Fairy tales are an interesting genre to me, so I decided to look upon them in greater detail. To analyze a fairy tale’s meaning seems to be a task almost impossible to fulfill, though. “Every reader reads a different story. Writers who confidently tell us what fairy tales ‘mean’ are oversimplifying their complex, multilayered character,” states The Cambridge Guide to Children’s Books in English (Watson 2001: 249) concerning the matter. Further on, it says that fairy tales “do not contain meaning and they cannot impart meaning. They allow meanings to be made” (Watson 2001: 249). I began to wonder how fairy tales can be compared if not by their meaning and what they might have in common. The question leads to another approach on fairy tale analysis: a structural one.
Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale gives a scheme for the structure of fairy tales; it will be described in the following chapter. His work was originally written for Russian fairy tales but could supposedly be applied to other ones, too (Propp 1968). Therefore, I decided to try it on a small collection of American fairy tales by L. Frank Baum to find out their structure. The collection is named American Fairy Tales and contains twelve short tales of various types. My interest lay in finding out if Propp’s scheme can be applied to the considered American fairy tales by Baum. This would indicate that they have a similar structure as the tales Propp classifies as fairy tales.
In the following, Propp’s method will be described and is then applied to the tale “The Queen of Quok” out of Baum’s collection (1978: 43-61) in all detail. Further on, examples of the other tales by Baum and the results of their analyses according to Propp’s scheme will be shown. Conclusions are drawn afterwards.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The theory by Vladimir Propp
3. Morphology of “The Queen of Quok”
4. Other Tales out of Baum’s Collection
5. Conclusion
Bibliography
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This academic paper investigates the structural applicability of Vladimir Propp’s morphological method, originally developed for Russian fairy tales, to a selection of American fairy tales written by L. Frank Baum. The primary research question centers on whether Baum’s collection exhibits a structural consistency comparable to the standardized fairy tale types defined by Propp.
- Structural analysis of folk and fairy tale narratives
- Application of Vladimir Propp’s "Morphology of the Folktale" framework
- Identification of narrative functions and spheres of action
- Comparative analysis of American versus Russian fairy tale structures
- Evaluation of genre classification based on structural archetypes
Excerpt from the Book
3. Morphology of “The Queen of Quok”
I chose to analyze this tale, because it seems to fit into Propp’s scheme most accurately. It is the third tale out of L. Frank Baum’s collection American Fairy Tales (1978: 43-61). The whole tale will be summarized part by part in small paragraphs, each of them followed by its morphological analysis. Since Propp has not analyzed this tale, all found functions are results of comparing the actions of the tale with the actions described in Propp’s scheme.
The opening of the tale is the description of an old king that dies and leaves a 10-year old son in a miserable, poor palace, because he has spent all of his money in “riotous living” (Baum 1978: 43-45). The reader later gets to know that the king’s son has also “lost his mother when a baby” (Baum 1978: 46). Afterwards, the king’s folk meet to plan how to get money into the kingdom again, because they do not want to work (Baum 1978: 45).
Introducing the young boy in the opening situation leads to the suggestion that he is the future hero; Propp says that it is possible that “the future hero [...] is simply introduced by mention of his name or indication of his status” (1968: 25), which is the case here. Propp calls it the “initial situation” and gives it the sign α in his scheme (1968: 26). He mentions that “[a]lthough this situation is not a function, it nevertheless is an important morphological element” (1968: 25). It becomes clear in the following that the boy is in fact the hero of the tale.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The author introduces the difficulty of defining fairy tale meaning and justifies the use of a structural analysis approach based on Vladimir Propp’s work.
2. The theory by Vladimir Propp: This section explains Propp’s methodology, focusing on narrative functions, spheres of action, and the "fundamental form" of fairy tales.
3. Morphology of “The Queen of Quok”: The author applies the morphological scheme to L. Frank Baum’s "The Queen of Quok," mapping the tale’s specific sequence of functions.
4. Other Tales out of Baum’s Collection: This chapter broadens the scope to other tales in the collection to test how consistently they adhere to or deviate from Propp’s proposed structure.
5. Conclusion: The paper concludes that while many of Baum’s tales align with Propp’s structural definitions, others fall outside this categorization, highlighting cultural differences in narrative style.
Keywords
Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folktale, L. Frank Baum, American Fairy Tales, Structuralism, Narrative Functions, Fairy Tale Theory, Literary Analysis, The Queen of Quok, Spheres of Action, Folklore, Structural Scheme, Narrative Genre, Hero Archetype, Comparative Literature.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper explores the structural composition of fairy tales by applying Vladimir Propp's morphological framework to American stories written by L. Frank Baum.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The research focuses on structuralism, literary theory, the morphology of narrative functions, and the cross-cultural application of established Russian folk-tale models.
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to determine if L. Frank Baum's "American Fairy Tales" share the same structural "fundamental form" that Vladimir Propp identified in Russian folk tales.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author utilizes Propp’s morphological method, which involves breaking down narratives into specific character functions and testing them against a pre-established sequence of functional signs.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body details the theoretical foundations of Propp’s work, provides a step-by-step structural analysis of "The Queen of Quok," and reviews other selected tales from the collection to examine their structural fit.
How would you characterize this paper with keywords?
Key terms include Vladimir Propp, L. Frank Baum, structuralism, narrative functions, fairy tale morphology, and cross-cultural narrative analysis.
How does the author interpret the post-man's role in "The Box of Robbers"?
The author identifies the post-man as a functional "donor" who tests the hero, although the hero's negative reaction to the test creates an unconventional development within the Proppian framework.
Why are some of Baum's tales considered not to be "fairy tales" under Propp's definition?
The author notes that tales lacking a clear hero or failing to fulfill standard hero-centric functions, such as "The Dummy That Lived," do not meet the strict structural criteria established by Propp.
- Quote paper
- Helga Mebus (Author), 2005, A fairy tale's structure, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/93216
