I was walking across campus this morning (very carefully, because it’s ridiculously icy today) trying to decide what to write about when a thought struck me. Why do so many fairy tales involve woods? Think about it. Sleeping Beauty was raised in the woods, then her castle was isolated by a forest of thorns. SnowContinue reading “Why the Woods?”
Tag Archives: Fairy Tales
Stuck in a Tower
Dear Fairy Godmother, I have seriously got, like, the worst parents ever! They are so strict! I keep trying to get them to loosen up, but no amount of arguing works. They can’t believe that I’m growing up. They might as well lock me up in a tower somewhere for all the freedom I get. HowContinue reading “Stuck in a Tower”
But What About Me?
Dear Fairy Godmother, I have a stepsister and I’m tired of being overlooked, or worse, cast as the villain. Cindy is a nice girl. She has a hard time getting along with my mother, true, but they both try their best. Despite what you may have heard, we all pitch in around the house asContinue reading “But What About Me?”
A History of the Fairy Tale
Fairy tales have been passed down orally for centuries, so it’s hard tor trace their exact history. However, once they were written, it becomes easier to see how they’ve grown and change. But where did these stories of the fantastic come from? I may not have precise answers, but I can talk about where theContinue reading “A History of the Fairy Tale”
Fairy Tale Facts: Rapunzel
I can’t believe I haven’t talked about Rapunzel yet! So here I go! It was first published by the Brothers Grimm in their 1812 collection, Children’s and Household Tales. What It’s About A young wife is pregnant. A window in her house overlooked a garden of a powerful enchantress. Day after day, she would sit at theContinue reading “Fairy Tale Facts: Rapunzel”
The Big Three: Perrault, Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm
I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog talking about fairy tales. In exploring the different stories, I’ve found what I consider to be the most famous authors of fairy tales; Charles Perrault, the Grimm Brothers, and Hans Christian Andersen. So today I’m going to dive a little more into their backgrounds. Charles PerraultContinue reading “The Big Three: Perrault, Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm”
Fairy Tale Facts: The Princess and the Pea
In May of 1835, Hans Christian Anderson published a brochure of four original fairy tales. One of the stories was the now-popular The Princess and the Pea. Today we’ll take a look at some aspects of the story. What It’s About A young prince wishes to marry a princess and travels the world to find a bride.Continue reading “Fairy Tale Facts: The Princess and the Pea”
Fairy Tale Facts: Rumplestiltskin
Rumplestiltskin is a fairy tale that I often forget about for chunks of time. Then I’ll stumble across some re-imagining of it that reminds me how great the story is. It was written by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. What It’s About A poor miller, trying to gain some respect, boasts that hisContinue reading “Fairy Tale Facts: Rumplestiltskin”
Fairy Tale Facts: Little Red Riding Hood
I’m breaking away from the winter theme for a week (because it’s surprisingly hard to find them) to examine Little Red Riding Hood. This week the movie Into the Woods comes out (and I am beyond excited to see it!) and part of the story follows Little Red as she attempts to navigate the woods to her grandmother’sContinue reading “Fairy Tale Facts: Little Red Riding Hood”
Winter Tales: The Snow Queen
As I was choosing what tale to talk about this week, I was surprised that I hadn’t covered this one sooner. But I haven’t, so today I will! The Snow Queen was written by Han Christian Anderson, first published in 1844 (December 21, 1844, to be exact, almost 170 years ago to the day!). It providedContinue reading “Winter Tales: The Snow Queen”