1. Into the Woods Fairy Tales in Context

2. Rapunzel “Petrosinella” published by Giambattista Basile in Italy in 1634 “Persinette” published by Charlotte-Rose de La Force in France in 1697 “Rapunzel” published by Friedrich Schultz in Germany in 1797 “Rapunzel” collected and published by the Grimm Brothers in Germany in 1857

3. Persinette Drawn from oral traditions Written for adult aristocracy of the French salons Arranged marriages – Women had no legal rights – Disobedient daughters often locked up in convents or mad- houses La Force caused scandals – Tried to marry for love – Wrote satirical works criticizing King Louis XIV – Lived a self-determined life

4. Petrosinella and Persinette The pregnant mother steals parsley from the fairy The child is released to the fairy at age 7 Persinette is impregnated by the prince The fairy throws the prince out the window into thorn bushes which blind him The fairy is brutally killed After several years the blind prince finds Persinette and their children, and her tears restore his sight

5. Rapunzel The fairy is replaced by the witch The husband steals from the witch Rapunzel does not get pregnant Mother Gothel eventually blesses the union of Rapunzel and the prince

6. So what is the “maiden in a tower” story about? A girl whose life is utterly controlled by greedy, selfish, capricious adults until she disobeys, chooses her own fate, and bursts from captivity into adult life Common experiences: – hungering for things with too high a price – feeling imprisoned by others’ demands – being carried away by love only to end up blinded and broken – hoping for a happy ending – leaping from childhood to adulthood

7. “The Grandmother’s Tale” Context: Told orally by women Images of sewing (spinning a yarn) Pre-dates the Perrault and Grimm Is found in Europe and Asia Includes the cannibal meal, the strip tease, the toilet ruse, the heroine who plots and executes her own escape

8. “The Grandmother’s Tale” Context: Path of pins or needles – Seamstress work – Medieval rural France a girl at puberty sent to live with a seamstress for a season – Pins = maidenhood (courtship rites) – Needles = sexuality (prostitutes) – Both choices are prickly

9. Mythic Functions of “The Grandmother’s Tale” Menstruation/coming of age Rites of passage and passing of generations – Little Red eats her Grandmother – Persephone— Demeter—Hecate Death and rebirth (the laundresses kill the wolf and save Red)

10. France (Grandmother’s Tale and Perrault’s Version) Historical Context: Werewolf trials and witch trials In the story both the Grandmother and the Wolf live in the woods— the Wolf is the werewolf; the Grandmother, the witch. – Both very hungry – Both shape shift

11. Perrault’s Version Context: Written in 1697 to an audience of adult aristocrats. Part of Louis XIV Court at Versaille – The literary salons of Paris (largely female) coin the term fairy tale. Often feature a strong female heroines – The sexual contradiction—age of seduction and royal courtisans / virginity in marriage required Upholds values of female chastity, obedience, and helplessness / reaction to feminist movement Male huntsman required to rescue the girl and her grandmother

12. Perrault’s Version Moral: Children, especially attractive, well bred young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf. I say "wolf," but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all.

13. Grimm Brothers’ Version Context: Written in 1812 to an audience of children All sexual and cannibalistic content removed Well received in Victorian society Focus on obedience Shift toward spiritual (as opposed to sexual) danger Male huntsman required to rescue the girl and her grandmother Upholds values of female chastity, obedience, and helplessness

14. Grimm Brothers’ Version Moral: The three of them were happy. The huntsman took the wolf's pelt. The grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine that Little Red Cap had brought. And Little Red Cap thought to herself, "As long as I live, I will never leave the path and run off into the woods by myself if mother tells me not to."

15. Social Functions Moral Teaching – The world is a dangerous place for little girls – It is the girls’ responsibility to avoid trouble – Obey your parents – Stay away from unknown places – Don’t talk to strangers

16. Disneyification of Fairy Tales Snow White (1939) Cinderella (1950) Sleeping Beauty (1959) The Little Mermaid (1989) Beauty and the Beast (1991) Aladdin (1992) Tangled (2010)

17. Disneyification of Fairy Tales Triumph of good over evil; innocence over oppression Love conquers all Clear distinction between good and evil Emphasis on female beauty and passivity Happily Ever After

18. Into the Woods (1986) Happily Ever After Fractured fairy tale Woods as a symbol of darkness and danger Meta fiction—breaking the fourth wall

19. Into the Woods (1986) Happily Ever After Duplicate characters – Cinderella’s Prince and the Wolf: uncontrollable appetites – Narrator and Mysterious Man: commentary without involvement or personal responsibility – Granny, Cinderella’s Mother and Giant’s Wife: Nurturing then desctructive

20. Into the Woods (1986) Happily Ever After Themes – Parent/child relationships; warning to parents – Moral ambivalence – Responsibility to the community and to future generations – Consequences of wish fulfillment