Snow White

Disney....
 Many children have fallen in love with Walt Disney's version of the classic tale Snow White. Most can recite it in their sleep; the princess is driven away by her jealous stepmother (with the help of a petty mirror) and forced to live in the woods with 7 dwarfs. When the Evil Queen comes with a poisonous apple, Snow White takes a bite and falls into to a deep sleep in which the dwarfs place her in a glass coffin until her prince comes and awakens her with a kiss. Obviously, the Evil Queen is vanquished and the land falls into peace.

Grimm Brothers.... 

The Grimm Brother version of Snow White is very similar to that of the Disney version. Although rather than come a single time with an apple, the stepmother comes with laces and a comb to vanquish Snow White and is only successful the third time when the apple comes into play. The Prince actually takes the coffin from the dwarfs as a gift, and while walking back to the castle, the piece of apple lodged in Snow White's throat comes out and she awakens. At the wedding, the stepmother is forced to dance in burning, iron shoes until she dies.

Diversions....
Obviously, Americans would refuse to watch a tale that has little to no relation to miracles. The nation just broke free of the hold of depression, and many looked for hope and happy endings in every aspect of their lives to distract from the World War on the horizon. Disney took this opportunity to emphasize his beliefs and morals into Snow White. Those who tell the story the best set culture into motion, and Disney did just that. The fact Snow White was foolish enough to fall for her step mother not once, but three times, is unappealing to those who were looking for prosperity for the future. The Prince is the figure to save the day because Disney saw this as an opportunity to push men and their "given roles" into the spotlight. To him, men will always be the saviors. Lastly, the end of the tale is too gruesome to the viewers that would give Disney the largest portion of his revenue: children.

Rising to the Tale

Rise Tales...
A rise tale features the typical "rags to riches" theme plot through marriage- or in the case of fairy tales- magic. Cinderella is one of these tales in which the lowly peasant girl becomes a princess after finding her true love by enduring years of abuse from her family.

Ironically, this the life that many little girls and women wish for, excluding the abuse and being a lowly peasant girl. To achieve this, most either have to fall in love with a rich man or marry them for the benefits of their station, *cough cough* gold diggers.


Reality... 
I believe that sometimes success or riches can be reached by marriage but that leads to the question of whether or not the relationship is genuine (i.e. love). The premise of marriage is for love, and many are willing to marry the person they fall in love with rather than how much are is in their bank account. On the other hand, magic is not a factor in this. Logically speaking, love is a chemical reaction in our brains- many are able to achieve this chemical reaction by eating chocolate but on a much lower scale. I do believe that this is possible, Kate Middleton being the prime example. But for average people, "rags to riches" isn't as possible or realistic.

What is a Fairy Tale?

Basic Definition of Fairy Tales 
Oxford defines a fairy tale as "A children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands; a fairy story". But it is so much more than that. To correctly define a fairy-tale, we must look at all components. This will also ignore the Americanization that has occurred over the years as a direct result of Walt Disney and his cinematic empire.

Components of Fairy Tale
According to Max Luthi, there are 10 basic components of a fairy tale:
1. Formulaic expressions- "Once upon a time..""
2. No detailed descriptions- Abstract stylization
3. Isolation of characters- Singular hero and/or villain
4. Fond of extreme contrasts in people, objects- Good v. evil, sun and moon, etc
5. Delight in repetition
6. Many symbols/ motifs- the meaning of
7. Action driven- what happens?
8. Heroes return at the right moment- Victorious, just in time
9. Great need for precision and clarity- No "what if" or "perhaps"
10. Happy ending

There are many more than these basic 10 components when we begin to analyze fairy tales. Each tale has a lesson to be learned and a "falcon", which is essentially a motif that is related to the story whether it be in word or image. We do not question the talking lion in the story, nor do we question that the witch has magic. Although we want to comment on this, we do not question the not-so-smart decisions of the characters and heroes- much like a scary movie.


Working Definition of a Fairy Tale: 
I define a fairy tale as "A story involving magical and extraordinary characters and beings, with the intent to teach a lesson (moral or otherwise) to the audience through motifs, symbolism, and contrasts." It is important to correctly define this term because it allows cultures to see the true meaning and progression of fairy tales in our lives.

The True Grimm Brothers

Grimm or Grimmy?
Obviously, the Grimm Brothers are prominent figures in the collection of fairy tales. Over the years- to relate the authors to their work- Hollywood has taken the Grimm Brothers and turned them into something they are not. Children know very little about Brothers and more involving the magic and wonder of their tales. Distinguishing fact from fiction is a large part of preserving history, especially when it comes to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

 
Grimm
The Brothers Grimm collected oral fairy tales from German communities in the quest to preserve German history and lore. This was especially important to the Brothers considering the French occupation at the time and their need to spread their views on religion. Jacob and his brother were extremely close, and they went forth in their endeavors together throughout their lives. Wilhelm eventually married, while Jacob remained dedicated to their work. Throughout their lives, the Brothers published numerous versions of their fairy tales and many other works which can be claimed as a main source in the quest to preserve German history.

Grimmy
The Brothers Grimm movie directed by Terry Gilliam creates an unrealistic portrayal of the Brothers by adding magic, comedy, and adventure to their lives. Obviously, the Brothers didn't hunt witches or scam innocent people out of their money- let alone believe in magic (as it goes against their religion); nor did they briefly work for a French Commander. Ironically, the town of Marbaden does not exist. The two weren't "much into the party scene", and the possibility of Jacob falling in love with someone over his work is extremely slim. Angelika was added to the plot for dramatic and romantic affects, considering Wilhelm eventually married Dortchen. All of the magic in the movie is created to bring the works of the Brothers to life and relate the authors to the tales.


The Brothers Grimm are of extreme interest due to the popularity of their tales- most of that popularity due to the Americanization by Walt Disney. For many children, the authors are of little importance compared to the magic of their tales. Rather than push aside the Brothers, we must determine between fact and fiction so that their life-long work does not go unnoticed.

Welcome to the Land of Fairy-Tales

Choosing My First Year Seminar...

Once upon a time, not long ago, in a land far far away, I had to choose my First Year Seminar. McDaniel offers many First Year Seminars, but I didn't want to "read the recipe" or learn about- in my opinion- the world's most boring sport; baseball. All of these other options paled in comparison to learning about the Grimm Brothers' work and how Walt Disney built an empire based on some of the most popular fairy-tales in the world. I grew up reading fairy-tales and now I readily accept the chance analyze and re-read some of my favorite tales. I know that the Grimm Brothers' tales are more gruesome than Disney's but the stark contrast will enable me to see beyond what the media and other influencers have fed to me since I was little.

My Goals for this Seminar....

I hope to improve my knowledge about the symbolism of fairy-tales. Obviously each story is meant to entertain children or teach a lesson, but there are hidden meanings behind each story that involve the time period, culture, or beliefs about the creators of the story. I also hope to focus on my writing abilities. I have always shied away from writing because I felt that what I was saying was "cliche" or typical and unoriginal. Because the topics discussed in the seminar are some I find intriguing, I will be more willing to master the content and enjoy creating a writing piece involving each subject. Lastly, I want to be able to understand the historical context behind each story. The Grimm Brothers obviously collected and published these stories to not only preserve the German culture, but to broadcast messages to the world.

Once Upon A Time... 

As an avid fairy-tale enthusiast, I have read everything from Hansel and Gretel to The Goose Girl. Despite all of my experience with fairy-tales, my favorite will always be The Little Mermaid. This is mostly due to the Disney cartoon adaptation, which I fell in love with when I was barely 4 years old. Ariel was portrayed as a beautiful, kind, and talented mermaid that was also a princess- what little girl wouldn't fall in love with her?


I think I am drawn to this story because of the main topic: mermaids. The creativity behind this creature is more than my boring, unimaginative brain could muster in a life time. That, and if I could breathe underwater, I would take a vacation anywhere in the world as long as I could swim there.



Hopefully my freshman year won't be as bad as my volleyball teammates have made it out to be. I am optimistic as the school year begins and i look forward to this course.