discovery of the tale type can help analyze the text for deeper literary meaning.
For further examples of tale types, consult the list of Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts available at:

5. Origin of Fairy Tales Oral tradition
Told BY women in a domestic setting TO children to teach cultural expectations and norms; children learn how to behave/follow social standards
Because the people who tell the tales are women—those who were traditionally subjugated by the patriarchy (the male-dominated social structure), the tales were not originally thought to have literary merit

6. Fairy Tales finally get “street cred”
Though it took time, fairy tales eventually became recognized for both literary merit and practical use:
The Grimm brothers “recognized that fairy tales were far from culturally innocent, for they extolled the “civilizing” power of the tales and conceived of their collection as a ‘manual of manners’ for children,” (xi).
Charles Dickens stated, “It would be hard to estimate the amount of gentleness and mercy that has made its way among us through these slight channels. Forbearance, courtesy, consideration for the poor and aged, kind treatment of animals, the love of nature, abhorrence of tyranny and brute force—many such good things have been first nourished in the child’s heart by this powerful aid,” (xii).

7. What Fairy Tales do for us now…
Fairy tales shape “our values, moral codes, and aspirations,” (xii).
There is the belief that fairy tales “can both shape our way of experiencing the world and endow us with the power to restructure our lives,” (xii).
By revisiting tales and reinterpreting them—coming up with new versions of the tales—we can, essentially, introduce dialogues and ideas not previously embraced by societies
Gives historical perspective of how women “struggled, succeeded, and also sometimes failed in their challenges of everyday life,” (xv).

8. Fairy Tale Controversy?
Reinforce GENDER STEREOTYPES
Empower Gender Roles
Promote “typical” feminine roles
Women are in domestic roles
Women tend to be victimized, “rescue “, sexualized
Female and male heroes
Female and male villains
Women have just as much intelligence, stamina, and power as men

9. Two Competing Traditions
Classical Canon
Rival Tradition
Tales collected from folklore, originally told by local women
Collected by: Charles Perrault (France), Grimm Brothers (Germany), Alexander Afanasev (Russia)
Tales we know and heard when we grew up
Sociologists, folklorists, archeologists examine fairy tales looking for forgotten and subversive elements of our “collective past”
Contest premises, interrogating plots, reinventing conclusions (xvi)
Gives authors potential to REINVENT the tales over and offer new perspectives on concepts such as female roles in society, socioeconomic structures, and social hierarchy

10. Useful Links: http://afsnet.org/ Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Charles Perrault’s Mother Goose Tales:
The American Folklore Society:
The Cinderella Bibliography:
The Snow White Bibliography:
The Trickster’s Way: