Feminism and Fairy Tales - 1250 Words

In a society unbridled with double standards and set views about women, one may wonder the origins of such beliefs. It might come as a surprise that these ideals and standards are embedded and have been for centuries in the beloved fairy tales we enjoyed reading as kids. In her analytical essay, â€Å"To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tales†, Karen Rowe argues that fairy tales present â€Å"cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues.† Rowe presents an excellent point, which can be supported by versions of the cult classics, â€Å"Cinderella† and â€Å"Snow White†. Charles Perrault’s â€Å" The Little Glass Slipper† and the Brothers Grimm’s â€Å" Snow White† exemplify the beliefs that†¦show more content†¦This is the same case of women in society, those that don’t conform are looked down and reprehended. Perrault perfectly em bodies the ideal female cannon in his fairy tale â€Å" The Little Glass Slipper†, the Brothers Grimm also embody this cannon in their tale of â€Å"Snow White.† They embody this cannon and its ideal virtues in the character of Snow White, who much like Cinderella is trusting, passive and dependent on the care of the dwarfs and the handsome prince. Snow White’s dependency is first showed when the Brothers Grimm write â€Å"Snow White was so beautiful that the huntsman took pity on her and said: ‘Just run away, you poor girl† (84). The Brothers Grimm show that Snow White is not in control of her own life, she has to depend on a man in order to live. During one of the queen’s murder attempts Snow White falls for her tricks and falls as if dead. The Brothers Grimm record that when the dwarfs came home â€Å"She didn’t move in the slightest, and they were sure she was dead. They lifted her up, and when they saw that she had been laced too tightly, they cut the staylace in two. Snow White began to breathe, and little by little she came back to life† (86). Through this seen the Brothers Grimm insinuate that females are dependent on men in every -and -which way. By making Snow White dependent on theShow MoreRelatedEssay about Informative Synthesis Fairy Tales930 Words   |  4 PagesInformative Synthesis Fairy tales play a big role in society whether we realize it or not. They have been told by parents to their children for many generations. Everyone has been introduced to fairy tales whether it’s on TV, from a children’s book, told by someone else, we have all heard a fairy tale. Most of the time fairy tales are being told without thinking what they are about. Fairy tales have effect on people even if they do not know it, and four fairy tale analyzers have written articlesRead MoreSleeping Beauty And Pick Out The Main Characters1371 Words   |  6 Pagesnot so big, but powerful the three fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather (all female) are a force to be reckoned with. From the very beginning these women are the powerhouses that move this story along. When they knew that the princess was in danger they came up with the plan to hide her in the first place. This demonstrates strong will and resourcefulness in these women and on a bigger note kindness. Kindness is key when thinking about all that these fairies did for her. In this instance beingRead MoreCinderella, By Bruno Bettelheim1162 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Disney Princesses are known to be depending on their Prince Charming for happiness. As years pass by, Princesses today are more independent and don’t need a Prince Charming in their lives. This idea affects children who feel inspired by these Fairy Tales. In the article, Cinderella, by Bruno Bettelheim, he states, â€Å"It gives the child confidence that the same will be true to him.† This makes children think that they will have a similar life as them. Disney Princesses have changed overtime since theRead MoreCinderella, Pretty Woman and Feminism 1410 Words   |  6 Pageschanged. This film has fairy tale elements, but the biggest element in the movie is the use of sex; Vivian, the main character, is a prostitute. She meets her â€Å"prince† and is swept off of her feet, but what this really means is that she is bought for an entire week by a handsome, wealthy business man. One would assume that he was buying her for sex, but this is not your average prostitute transaction. This movie has a lot of third wave feminism ideals. Third wave feminism deals with using the femaleRead MoreSummary Of The Tale 1386 Words   |  6 PagesFairytales, often created with an educational purpose, are regarded as cautionary tales. In Perrault’s Bluebeard, the tale demonstrates one of those cautionary tales against bad virtues, which is this case, against curiosity and temptation. Originated for oral tradition as many other classical fairy tales, Bluebeard has various versions about its original inspirational story. Among different theories, the interpretation of Bluebeard’s origin as a women story particularly stands out as it not onlyRead MoreComparison Of Little Red Riding Hood And Beauty And The Beast 1486 Words   |  6 Pagesnarratives for their own purposes. Original fairy tales such as Perrault’s ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ or De Beaumont’s ‘Beauty and The Beast’ depict women as both socially and physically inferior – they reflect a hegemonic patriarchal social structure that restricted female voice and independence in order to maintain the status quo. In ‘The Bloody Chamber’ Angela Carter effectively draws out the theme of feminism by contrasting traditional elements of the fairy-tale genre and Gothic fiction – which usuallyRead MoreAnalysis Of Carter s The Bloody Chamber 1114 Words   |  5 Pageswomen. As a libertarian feminist Angela Carter presents the ideals of the second wave of feminism; consequently a common theme throughout ‘The Bloody Chamber’ collective is the notion that in order for society to progress, women must cast away the restraints placed upon them by society and reclaim authoritative qualities that are deemed masculine and unsightly for a woman to possess. Traditionally fairy tales present females as timid and â€Å"cute but essentially helpless† (find citation). Carter addressesRead MoreThe Sexual Content in Angela Carter ´S the Bloody Chamber1684 Words   |  7 Pagesfairytales whose â€Å"latent content† she says were â€Å"violently sexual†, (qtd by Robin Sheets, â€Å"Pornography Fairy Tales and Feminism† 642). The stories include a variation of classics fairytales such as â€Å"Bluebeard†, â€Å"Beauty and the Beast† and â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† with sometimes more than one version of the same original tale, for example â€Å"Wolf-Alice† and â€Å"The Company of Wolves†. In re-writing these fairy tales Carter has given the new versions a specifically sexual content and focuses on the female protagonistRead MoreThe s Sleeping Beauty By Pyotr Tchaikovsky And Little Briar Rose856 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history, women have been port rayed as submissive characters in all forms of stories. This is especially evident in the Disney versions of commonly known fairy tales. Not only are the female characters most often subservient to the domineering male characters, but they are frequently passive as well. Disney’s Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959. Written by Erdman Penner, it was based upon La Belle au bois dormant by Charles Perrault, The Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and LittleRead MoreThe Little Glass Slipper By Charles Perrault1013 Words   |  5 PagesDuring the late 1600s, author Charles Perrault produced works of literature that were read to us as children: fairy tales. Perrault utilized fairy tales as a way to communicate what he perceived to be as sound advice to his audience. Two of Perrault’s fairy tales, variations of the well-known Cinderella, are titled â€Å"The Little Glass Slipper† and â€Å"Donkeyskin.† Both variations capture a common moral associated with Cinderella stories that those who are good-hearted will be rewarded. However, can Perrault’s