WHY AN INCREASED INTEREST IN FAIRY TALES?
An article in last week's Times Literary Supplement explained why fairy tales are important for children - they tackle difficult subjects like sibling rivalry, marital breakdown, exclusion etc, within a safe environment. Remember the joy of a pantomime, booing each time the baddie arrived on stage? There is also the comfort of knowing that, eventually, all will turn out well. (Although this wasn't always the case. In the original version of Little Red Riding Hood written by French author Charles Perrault in 1697 - spoiler alert - Little Red Riding is eaten by the wolf, never to return!) Back to The Times article, which went on to point out that given the turmoil of the past year, it's little wonder that both adults and children are returning to stories that are familiar and provide certainty.
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| Little Red Riding Hood |
In Western literature, the stories we think of as fairy tales (other cultures have their myths and legends too) have been around for centuries, shared as oral stories long, long before they were written down. How do scholars know this? Because of the repetition involved - What big eyes you have Grandma... What big ears you have... which made it easier for those listening to remember the tales. And surely stories that have stood the test of time are worth revisiting.
One fascinating aspect of the FutureLearn course is that it considers the context in which certain versions of a fairy tale were written - time, place, the author's social status, who they deemed to be their audience - which all create subtle changes in the way the story is retold. (Remember Little Red Riding Hood - in the Grimm Brothers version, written in the early 1800s, the one referred to in most modern retellings, she is rescued by a passing woodcutter.) This need to adjust the tale to suit the audience is another reason fairy tales have been thrust back into the spotlight.
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| Shining a light on Fairy Tales |
WHERE NEXT FOR FAIRY TALES?
As society adapts, so the stories we hand down must change. Last year alone, we saw the publication of the Fairy Tale Revolution Series, which looks at classic stories from a different angle, as well and the Gender Swapped Fairy Tales, where female characters are no longer passive, awaiting rescue by a handsome Prince, but are central to the action and adventure. Fresh retellings for a modern age.
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| Fairy Tale Revolution Series... |
USEFUL FOR WRITERS...
But what has all this got to do with my writing? Well for those that follow my book reviews, you'll know that as well as women's and literary fiction, I also enjoy Gothic reads. And I think my love of the dark side began with fairy tales (all those ogres and wicked crones), and I enjoy attempting to add an edge to my flash fiction pieces. Also, it stretches my imagination to take a fairy tale and re-tell it from a minor character's point of view, or to add a fresh twist. Skills I hope to transfer to my other writing too.
So, which are your favourite fairy tales? Do you love or loathe them? Did you outgrow fairy tales? Are you tempted to take a second look? I'd love to know.
Happy reading!
Rae x
Great blog! I had a wonderful book of Russian fairy tales, some quite dark as a child. Baba Yaga and that kind of thing. You can get away with quite gruesome stuff for kids as long as the character the kid identifies with has a happy ending. "I'll grind your bones to make my bread" is really quite terrifying!
ReplyDeleteRussian fairy tales sound fantastic, Kath - a whole new world to discover. And you are right, some stories take children to the very edge of what we might think acceptable now. Digging into the deeper meaning of fairy tales, and the messages they were originally trying to convey, is really interesting.
DeleteGreat post! I love fairy tales.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by... There is always something new to discover on re-reading.
DeleteI loved reading fairy tales to my children. The stories were great, but it was the illustrations that really made them so intriguing. If there were several printed versions, the one with the best artwork was the one we bought.
ReplyDeleteThat's so true, Victoria. I can still picture the images in my childhood book of fairy tales, and just recently I bought another copy of The Snow Queen and the illustrations were an important part of deciding which one to buy.
DeleteI once had a lovely leather-bound Grimm's but handed it to my niece and nephew. Your post makes me want to go back and have a read.
ReplyDeleteHello Terry, a leather-bound fairy tale book sounds as though it should be in a fairy story! What a lovely gift for niece and nephew.
DeleteRae, is that you posing as Red Riding Hood? ;)
ReplyDeleteArthur Ransome brought out "Old Peters Book of Russian Tales"
Of course, there were all the (colour) Fairy Tales, some of them with drawings by Aubrey Beardsley, etc. LOTS of really gruesome stories, too!
All great reading!
My hair is almost as long as Red Riding Hood's, John, but that's where the similarity ends! I had a quick look at Old Peter's Book of Russian Tales, which sounds fantastic - perhaps I should drop a few hints for Monday's day! Thanks for sharing.
DeleteFor me Fairy Tales are all about memories of childhood. Sitting on a couple of cushions in the big pink brocade chair behind my dad, looking over his shoulder as he read me stories. And learning how to read at the same time, so that I read them in turn to my younger brother. And it was often the illustrations that I loved as much as the stories.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely memory.
DeleteLoved your post and I really enjoyed the Future Learn course too. Sophie Anderson's 'The House with Chicken Legs' is a great story for middle grade readers based on the Baba Yaga tales. I don't think I'll ever outgrow fairytales and, as you say, there's always something different to discover in them.
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