Fairy Tales Stories told to people as entertainment (not intended for children) 'The Fairy Tale' about 1845/1870 James Sant ( ), Oil on canvas Tales evolved over time (finally in 1700’s some tales were collected and called “Nursery Tales” - the ones that seemed suitable for children Tales we are reading have been filtered through the literate consciousness of at least 1 author: Frenchman Charles Perrault, Germans Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Dane Hans Christian Andersen, the Norwegians Peter Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe, and the Englishman Joseph Jacobs (and each adjusted plot, tone, theme and style of ‘original’ tale) Most info in slide show from J. Griffith, UW Professor

Little Red Riding Hood Fairy tales, passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition First collected and published in France in the seventeenth century. The stories that are most familiar to us today--"Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "Red Riding Hood," and "Puss in Boots," are derived from the Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé (Tales of long ago) collected by Charles Perault in The frontispiece of the early editions which pictured an old woman telling stories to a group of children was entitled "Contes de mère l'oye" (tales of mother goose), a folk expression meaning an "old wives tale." Even after being collected and published, fairy tales continued to evolve: sometimes appearing as a horror story, others as a cautionary tales; sometimes clearly for adults, other times edited for children.

Fairy Tales of the Folk variety are usually: Strong on plot Center on 1 character or a small group Hero/heroine 1 dimensional, noted for a particular quality (ex: courage, cleverness, etc.) Presence of magic and enemies End happily for the main character

Why do they still have modern appeal? Snow White

Why do these tales survive? Do we like hearing about the “little guy” or underdog who overcomes? Hearing an appraisal of life, some insight into human nature Show how growing up and parent/child relationships are still basically the same now as it was then They tell of the vain - and what happens to those who are obsessed with appearance and beauty Parents who are overprotective or the opposite - neglectful To help us deal with Evil in the world, to examine why bad things happen To show characters using desperate measures when needed Aschenputtel, similar to Cinderella, Arthur Rackham, illustrator.

The king's daughter was overjoyed when she beheld her pretty plaything again, picked up, and ran away with it. - Illustration by Warwick Goble to The Frog Prince Princesses, enchantments, and curses, oh my!

Sleeping Beauty in art Burne Jones

Sleeping Beauty in art Brewtnall

Wait, they aren’t for kids???? Young brides - forced to marry older men - feared the wedding night… Rape, violence, cruelty are explored (example tales - “The Robber Bridegroom” & “Little Red Riding Hood”) Child abuse and neglect, starvation, and other serious issues are portrayed

What’s the Point? The tales always have a point But they may not have a moral that is moral (good, admirable, etc.) And really - does good always seem to win and evil get punished in the real world?

Hans Christian Andersen Called Art fairy tales (not Folk fairy tales such as Brothers Grimm ones) Tales reflect Andersen’s feelings/morals Celebrates innocence, love, humility, self- sacrifice Redemption comes through suffering Religious - focus on getting to heaven Little Mermaid: Illustrator, Dulac Edmund Dulac, illustrator. “The Princess and the Pea”

The Brother’s Grimm No, not these two. The real ones who wrote down the tales…

Grimm Brothers 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. Yet all the polishing never rubbed away the solid heart of the stories, now read and loved in more than 160 languages. m/ m/

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Jacob and Wilhelm were born in 1785 and 1786, in Hanau, Germany, to Philipp Wilhelm Grimm (a lawyer and court official) and his wife Dorothea Grimm From a family with 9 children, though many died before adulthood 1802/1803 Began the study of law at the University of Marburg Jacob and Wilhelm, influenced by the folk poetry collection of Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, begin to collect folktales (Märchen) Dorothea Grimm, their mother dies at the age of 52. In order to support his younger brothers and sister, Jacob takes a position as a librarian at Kassel. Wilhelm will follow soon The Grimm brothers publish volume one of Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children' and Household Tales), an unpretentious book containing 86 numbered folktales Volume two of Kinder- und Hausmärchen appears in print, adding 70 stories to the previous collection. This famous work will see six additional editions during the Grimms' lifetime. In its final version it will contain 200 numbered stories plus 10 "Children's Legends." It is destined to become the best known and most influential book ever created in the German language. 1816, The Grimms publish two volumes of Deutsche Sagen, a collection totalling 585 German legends.

Good websites for further reading or seeing Univ. of Delaware, Library, Children’s Lit area And links to illustrations, tales, and at Cafepress.com Tshirts and other items with the images For Cinderella and other tales Grimm's Fairy Tales Illustrated Fairy Tales From The Brothers Grimm at More Grimm’s into languages, etc. Journal of Mythic Arts: News and Reviews (artists and others) amazing site! Asbjornsen, Peter Christen and Moe, Jorgen. East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Kay Nielsen, illustrator