Writing your own fairytale

After the last class with our guest speaker and the exercises we did, I think I want to rewrite a fairy tale from a different perspective.  I always wondered more about the seven dwarfs' thoughts on Snow White coming into their house.  I always thought they were using her to do their house work and being the stereotype housewife that she is, Snow White was "happy" to clean for the little men.  I researched stereotypes of women in fairy tales such as Rapunzel being the damsel in distress, snow white being the domestic caretaker and the innocent girl act illustrated by little red riding hood.  My paper was to make viewers and readers aware that the stereotypes of women present in fairy tales does not limit women to only these roles.
For my project I want to write Snow White from the perspective a dwarf and instead of Snow White agreeing to do housework, I am going to have her stand up for herself and say no.  I am no sure if this is a good idea because, how will the dwarfs react to her saying no to cleaning?  Should I stereotype males using the dwarfs?  Should I show what they are thinking?  I could maybe do a different story and do the male perspective like Cinderella and tell how the Prince only wanted to find her because she is beautiful (moral being that guys are shallow?)  I also am worried this will offend males however, it could be interesting.
When writing my paper, thinking about the way fairy tales perceive women, it made me more and more angry to realize that these stereo typical roles are offensive and demeaning to women.  Also, what if children watching these fairy tales (especially young girls) think that they have to act like the princesses in stories to get a handsome prince to marry them or be happy?
Even more modern films are continuing with these stereo types and even making it seem like these gender roles should still be in effect today.  For example, the more modern version of A Cinderella Story.  Hillary Duff is not happy until she is with the popular jock dream boat at her high school.  She also becomes the pretty lucky girl at the end of the movie to prove she is like a princess....like Cinderella.

Our beautiful princess gets to be with the perfect guy and that is what is important in life right?  I wonder what he thinks once he gets the geeky but pretty girl.  Maybe he thinks he is a hero for dating someone beneath his social status.  What a prince!

What makes a fairytale.

When I told my friends that we had to write about fairytales for my English 401 class, most of them were jealous and talked about how they loved reading fairytales when they were little.  Some of them started talking about Little Red Riding Hood and Three Little Pigs, however most stories that came up were ones that had been made in to Disney animated videos.
It made me wonder if some of the Disney classics like Pocahontas and Lady and the Tramp were considered fairytales.  That got me to think, what are the elements of a fairytale? Is it the romance and morals that are meant to be learned by the end?  Some stories, like Where the Wild Things Are have no romance but are meant to teach lessons and take our imagination else where.
I remember this conversation coming up some what in class but I still question what elements authors of fairytales knew they had to include in order to write their story.  When I asked one friend who is not in our English class, what makes a story a fairytale?  She answered "well it has to be fake, that's for sure."  I think she might be right, but in my opinion, fairytales need a plot, magic, love, morals, and unrealistic characters. 

Beauty and the Beast Movie!

Since some of us wrote papers on Beauty and the Beast, I thought this trailer would be appropriate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neo6W1f7hyY


I like how the lesson of the original fairytale still applies to life today and shows that we should judge people on their character not their appearance.  It seems like it will be an entertaining and touching movie that still shows the morals that Madame Le Prince de Beaumont wanted to teach.  

Madame Beaumont

Fairytales influence our lives from the time we are young enough to become engaged in their stories.  The authors of these fairytales have started legends that stay in our lives for generations and help us understand life lessons.  Madame le Prince de Beaumont is the author of many classic stories including the well-known and loved Beauty and the Beast.  The timeless tale which was made into a Disney animated movie, is recognized by many because of Madame Beaumont’s classical story however her name can not to be found in popular books or on a library database.  How is it that Beauty and the Beast is so popular and appreciated but, the author behind the magic is overlooked?  Madame Beaumont’s status as an aristocratic 19^th century woman may have an effect on her historical reputation.

What is left of Madame Beaumont's literature.....Disney making her story into a movie.  She deserves more!

            Madame Le Prince de Beaumont was a powerful woman left by her parents to make her own living, which she did by writing more than seventy works of literature (Stephens, 14).  Her brochures, collections of letters and fairytales all have a common theme of women empowerment.  Madame Le Prince be Beaumont, along with other writers in the 1800’s believed that “women are by nature upright and faithful; men establish a double standard; while making laws to dispense themselves from the practice of morality….” (Stewart, 31).  Many of her poems and letters were to demonstrate the role women should have in society and suggest that men are over-dominant.  The heroines in Madame Beaumont’s stories are surprisingly social and confident, which was a new idea in history that was supported by other women authors in France (Stewart, 39).  Even in Beauty and the Beast, this theme was particularly different than in other romantic fairytale stories.  The main woman character, Belle shows individuality and strength while the man, Beast is the one in need of help.  Men and traditional women may not have agreed with this kind of story, especially fairytales that they would be reading and teaching to their children.

 Madame Beaumont as a strong independent woman.

            Madame Beaumont’s strong belief that the power of woman is under recognized could be disagreeable to some people in the nineteenth century. If there were those in the past who enjoyed the lessons and tales that Madame Beaumont wrote, they would have continued to tell her stories and pass on her fairytales.  She was determined to write poems and other collections for children and did so without the recognition she deserves (Wikipedia).  Her views and opinions on the role of women in society would have had an effect on the sustainability of her recognition throughout history.  Although her name may not be well-known her work and morals will be remembered and recognized through her works of literature.

Works Cited

Encyclopedia Britannica. "Facts about Mme Le Prince De Beaumont." Encyclopedia –

Britannica Online Encyclopedia. 2005. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/

facts/5/505851/Mme-Le-Prince-de-Beaumont-as-discussed-in-children’s-literature>.

Stephens, Sonya. A History of Women's Writing in France. Cambridge [England: Cambridge UP,

2000. Online.

Stewart, Joan Hinde. Gynographs: French Novels by Women of the Late Eighteenth Century.

Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1993. Print.

Wikipedia. "Jeanne-Marie Le Prince De Beaumont." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02

Mar. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne-Marie_Le_Prince_de_Beaumont>.

Pages 27-40 Folk & FairyTales

The different versions of the Little Red Riding Hood were shocking to me that they were considered fairy tales.  I always grew up learning about the sweet and lesson-teaching stories that Disney made so enjoyable for children to watch.  I also never remember reading about any stories with violence.  The wolf in all of the Little Red Riding Hood stories seems even more evil than the version of that fairy tale that I can remember.  His character seems to be more representative of the kinds of evil people who want to harm others (especially children) that we see on today's news stations.

Especially in The Story of Grandmother, the wolf is a sketchy perverted character called the Bzou that is representative of someone desperate and evil.  Paul Delarue wrote the fairy tale in the early 1900's yet problems with sexually based crimes, particularly sex offenders still happen now.  The way the wolf asks Little Red Riding Hood to take off her clothes and come into bed, is trying to show how naive and clueless little girls were.  This is displayed in Charles Perrault's story of Little Red Riding Hood also.  In the present, we are much more educated at an early age about talking to strangers and what is appropriate in today's society.


I noticed in the first couple of versions of this fairy tale that the little girl in the red hood is always taken advantage of.  I feel like this sometimes happens in life today and adults think that children are less knowledgeable.  For example, I sometimes feel neglected at restaurants when waiters are more attentive to their adult customers and tend to ignore teenagers or do not pay attention to the requests of young adults.  I like how the Chinese version called the Chinese Red Riding Hoods, the girls are witty and smart enough to come up with a plan to get rid of the wolf right on the spot.  It shows that young girls should not be taken advantage of.  The wolf should not have assumed that the girls were not smart to figure out that he was really in their bed.

This shows Little Red Riding Hood being clueless that she is not in bed with her grandmother.



As a young lady reading these fairy tales, it makes me realize how women were perceived and how we are given more of a chance.  It seems like women are not as under estimated and should gain more credit for being strong and aware.