Clara Delnik
Abstract
Karen E. Rowe makes the case that the glorification of passivity and dependency portrayed in fairy tales ultimately shapes even a modern woman’s romantic relationships and role in society to a negative extent. Similarly, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar dissect the Brothers Grimm Snow White for themes such as the patriarchal “looking glass” which dictates the conflict between the Evil Queen and Snow White and glorifies a docile and passive young protagonist while vilifying an older woman with a desire for action. Actresses like Keira Knightely and Kristen Bell have openly called out the misogynistic narratives portrayed in fairy tales such as Cinderella and the Little Mermaid, and Knightley has revealed that she has imposed a ban on certain “sexist” fairy tales in her household. However, although our society has developed a collective “anti-fairy tale” sentiment because stories like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty can depict scenarios and “morals” which may be problematic in today’s society, fairy tales also have immense power to do good for both children and adults. Instead of boycotting fairy tales for their problematic qualities and scenarios, we should instead acknowledge them and allow ourselves and our children to mold these interpretations for a modern society in hopes that we will learn from these stories in order to craft our own world. According to Maria Tatar, fairy tales “recruit the extraordinary to help us understand the ordinary” and Donald Haase argues that children’s ability to “own” fairy tales, that is to connect to them, understand them, and debate questions about a situation that isn’t perfect is an integral part of how they form their own opinions. “Canceling” fairytales would be detrimental to children who are forming their own cognizance, to adults who may use fantasy worlds to deal with survival and fear, and to those who simply want an escape into a world unlike their own. The fantastic worlds of fairy tales use strange and extraordinary aspects to help us tackle our own world and for children they are integral because finding unique connections to a wide variety of stories helps them build their cognizance of the world. This kind of understanding can help teach us and our children a better way of thinking: that stories are fluid and their interpretation and “message” can be unique and evolve over generations and time. Therefore, we should focus on making progress, both singularly and collectively, and keep in mind that conflicting points of view should be embraced and discussed instead of silenced.
Essay
What does it mean to “cancel” fairytales? Fictional literature and films can have a huge impact on the minds of children, and can shape the way they see themselves and their roles in society. Some modern day authors have labeled the traditional fairytales of our childhood problematic because of their pervasive patriarchal standards, and although there is a lot of new content being created for children that tries to erase the rigid stereotypes portrayed in the traditional stories in order to become more inclusive, the original versions are still sources of controversy and many believe we should “cancel”, or boycott, these stories. Actresses like Keira Knightley and Kristen Bell have openly called out the misogynistic narratives portrayed in fairy tales such as Cinderella and the Little Mermaid, and Knightley has revealed that she has imposed a ban on certain “sexist” fairy tales in her household. Although these stories can be controversial, I believe we should embrace the “problematic” qualities of fairy tales or at least be aware of them when transferring their morals to children. While fairy tales may have problematic aspects, they also have immense positive power. They bring us into fantastic journeys which can either serve as a release/distraction from a harsh world or they can allow children and adults alike to play with their imagination and cognizance in a manner that allows them to discover and confront their deepest fears and wishes. This kind of understanding can help teach us and our children a better way of thinking: that stories are fluid and their interpretation and “message” can be unique and evolve over generations and time.
Karen E. Rowe, an American literary critic and professor of Renaissance literature at UCLA, wrote an article discussing our society’s continued fascination with fairy tale romance in literature not merely for children but for twentieth-century adults, and makes the case that the glorification of passivity and dependency portrayed in these narratives ultimately shapes even a modern woman’s romantic relationships and acceptance of roles which relegate her to motherhood and domesticity. Sharing her sentiments are Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, professor of English at the University of California at Davis and professor of English and women’s studies at Indiana University respectively, who take it a step further by dissecting the Brothers Grimm Snow White. They argue that the “looking glass” which rules the Queen’s self evaluation and dictates the conflict between her and Snow White is the voice of a patriarchal society constantly telling the Queen that someone else is more beautiful and desirable than her. Snow White is the heroine because she is young and happy to be docile and passive, whereas the Queen is older and a woman who wants action which in her time is considered unfeminine and therefore labels her as dangerous and evil (390). Both of these articles demonstrate just how pervasive fairy tales are even in our adult life and how the traditional aspects of the characters’ relationships with each other have a dangerously important influence on the children that read them and shape the way they form relationships and see society as adults. Having stories ridden with misogynistic undertones is an issue in itself, but the close relationship we associate between this pervasive fantasy and our own reality, especially in our adult lives, means these stories are shaping the way we are forming relationships and the standards we set for ourselves, often to a negative effect.
In the Brothers Grimm Briar Rose, the story begins with gifts given to the young child by the fairies, which include virtue, beauty, and wealth. Even as she grows, there is no mention of her having intelligence, courage, or wisdom and merely a continuation of these external qualities such as beauty and grace, indicating which traits are valued for women in society. Later in the story, the prince is able to bypass the barriers, roam the castle, and kiss a sleeping Beauty (a non consensual kiss), having her wake up and automatically fall in love with him. Not only did the prince do nothing to gain her heart, he was also allowed to just kiss a comatose woman, setting the standard that acts like these are permitted, which doesn’t set a good example for young boys or girls. The prince does not seem to care about the princess’s inner traits and falls in love with her based solely on external qualities. What does this say to young girls about the traits they should value in themselves and others? The traits they will be noticed or liked for? In another Brothers Grimm tale, Cinderella, the protagonist’s “heroine” moment begins only when she dresses up and goes to the ball. Her worth seems to come from that “dolled up” external beauty because that is what the prince notices. However, even after seeing her and dancing with her multiple nights, he is not able to remember Cinderella after the ball, leading to a kingdom wide search using a shoe. He eventually goes off with both of her stepsisters (thinking each one was his “Cinderella”), which shows that he didn’t truly “see her”, however she still married him in the end. What kind of message does that send to young girls reading or watching about how they should be treated by others? Is it right to be with a person who doesn’t “see you” (and who can’t even tell the difference between you and another girl)? Additionally, the stepsisters’ desire to be “beautiful” and to be the prince’s “true love” leads them to mutilate their feet in order to fit the shoe, which is an example of quite violent standards of beauty which are imposed on young girls. In Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, her fascination with the prince becomes so strong that she gives up her hobbies and interests. She leaves her family, sacrifices her identity, and undergoes severe pain to change herself in order to be liked and admired by the prince. Her voice, which is her strength and power, is stolen from her and it is rationalized by saying that instead she now has a “lovely figure” and “graceful movements” (294).
Because of the standards depicted in these stories, our world bashes the traditional fairy tales and our society has developed a collective “anti-fairy tale” sentiment. However, although new stories try to throw in some modern originality by breaking characters from the mold of their original fairy tale role and changing their stories to be more inclusive, we still continue to gravitate towards the original versions despite the additional adventure and uncertainty portrayed in these modern tales. According to Wolfgang Meider, professor of German and folklore at the University of Vermont, despite the fact that these new tales may be more representative of our somewhat troubled modern age, the simple happy endings are and perhaps will always be, the prevalent conclusion we run to. One of the parts of mankind’s psyche is that we are always pulled towards “fairy tale thinking”, meaning that although we understand that life isn’t like a fairytale, we still strive to escape the status quo of suffering in order to achieve that happy ending. That is because, deep down, “happy endings” are the human hope and these “simple” beliefs are written into our soul as human beings. Therefore, we keep reading them because, in a way, reading fairy tales allows us to place ourselves in a world that has a happy ending, something Jack Zipes refers to as “emancipatory potential”. The trust of “justice prevails” and “belief in good” have to remain significant in a world that is anything but a fairy tale. In this regard, instead of traditional fairy tales being archaic, their simplicity and optimism makes them therapeutic.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that fairy tales are simple. Fairytales have transitioned from childhood stories told over a campfire to integral parts of the entertainment we see today. Traditional fairy tales have been made and remade into TV shows and movies, with new adaptations popping up all the time. Part of the reason why is that these modern adaptations actually show us just how much these fairytales mimic our real life experiences. Fairy Tales may seem like they show a world unlike our own, but some deal with personal topics like survival, fear, and losing control, and can actually propel us forward in our own crises. That is exactly why “That’s nothing but a fairy tale” is a dangerously dismissive phrase that ignores the power of a make believe world. According to Maria Tatar, professor at Harvard University and an academic in folklore and children’s literature, fairy tales have the ability to take the reader, especially a child, and bring them into a fantastic journey which allows them to play with their imagination and cognizance in a manner that leads them to discover and confront their deepest fears and wishes. Simply put, they “recruit the extraordinary to help us understand the ordinary” (xi). Fairy tales can impact an individual’s lives as they get older, because they will try to define themselves, sometimes comparing their own life with a character from their favorite story. As for the parents that fear the influence of a hero who lies or cheats their way to good fortune? As people get older, they read the same fairy tales over and over again and can learn (or be taught) more about the importance (or lack thereof) of certain qualities in real life.
But is a connection to fairy tales actually important? Donald Haase says yes. Haase, professor Emeritus of German and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University, argues that children’s ability to “own” fairy tales, that is to connect to them and understand them, is an integral part of how they form their own opinions, which can be difficult to do when parents and teachers are often the ones controlling what is read and how it is interpreted. Instead of completely controlling which tales are read in order to avoid taboo topics, adults can offer children a wider variety of fairy tales, including different versions, which gives the child a larger choice in which they choose to read and encourages a unique response. Additionally, children can be encouraged to create their own versions of their favorite tales, therefore giving themselves power over the interpretation in a way that suits their unique consciousness as they grow. And it seems to work. In an interview with Kristen Bell, one of the actresses that has called out fairytales, the actress explained that her approach to the issue is to ask her children questions about them as they read. Allowing the child to read the story and asking at the end, “Don’t you think that it’s weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission?” or “Don’t you think it’s weird that Snow White didn’t ask the old witch why she needed to eat the apple?” evokes a response from the child that has not only brought them to the correct conclusion (the child understands that kissing without consent is wrong and not to take food from strangers) but they have reached that conclusion by themselves by reading a situation that isn’t perfect. Acknowledging the problematic qualities and scenarios depicted in these fairy tales, stories like these shouldn’t be discarded for fear of them becoming antiquated. Because whether a traditional narrative or a modern adaptation, these stories can be used for good. The fantastic worlds of fairy tales use strange and extraordinary aspects to help us tackle our own world and for children they are integral because finding unique connections to a wide variety of stories helps them build their cognisance of the world. Most importantly, our society and we as people continue to find unique and meaningful connections to even the most traditional stories.
Although stories like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty can depict scenarios and “morals” which may be problematic in today’s society, fairy tales also have immense power to do good. Instead of boycotting fairy tales for their problematic qualities and scenarios, we should acknowledge them and allow ourselves and our children to mold these interpretations for a modern society in hopes that we will learn from these stories in order to craft our own world. Part of why they are “good” is because they are unlike our world, and they don’t seek to be. They amplify the negative and positive qualities and clearly separate villains from heroes. If Perrault’s time saw these stories as concrete “How to Live your Life” manuals, our generation sees them as historical pieces which don’t necessarily reflect our views today, and that is why it is integral to let go of the “anti fairy tale sentiment”. Fairy tales reflect many generations of wisdom and tradition and while some of them may seem to be outdated, the general concepts of truth vs. lie, humanity vs. cruelty, and loyalty vs. betrayal ring true even today. “Canceling” fairytales would be detrimental to children who are forming their own cognisance, to adults who may use fantasy worlds to deal with survival and fear, and to those who simply want an escape into a world unlike their own. Fairy tales aren’t perfect and we shouldn’t force them to be. This kind of understanding can help teach us and our children a better way of thinking: that stories are fluid and their interpretation and “message” can be unique and evolve over generations and time. We should focus on making progress, both singularly and collectively, and keep in mind that conflicting points of view should be embraced and discussed instead of silenced.
Works Cited
Rowe, Karen E. “Feminism and Fairy Tales.” Women’s Studies, vol. 6, no. 3, 1979, pp. 237–257., https://doi.org/10.1080/00497878.1979.9978487
Mieder, Wolfgang. “Grim Variations: From Fairy Tales to Modern Anti-Fairy Tales.” Germanic Review 62.2 (Spring 1987): 90-102. Rpt. in Children’s Literature Review. Ed. Tom Burns. Vol. 106. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.http://electra.lmu.edu:2048/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.electra.lmu.edu/scholarly-journals/grim-variations-fairy-tales-modern-anti/docview/1290311085/se-2?accountid=7418.
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 1979
Haase, Donald. “Yours, Mine, or Ours? Perrault, the Brothers Grimm and the Ownership of Fairy Tales.” In Once Upon a Folktale: Capturing the Folklore Process with Children. Ed. Gloria T. Blatt. New York: Teachers College, Columbia U, 1993. 445-446
Grimm, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm. “Briar Rose” The Classic Fairy Tales (Second Edition) (Norton Critical Editions). W. W. Norton, 2017. [Yuzu]. 130-133
Grimm, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm. “Cinderella” The Classic Fairy Tales (Second Edition) (Norton Critical Editions). W. W. Norton, 2017. [Yuzu]. 148-153
Anderson, Hans Christian. “The Little Mermaid” The Classic Fairy Tales (Second Edition) (Norton Critical Editions). W. W. Norton, 2017. [Yuzu]. 283-300
Duncan, John. The Sleeping Princess. 1915. Perth and Kinross District Council. Perth, Scotland, the United Kingdom. SurLaLune.
