In this paper, I will compare some of the original fairy tales with their new versions and analyze how the decrease in violence and brutality affects their meaning. Therefore, I will refer to fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel or Snow White and provide details on how violence contributes positively to the storyline of their fairy tales in general. In addition, I will deal with the change in the depiction of violence in fairy tales and show the consequences that arise from the transformation of their original plot.
The role that fairy tales once played is no longer the same today. When the first fairy tales were written, the authors also pursued the intention to convey moral values and virtues in addition to the aspect of entertainment. Therefore, violence and brutality have often been used to warn of possible dangers and emergencies and also to provide a deterrent example of what can happen if someone acts inappropriately. However, the use of violent and brutal acts helped to emphasize the fairy tale's warning role. Thus, fairy tales also positively contributed to the upbringing of children by teaching them how to deal with basic human conflicts, desires, and relationships.
As fairy tales have become increasingly interesting to society in recent years, they have been rewritten, turned into movies and also modified or adapted to today's times under different circumstances. Nevertheless, many ideas were lost from the original versions and can no longer convey the same values that they were supposed to in the past. Violence and brutality made an important contribution in the original versions and created an appealing effect for the viewers, which no longer completely exists in its intended form.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Brothers Grimm
2.1 Violence in Grimm's fairy tales
3. Theories about the role of violence
4. Change in the representation of violence in fairy tales
4.1 Example of Cinderella
5. Horror genre in today's fairy tales
5.1 Example of Rumpelstiltskin
6. Conclusion
7. Works cited
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper examines the evolution of violence within fairy tales, specifically investigating how the original warning role of brutal acts has been diminished or lost in modern adaptations and media representations. The central research question explores whether the contemporary sanitization of these stories impacts their original pedagogical value and if current horror-genre adaptations effectively preserve or merely distort the traditional underlying moral lessons.
- Historical analysis of violence in original Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
- Theoretical perspectives on the educational and warning roles of fairy tale violence.
- The process of "sanitization" and its effects on narrative meaning.
- Comparison between classical stories and modern film/media adaptations.
- Influence of social norms and the entertainment industry on fairy tale transformations.
Excerpt from the Book
4. Change in the representation of violence in fairy tales
As mentioned in the previous chapter, fairy tales have experienced significant changes due to the way they were perceived. When these fairy tales first appeared the changes were because of oral tradition. And often it occured that, through a "failure of memory", that important parts of a story were left out or interpreted differently. Nevertheless, even these minor changes initially helped to maintain the timeless character of the stories and, if necessary, to adapt them to the circumstances of their society, as described in the following:
"These changes help the stories to change and conform to the public. Today, movie adaptations feature outlandish differences to the fairy tales told a long time ago. All these differences can be seen quite easily in Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Snow White. The changes and differences help the tales evolve to fit the public's needs."
However, not all changes have been able to maintain the original idea of the story, whereby the warning role became increasingly meaningless. Many fairy tales were only slightly modified in the beginning, but later increasingly more. This was not because the authors wanted to change their stories, but they were, in a sense, forced to do so, as many details did not fit into the image of that time. Therefore, it became necessary to adjust the stories in order to keep as many people as possible interested to them. The Grimm brothers have, due to pressure by the church and other institutions, even rewritten their fairy tales more than once. However, progress in general was also responsible for the fact that stories like these were adapted, as Zipes comments in the following:
"the Grimms reacted to the civilizing process in Germany by making more changes. They eliminated the cruelty and sexuality from the tale, demanded that the child repress her own sensuality and obligated her to meet the normative standards of responsibility set by adults."
Chapter Summary
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the shift in the role of fairy tales from moral instruction to modern entertainment and introduces the research focus on the changing function of violence.
2. The Brothers Grimm: Provides a historical overview of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, their scholarly contribution to folklore, and the motivations behind their collection of fairy tales.
2.1 Violence in Grimm's fairy tales: Analyzes how violence and fear were utilized in classic stories like Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood as cautionary tools.
3. Theories about the role of violence: Examines scholarly perspectives from experts like Jack David Zipes and Maria Tatar regarding the pedagogical intent of fairy tale violence.
4. Change in the representation of violence in fairy tales: Discusses the societal and industry pressures that led to the "sanitization" of traditional stories, weakening their original warning functions.
4.1 Example of Cinderella: Uses the case study of Cinderella to contrast the darker, original cautionary plot with modern, sanitized versions created by the entertainment industry.
5. Horror genre in today's fairy tales: Explores how contemporary media repurposes fairy tale violence for the horror genre, often lacking the original moral depth.
5.1 Example of Rumpelstiltskin: Investigates how the film Rumpelstiltskin reinterprets traditional narratives, highlighting the shift in values and audience expectations.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes the finding that the original warning role of violence has largely lost its value and that modern adaptations now serve different commercial purposes.
7. Works cited: Lists the academic sources, books, and articles used throughout the research.
Keywords
Fairy tales, Brothers Grimm, Violence, Sanitization, Moral Lessons, Pedagogical Role, Modern Adaptations, Children's Literature, Horror Genre, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Jack David Zipes, Maria Tatar, Folklore, Cultural Evolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central subject of this research paper?
The paper explores the changing role of violence in fairy tales, specifically arguing that the original function of violence as a cautionary or "warning" mechanism has been lost in modern adaptations.
What are the primary themes discussed in the text?
The core themes include the historical context of the Brothers Grimm, the psychological impact of violent narratives on children, the "sanitization" of stories for modern audiences, and the intersection of fairy tales with the contemporary horror genre.
What is the main objective of the author?
The objective is to analyze how the removal or modification of violence in fairy tales alters the educational purpose and moral message of these stories, comparing original versions with modern reinterpretations.
Which scientific methods or approaches are applied?
The author uses a comparative literature approach, analyzing specific texts (e.g., Grimm originals vs. modern versions) and incorporating the theories of prominent scholars like Jack David Zipes and Maria Tatar.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body covers the history of the Brothers Grimm, theoretical perspectives on fairy tale violence, the mechanisms of narrative "sanitization," and case studies of specific stories like Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin in modern media.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Fairy tales, Brothers Grimm, Violence, Sanitization, Moral Lessons, Pedagogical Role, Modern Adaptations, and Horror Genre.
How does the author characterize the "sanitization" of fairy tales?
The author describes sanitization as a process driven by societal and commercial pressure, where brutal or morally complex elements are removed or moderated to make stories more palatable for current cultural standards, often rendering the original moral "warning" meaningless.
What role does the horror genre play in the author's argument?
The horror genre is used as an example of how modern media tries to retain the "dark" elements of original tales, but often fails to maintain the original pedagogical or warning function, instead prioritizing visual shock and entertainment value.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Steffen Kockel (Autor:in), 2020, About the warning role of fairy tales, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1022886
