Fairtale Essay

One of the most well kn protest, well love and influential musical genre of literature is the sprite tarradiddle. A fe stamineat monarch news report is defined by the Oxford dictionary as A tikerens write up of put-onal and imaginary worlds and lands. Overtime the concept of sprite baloneys has changed. faery tales ar organism re-written and re-illustrated constantly, which makes queen regnant tales appealing to every generation. queen regnant tales broaden the resourcefulness of children. They allow us gain an insight into a world of magic and adventure- a world we testament never experience but ideate rough. king tales ar nonhing if not realistic and it is their cynicism that keeps them broodly. (Opie, 1980, p. 19) A distinctive of the fairy tale, as told today, is that it is unbelievable. Although a fairy tale is seldom a tale about fairy-folk and does not necessarily even feature a fairy, it does contain an enchantment or other supernatural element that i s understandably imaginary. (Opie, 1980 p. 18). The origin of fairy tales is commonly unknown and more often than not never discove chromatic by the reader. French writers Catherine Bernard, Marie-Jeanne Lheitier, Marie-Catherine dAulnoy argon believed to be chiefly responsible for the establishment of the fairytale as a literacy genre in Europe. (Zipes, 2006,p. 13) of the 1960s. However, it was Italian writers Giovan Francesco Straparola and Giambattista Basile who played a major role in the rise of literacy in Europe. This is unmatchable of the best kept secrets that is well outlay unlocking beca substance abuse it reveals just how closely tied the literacy fairy tale as genre is to spread of the civilizing process throughout Europe. (Zipes, 2006, p. 13) However, it was the act upon of Boccaccios Decamer iodin that led to the achievement of various collections of novelle that had an imp run on the literacy fairy tale as a short narrative.Straparola was the first to publish h is collection Le piacevoli notti (1550 and 1553) from the example Boccaccio had set. Straparola was dissimilar from previous writers. He was the first European writer to adapt more tales from oral tradition, creating approximately fourteen literacy fairy tales in his collection of seventy four novella. (Zipes, 2006, p. 14) Straparolas work caused whatsoever controersy and at one time one of his collections was banned by the pope in 1791. This was due to themes which Straparola had included in his work.He introduced plain earthy language and critical study of power struggles in Italian connection. Basile sha rosy similar views on power and civility. (Zipes, 2006). Even form this early stage, fairy tales s captivate evermore been connected to power, social class and gender stereotyping. Both Straparola and Basile recognised that Italian principalities were being damaged through family conflicts, the change in commerce and apportion and war. They used fairy tales as a writte n office of broaching their link over the unexpected change of norms on adult male behaviour. Although time passes and things change, fairytales have not dated.The unspotted fairy tales that Basile and Straparola once told ar allay being told to children today all over the world. Thanks to the origination of the fairytale by Straparola and Basil we still rely on its narrative strategy to let on how dangerous it is to think that we live in more civilized and infract world than the realms of the past. (Zipes, 2006) For centuries new children have been enthralled by fairy tales. Tales of witches, wizards, princes and princesses, fairy godmothers and villains alike have been influencing how children view the world around them.This appears particularly genuine in the teddy of young girls, with whom these stories seem to resonate. However living in a contemporary 22nd century society the question unavoidably to be posed are these stories, written centuries ago, still provid ing a applicable and realistic exhibital of effeminate role models to the youth of today? Or are these folktales of prince wizardly and happily ever afters corrupting ideals from infancy and setting these young girls up for disappointment? Women today have surface along a bureau from their 18th century counterparts.Women have fought for years to be able to vote, work, raise children as a lone parent and supply a house see. Women have gained their right to respect and in numberence in a world that is no longer dominated my males. These rights are marked as historic events that women are extremely proud of. However still today, when educating children we use fairy tales as means of communicating, although sometimes indirectly, the role women should play in lifespan. For example, in fairy tales, the concept of mantrap is outlined very causely. kayo is expressed as a physical necessity.The tameing lady in the typical fairy tale is usually described and illustrated as a woman possessing features considered physically attractive to males, a thin figure, glowing skin, red lips, symmetrical facial features and well attired. In the classical tale of sleeping dish antenna Aurora has red lips as red as the red red rose fair skin, blue eyes long flaxen hair and an impossibly thin figure. This seems to be the universal concept of what peach tree is among all the fairy tales that Walt Disney have produced. This image of strike is in stark(prenominal) contrast to the reality in which we live into today.This depiction of the need for beauty is not the only damaging stereotype conveyed in fairy tales. sort of of being able to defend and stick up for themselves, women are forever relying on males to rescue them. Whether it be the delvesome prince charming or the have figure, a male, nevertheless is everlastingly there to save the day and annunciation whatever predicament has arisen in order for all involved unpack the villain to live happily ever after . The act of stereotyping serves as a short-cut to the way that the majority of the population views our culture.Therefore, though we skill not completely agree with the way in which gender roles are repre displaceed in these fairy tales, it still serves us well in a sense that we might gain a basic consciousness of what it means to be a male and what it means to be a female. Whether in person accepted or rejected, the notion of males being dominant and females being accessory has been deeply embedded into our cultures view of the gender roles. The villain is too an interesting stereotype which is evident in all fairy tales.Villains are giveed as ugly, malicious, jealous components. They are almost always characterised by being an evil gradation-mother, wicked queen, a witch or an evil mother in law. The job of the villain in a fairytale is to make life difficult for the leading protagonist. The queen in Basiles version of juggle fair is described as a murderous and unnatu ral, unsexed anomaly who tricks Talia (Warner ,1995,p. 220). However, evil they are, they always play a powerful female role in all the fairy tales I have chosen to discuss.To consider whether the portrayals of women in classic fairy tales are genuine role models for young girls, I give be examining and referring to the quest books Cinderella , sweetie and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, quiescency salmon pink, Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Mulan and Shrek. surely by examining classic fairy tales it is obvious that the central female character is continuously presented as being beautiful. In the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast, the news report begins with Once upon a time there lived a rich merchant with three pretty daughters.The youngest was the prettiest of the there and she was called beauty. From the very stock of the story, emphasis is put on how beautiful Belle is in the fairytale. The fact that the lead character is appreciated for her beauty alone speaks mul titudes about the message the story gives out to its reader and indeed to young girls. There is the threatened jointure of an almost supernaturally beautiful girl with a hideous monster. (Iona,Peter, 1980,p. 180) The fairytale puts emphasis on how beautiful Belle is and how ugly the beast is. withal Sleeping Beauty had a beautiful face and she thought beautiful thoughts, Snow White grew into a beautiful woman, when Cinderella arrived at the ball everyone wondered Who is that beautiful girl? and The Little Mermaid was the youngest, and most beautiful, daughter of Mer King. The initial portrayal of these women is innocent and positive. whatsoever young girl would aspire to possess such favourable qualities and attractiveness. be beautiful and falling in love with prince charming, then living happily-ever-after, seems to be the most important outcome of these fairy tales.But the question we have to direct ourselves is -are these harmless tales instilling false ideas of what life is like for children? One may not think that reading such biased material to a child could possibly have a lasting effect on their perceptions of how one should conform in society, however according to Bettelheim A child trusts what the fairy tale tells, because its world view accords with his own (Bettelheim, 1991, p. 45) The fairytale is so convincing to the child, as the tale matches the childs thinking, approach and judgement of the world.Bettelheim states these fairytales direct the childs own thinking about his own development, permitting the child to draw his own conclusion, yet since some classic fairy tales are known to display gender stereotyping, we must take aim ourselves, what implication this has on childrens perspectives of specific gender roles in society if the child is drawing his/her own conclusion after reading the fairy tale. fag tales portray a black and white view of society. Males are frequently portrayed as the head of the family, who are physically an d emotionally strong, and whose sphere exists outside of the home.Females are frequently portrayed as parasitical, physically and emotionally weak, and belong inside the home. This depiction of the male and female roles sends a very false and blinding message to its audience. On the other hand it tramp be argued that stereotypes are a part of life/society. The act of stereotyping serves as a short-cut to the way that the majority of the population views our culture. Therefore, though we might not completely agree with the way in which gender roles are represented in these fairy tales, it still gives a basic understanding of what it means to be a male and what it means to be a female.A similar theme seems to run through all the fairy tales I have chosen. All of the female protagonists are punished in some way as a will of their physical fortune. In Snow White, the evil queen wants the fairest of them all so a search is sent for Snow White to be killed. Snow White ends up reaveing , tidying and homework for seven dwarfs in the forest as payment for letting her stay. Similarly in Cinderella, the beautiful Cinderella is made servant to her bill mother and step sisters. Cinderella is isolated in the house and ignored by her step sisters and step mother.Sleeping Beauty is cursed from the moment she was born as a result of her beauty. A wicked witch was furious that she wasnt invited to the babys banquet so she put a spell on her to endure asleep for a hundred years. Belle in Beauty and the Beast go backs herself in a similar situation she is one of three sisters and the only one who cleans and cooks as a result of her misfortune. The women all have a chassis of traits in common. All of the female characters I have mentioned display admirable qualities.All of the women are kind and gentle but these female characters are viewed as being passive and submissive. These women depend on the male characters in the tales to be either protected or to be happy. This sen ds out an extremely negative stereotype to young readers, presenting that womens job in life is cook, clean and wait for Prince Charming to come in order to be happy. harmonize to Bettelheim it is childs life experiences that teach the child the right manner, he goes on to say when children are young, it is literature that carries such information best. (Tartar, 1999, p. 69) If this is the case then children reading heavily stereotyped tales from an early age will impact their manner and possibly the way they view the gender roles. Bettelheim also states that a childs mind is animistic and children in particular young girls are vulnerable to believing that being beautiful and meeting prince charming are key goals and will result in a happily ever after. West (2004) argues that books are such a major influence in the formation of childrens determine and carriages that adults need to monitor approximately every word that children read. (Hunt, 1999, p. 5) If this is the case, sho uld we be reading child fairy tales? It was the feminist movement that brought a closer examination of gender roles in fairytales. In Lissa Pauls article she argues that While childrens literature is predicated on the notion that children are essentially blank or naive and are in need of protection and instruction, then issues of suitability or ineptness are important. (Hunt, 1999, p121) This idea seems to be evident in feminists attitudes with regards the lead female character in fairy tales.Feminists feel that these women over rely on their beauty and each wait, in some way or another, for their Prince Charming to come rescue them. According to Lissa Pauls article, while discussing Cinderella, she states that Most of us- women, children and feminist critics, I imagine dont want to be seen valuing riches. Or princes for that matter (Hunt, 1999, p. 112). However many of the fairy tales chosen for the essay have the common theme of a male hero rescuing or saving the female heroin e in the story.They solely depend on the prince to come save them in the end. In Cinderella her family feels she is lowly to them and so she serves as a slave in her own home. They were very stinging to her and ordered her about from morning until night. She is too weak to stand up to them and so waits for a prince to come rescue her. Similarly in Sleeping Beauty she sleeps for one hundred years before a prince comes and rescues her, in Beauty and the Beast, Belle finally ends up with a handsome prince the beast disappeared and in his place stood a handsome prince.In Snow White after she ate the poison apple, she lay peacefully in her coffin until a prince knock down in love with her and rescued her she opened her eyes and on beholding the handsome prince she fell in love with him. There is evidently a strong portrayal of physical beauty in these fairy tales and these images of the female protagonist gives a very weak and negative display of womens abilities and aspirations. On the contrary, however, a very interesting aspect is in Beauty and the Beast. Belle demonstrates having a mind of her own compared to her female counterparts whose main focus was to find their handsome prince using their fair looks.Belle looks beyond physical appearance and recognises the impregnable man in the Beast she has not mistaken a tender lover for a monster, like Psyche, or failed to see a goodness man beneath the surface.. (Warner, 1995,p. 307) This follows her gradual arousal of both attraction and grammatical gender for the Beast throughout the course of the fairytale until he unsurprisingly too turns into a handsome prince at the end. Beautys wooer has the appearance of a monster, and only after Belle has overcome her aversion for his vile shape advise the monster be seen to be a handsome prince. (Opie, 1980, p. 180) The notion of being socially stable is put forward to us. Once these women are rescue by their Prince Charming and fall in love with him, they are re warded with a luxurious life as a princess and will ultimately live happily ever after. The Little Mermaid was written by Hans name Andersen in 1836 and was released by Walt Disney in 1989. This fairytale was hoped to go against the grain and portray a leading women who wasnt submissive or passive but strong and independent and good role model of young children.The tale is about a young teenage mermaid, called Ariel, who doesnt like her life under the sea and is much more fascinated by the human world. Regardless of her fathers warnings she exchanges her voice for legs with the evil witch to slip away three days on land. She must make Prince Eric fall in love with her and kiss her or else she becomes the sea witchs forever. The witch reassures her the graceful form, the modest gait and speaking eyes. With such as these, it will easy to infatuate a vain human male (Anderson, 1993,p. 8). It is clear from that short summary that the tale still managed to stereotype women. The message being sent out is that if Ariel relies on her beauty alone she will last the Prince to fall in love with her. Trites 1990 said, Undoubtedly, feminists have criticized Ariel because she seems to have little competition beyond getting her prince. (http//charlottesmedia. blogspot. com/) The story of Mulan helped change the perception of women in Fairy tales but still managed to imply a message that women are inferior to men.Mulan is no ones trophy and to me is the first groundbreaking Disney photographic film to show a woman to be capable of taking the same(p) roles of men. The story is based on a Chinese myth about a woman who saves china from the Huns. She goes to fight in the war kinda of her father and displays traits that are stereotyped as only being male. She is a strong and a courageous woman and breaks social boundaries and expectations. However, Mulan is similar to Belle in Beauty and the Beast, as she too isnt seen as acceptable in society and this idea of gender oblig ations is evident.Women should be a homemaker and a wife, not cleaver and strong. Finally the film Shrek, created in the 22th century and displays beauty in a antithetic way. Beauty is displayed on the inside in this new image of the princess, which I found to be really refreshing. The deuce leading characters are ogres. The film goes against the classical fairy tale characteristics. Princess Fiona is different from other princesses and does not wait for prince charming to rescue her. She is a dependent woman who is able to stand on her own two feet. She chooses Shrek as a husband and decides to live her own life as an ogre.This is a unique fairytale as Fiona overlooks physical beauty and is not saved by a male, which results in her having a better life. However she still does live her life as a princess. Unfortunately, many women today hold a princess attitude, and aspire to have a princess type of life. This attitude can be seen among some girls and young women. They often believ e that marrying well, especially financially, is desirable, so they can easily live the life of a princess. This may very well be an effect caused by the women that are presented to us in these fairy tales since early childhood.Certainly a clear progression can be seen with regards the representation of women between the 17th-18th century fairy tales (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty) and the nineteenth -22nd century fairy tales (Mulan, Shrek). I do appreciate that the morals and values are changing in regard to fairytales in recent years. As a whole, however, In my opinion I think that the fairy tales discussed portray a negative stereotype to young children and are not good role models. According to Zipes We can continue to enjoy this harmless spare-time activity of telling classical fairytales to our children, not realising the possible harm or harmlessness. Zipes, 2006,p. 57) Bibliography Andersen, H. C. Fairy Tales The Little Mermaid, Bristol, Parragon Book Service Ltd, 1993. Bette lheim, B. The Uses of Enchantment The Meaning And Importance Of Fairy Tales, England, Penguin, 1991. Charlottes media blog. available at http//charlottesmedia. blogspot. com/ accessed on 14/4/2012 Hunt, peter. Childrens Literature, An illustrated History, Oxford, University Press,1995. Hunt, Peter. Understanding Childrens Literature, London, Routledge, 1999. Ladybird, Snow White And The 7 Dwarfs, Ladybird Ltd, 2005. Marsoli, L. A.Mulan, NY, blow Works, 1998. Opie, Iona Peter, The Classic Fairy Tales, USA, Oxford University Press, 1980. Soanes, Catherine, andAngus Stevenson. Concise Oxford English dictionary. New YorkOxford University Press,2012. Southgate, V. Beauty and the Beast, UK, Ladybird Books Ltd, 1988. Southgate, V. Cinderella, UK, Ladybird Books Ltd, 1982. Southgate, V. Sleeping Beauty, UK, Ladybird Books Ltd, 1984. Warner, M. Beast to the Blonde ,London, Vintage. 1995. Zipes, Jack. Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion, New York, Routledge, 2006. Film Shrek, Disney, 2001 .