I have always been a fan of fairy tales because they are a way to be transported into another world: a world of “magic.” I typically think of the Disney versions, but this course showed me that there’s so much more to fairytales than I originally thought, whether it be the different versions created or the different themes that a lot of them share. Fairy tales matter because they are a way for children (and people of all ages) to learn morals and use their imaginations. The evil characters in the stories are usually punished and the good characters are rewarded, showing kids that being a good person and treating others with kindness is worthwhile. They also give people an escape from reality, as they allow you to forget about the problems of your real life and focus on the plot. I thought it was very interesting to read the original versions of these fairytales because they were so different than what I pictured in my head. For example, it was fascinating to read about Beauty and the jealousy of her siblings in Beauty and the Beast, or the tragic parts of the Little Mermaid, or the ending of Snow White where the prince did not wake her up with a kiss, because I had never read those versions before. The original stories included certain aspects of violence and other adult topics that Walt Disney removed in order to make his movies more family-friendly. I also loved hearing everyone in the class discuss the themes of the stories and the different opinions about each of them because it allowed me to hear perspectives that I may have never considered otherwise. Overall, this class allowed me to realize that fairytales go so much deeper than just having the purpose of entertaining children.
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Fairy tales are a nourishing supplement in the education of children and adolescents alike. What I mean by “education,” does not refer to academia and learning in schools, for fairy tales are purely fictitious and contradict the scientific teachings of our 21st century world. Rather, fairy tales help to refine one’s own cognition. That is, these tales instill within us all a catalyst to engage in creative thought, imagine a world beyond our rigid confines, and learn valuable lessons which we may reject from authoritative sources such as parents or teachers. Nowadays we concentrate our studies on finding concrete answers to problems all the time. The escape we are entitled to by reading fairy tales allows us to draw our own conclusions on issues that are complex and controversial.
The chivalry of medieval royalty and magic has evaporated over time, yet the lessons of fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, or Cinderella have persisted, nonetheless. We take these tales into context and read them with a new lens, mending our interpretations of the tales with life experiences. Looking at these examples, it is highly unlikely that any young girl nowadays would wander into the woods to her disparaged grandmas’ house or attend a splendorous ball in some marvelous carriage. However, women ought to be wary of predatorial men and adhere the curfews of their parents. The tales takes on a different form dependent upon the age of the audience making them valuable pieces of entertainment and worthy educational content across generations.
In my studies of Fairy Tales, I was surprised to learn of the long and varied histories of some of the tales. While most of the classics are retold today through the lenses of western cinematography, their original intentions and values are sometimes sacrificed for entertainment value. When I wrote my paper on Snow White, I had found that stories of similar meaning to the iconic Disney film which hailed from France, Italy, and even China. While these places each have their own unique cultures, they all focus on the universal aspiration for beauty, power, and companionship. Fairy tales are so malleable across culture and time because they drive home ideas which appeal to all human beings.
Upon entering the course in September, I felt for the most part as if my knowledge base of many fairy tales had been limited to the movies I had seen as a child. It would be fascinating to perhaps dedicate more class time distinguishing different details between the movies and the written versions. This would not only add to our own appreciation of the written texts but allow us to uncover further applications for the tales in our own lives. It would be neat to do a case-study where we read one of the iconic fairy tales and do a film study on that tale, comparing elements of each. If the film had embellishments added for the mere purpose of entertainment, our understanding of these differences would help us better answer the question, “What is the meaning that readers should take out of the original tale?”