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THE REASON WHY THE BROTHERS GRIMM'S
FAIRY TALES ARE REVISED
A Research Paper Presented to
The Faculty of the English Resource Center
School of Multimedia Arts
Asia Pacific College
Magallanes, Makati City
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements of the Course
ERESWRIT - Research Writing
Elle Franchesca Guinto
April 2014
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
The Grimm's fairy tales are one of the popular sources of children tales, back in the Medieval, and still in the present. The Brothers' Grimm, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, are one of the popular authors that paved the way for the fame of fairy tales. These tales, are the stories that we see today, the one that are usually produced by Disney. Fairy tales, as some had noticed, had a series of sort of cliched pattern. They have the perfect endings, the so-called 'happily ever after', which can be found and present on almost all the fairy tale movies. They are also told in a less violent way, though still retaining the story line. In the succeeding years that they are made, they had always been safe for children and in public. Or should we say, they are the cleaned versions of the stories.
With a bit of history, The Brothers' Grimm have gone way back to the Medieval times. According to an article written by Francine McKenna entitled "The History of the Brothers' Grimm", They had been travelling around countries, gathering information and different lores and tracing the German culture to its roots. McKenna stated that "Researching forgotten roots, the brothers Grimm had originally immersed themselves in the study of Old German which had then developed in the direction of all things Germanic, anything that might help to forge a common German consciousness, hoping their writings would help towards creating a sense of German identity" (http://www.germanpulse.com/2012/04/10/the-history-of-the-brothers-grimm/).
Some of the popular Grimm's tales are Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Frog Prince and Rumpelstiltskin. And even with these stories, they are enough to prove that the stories have a 'different' kind of way that they are told.
Alessandro Cima wrote an article called "Grimms Fairy Tales". The article talked about how these stories have a certain effect to children reading them.These tales are observed to have 'different' kind of ways they are originally told, since most of these tales are retold to a cleaner version through Disney's cartoon movies and are revised from different literary authors. The originals, are found to have gory details and cannibalistic nature on the characters. He stated that "Grimm’s Fairy Tales are not all appropriate for very young children. Some the of the tales contain violence and prejudice. Unfortunately, they do reflect some of the less admirable qualities of the people who told the tales and spread them from one region to another. Some of the prejudice in evidence still exists today and cannot be viewed as entirely historical in nature" (http://www.candlelightstories.com/storybooks/grimms-fairy-tales/).
The Grimm's tales are passed on multiple times to different versions. Some had been retold to a much finer way that is more pleasant to the audience. A factor that could made this possible is the travelling of Brothers to different countries, gathering tales and lores all over, and retelling and compiling them for their literature.
According to the article "Grimm's Fairy Tales and Other Versions" by Elizabeth Kennedy, the article talked about the Brothers' Grimm on their travel as they go around countries collecting tales. And with the published stories of the Grimm's they attracted children as audience. She stated that, "The subject of fairy tales is a fascinating one, particularly Grimm's fairy tales. Many of the most popular fairy tales of today developed centuries ago and have evolved over time into stories for children" (http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/fairytales/a/grimm.htm).
The researcher observed that the original versions that are made by the Brothers' Grimm are different from what are seen today. They had been interpreted to different versions and editions that are less than the original and are the ones present and viewed today.
The main focus of this paper is to know why the fairy tales of the Brothers' Grimm are revised. The tales may have gone a long way but knowing they are revised can promote a better understanding and knowledge.
B. Statement of the Problem
This study aims to answer this question:
1. What is the reason why the Grimm's fairy tales revised?
C. Significance of the Study
Writers. This research paper would help to inform present and future writers about the possible new methods of approach to create stories and literature. With this research paper, it may help them learn from the ways of classical writers (such as the Brother's Grimm) and use it for their own. This can also widen their knowledge about what are the things that can make a story change.
Readers. Knowing why the Grimm's tales are revised or changed will help the readers in understanding the reason why certain revisions of stories are done. They can also be aware that the stories nowadays had come from distant originals that are almost forgotten through time.
Future Researchers. This paper will help future researchers that will probably want to know more of the subject. It will contribute to what they want to know especially if they are also researching about fairy tales and the history.
Parents. This paper will help in guiding their children fro better learning with the correct mediums.
D. Scope and Delimitation
The focus of this paper is to explain why the Grimm's fairy tales are revised. Fairy tales are made as a source of learning and the reason why they are revised may help in further development of writing literature.
Due to time constraints, this study will no longer discuss other linked factors such as the real stories about the fairy tales, the journey of the brothers, and the sources to how they found the tales. This will focus mainly on research why the fairy tales are changed to lighter versions.
E. Materials and Methods
The researcher will use the method of searching links through online sources for articles, essays, and journals that is connected and will support in the study. It will focus on research about what had happen why the tales are changed and converted to different editions.
The materials that the researcher will use are articles, essays, and journals that can be found through online access.
F. Definition of Terms
1. Fairy Tales - a story (as for children) involving fantastic forces and beings (as fairies, wizards, and goblins); a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairy%20tale).
2. Revision - a change or a set of changes that corrects or improves something; a new version of something : something (such as a piece of writing or a song) that has been corrected or changed (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revision?show=0&t=1397185016).
Chapter 2
DISCUSSION
What is the reason why the Grimm's fairy tales are revised?
Definition of Fairy Tales
Fairy tales are the short stories of fantasy that are purely fictional and is used for children nowadays. It is a kind of story that involves different magical creatures like fairies, wizards, unicorns, etc., and also includes sorcery and magic in its plot.
To define more of fairy tales, the researcher found an article entitled "Fairy Tale Defined" written by Wally Hastings from the site Fairrosa.info. In the article, Hastings talked about the different ways of the term "fairy tale" is defined from different sources. According to the article, the way of distinction between fairy tales and those with folk tradition comes from folklorists who follow the folklorist named Stith Thompson and distinguish the item between the "fairy tale" (Kunstmarchen) and the "folk tale" (Volksmarchen). He said that these two types can be defined as "literary fairy tales" and "folk fairy tales." The folk tales are the older form which more oral and communal and that it is developed through retellings within a society. While, the fairy tale is a literary production made to a greater or lesser extent on folk tales and it has a more set form, meaning you can claim an authoritative version than the original author (http://www.fairrosa.info/disc/fairytale.definition.html).
As fairy tales are confused with folk tales, there is another article the researcher found entitled "Answering What is a Fairy Tale" written by Heidi Anne Heiner form the site SurlaluneFairytales.com. In the site, almost the same as Hastings, Heiner talked about how different authors define fairy tales. Cutting a quote from the site, she stated that "...fairy tales are part of folklore, but folk tales are not necessarily fairy tales. The simplest way to explain this is to think of fairy tales as a subgenre of folklore along with myths and legends" (http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html).
In short, fairy tales are the retold version of the folk tales that is improved depending how a certain author decides it to be. Fairy tales are derived from folk tales as they passed on, retold from different tellers. As Heiner said in her article, "Once the story is written, it becomes static in that version. It is no longer only folklore, but part of the world's body of literature" (http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html).
Reasons Why The Grimm's Fairy Tales Are Revised
I. Children as Audience
As the Brothers' Grimm were collecting their stories by travelling from one place to another they were also in the process of publishing their editions. Until later they realized that they developed the children as the major audience in their works.
There was an article entitled "Guardians of the Fairy Tale: The Brothers Grimm" written by Thomas O'Neill from the site NationalGeographic.com. In that article, Thomas talked about the legacy and process of the Brothers Grimm from the moment they started up to their last as their stories progressed and developed from time. The children were apparently attracted to the idea of princes rescuing princesses and how things magically happen, though in the first place, the tales were not really aimed for children. It is only to preserve the Germanic oral tradition.
In the article, he said that "Once the Brothers Grimm sighted this new public, they set about refining and softening their tales, which had originated centuries earlier as earthy peasant fare" (http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html).
Because of the attention they attracted to children, English publishers started to make beautiful and pleasant images of the stories that will satisfy their audience. And of course, as they were being translated and retold, the elements softened and the brutal and cruel parts were sensored, leaving the image of how we see 'fairy tales' in our days. A perfect example is how Disney portrayed it in their cartoon animated films that started with their version of "Snow White" and "Cinderella".
II. Offended Adults
If the audience the Grimm Brothers attracted are the children, there is also a big possibility that they would attract the adults as well, since children always rely on their parents. As their stories are exposed, adults also begun reading them and they noticed of the 'way' the original stories are told. With matured minds, they reacted on why the stories are made in such a way that they were brutal and violent.
Also from the article of Thomas O'Neill, he said that there was an American educator back in 1885 who railed that "The folktales mirror all too loyally the entire medieval worldview and culture with all its stark prejudice, its crudeness and barbarities." The original stories, as they were told, were pretty violent and the psychology were almost realistic but a little too cruel. The other adults who have read the stories were offended and they objected the Grimm's way of punishing the villains in their story.
Examples of these are the original story of "Snow White" where the evil stepmother is forced to dance on iron-hot shoes to death. Another is "The Goose Maid" where the servant is stripped, forced into a barrel studded with nails and dragged through the streets.
Almost all of the Grimm's tales are written in those way. The villains with unusual motives such as the evil stepmother of Snow White who is actually a cannibal wanting to eat her heart, are punished in a way they were cruelly tortured or violently punished. As the adults saw this, they resisted these kind of ways the stories were told and also they think that it is not suitable for their children to read.
III. Family Viewing
While they already attracted the children and the adults for their tales to be in favor of their audience, the tales continued to be revised to newer versions. One of the major roles that played a part in this is the company of Walt Disney.
The researcher found an article entitled "Disney v. Original Fairy Tales", a final project by Abby Quick from the site Quick105.Wordpress.com. In the article, she talked about the comparison of the Disney Movies from the original versions. In the bottom part which is her conclusion, she talked about the changes and the tales that were adapted to the movies. As their now target market as which is the children, Abby said that it is only understandable that Disney converts the tales to a cleaner version.
In the article, she said that "They feel the need to make the tales suitable for family viewing and don’t want to raise controversy. In more cases than not, Disney changes the main message of the fairytales they adapt. I think Disney changes the stories in order to put the values that they deem important. Because Disney is such a big and influential company, the values they instill are engrained in our youth" (http://quick105.wordpress.com/).
Nowadays, Disney had the most impact if talking about fantasies and fairy tales. And with their influence, they now played the big role of retelling these stories to a more child-friendly way and that is what they did. With Disney started the fairy tale retellings and animated them, they had become the main source of the tales nowadays that what they started is what most of believed in.
IV. Fairy Tale Revisions Necessary
Fairy Tales, regardless if they were meant for children or not, are the ones that spearheaded that short stories influence the children more. As most of us had grown to, we've always thought that fairy tales are meant for children and even though they really are not, the revised ideas of the fairy tales are where most values that we teach nowadays are taken from. The fairy tales that are retold to us, which are the improved and the cleaner versions, had always given us a good impact that they had been subject to basic value teachings to children. And as what the researcher had thought, it is only good that they are revised.
The best method to make a child learn is to let him/her read different books that will supplement her basic knowledge. And since fairy tale plots are the simplest and the easiest ones to teach, we had grown accustomed to them being the primary source. With their easy to follow plots and easy to recognize characters, even back in the Grimm's time they had attracted the attention. And by their help of the revised children versions, it developed a new method to teach youngsters without being much technical.
The researcher found an article entitled "Influence of Fairy Tales on Children" written by Rave Uno from the site Buzzle.com. In the article, he talked about the good points why children should read fairy tales. He also expressed the benefits of making kids read them and the good effects of it to their brains.
One point is that they "encourage the children to dream and imagine". According to him, childhood is the stage in life that dreaming is uncontrollable to children and their imaginations are wildly active. The idea of kingdoms and magic fulfill their creativity as a child especially when they read fairy tale books. In the article, he stated that "A child's mind with video games and movies is given the thought or the concept, he/she has not had a chance to imagine or think of it on his/her own" (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/influence-of-fairy-tales-on-children.html).
Summary
This paper aimed to discover the reasons why the Grimm's fairy tales are revised.
Wally Hastings "Fairy Tale Defined" from
http://www.fairrosa.info/disc/fairytale.definition.html
Heidi Anne Heiner "Answering What is a Fairy Tale?" from
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html
Thomas O'Neill "Guardians of the Fairy Tale: The Brothers Grimm" from
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html
Abby Quick "Disney v. Original Fairy Tales" from
http://quick105.wordpress.com
Rave Uno "Influence of Fairy Tales on Children" from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/influence-of-fairy-tales-on-children.html
Definition of Fairy Tales
Fairy tales are the short stories of fantasy that are purely fictional and is used for children nowadays. It is a kind of story that involves different magical creatures like fairies, wizards, unicorns, etc., and also includes sorcery and magic in its plot.
To define more of fairy tales, the researcher found an article entitled "Fairy Tale Defined" written by Wally Hastings from the site Fairrosa.info. In the article, Hastings talked about the different ways of the term "fairy tale" is defined from different sources. According to the article, the way of distinction between fairy tales and those with folk tradition comes from folklorists who follow the folklorist named Stith Thompson and distinguish the item between the "fairy tale" (Kunstmarchen) and the "folk tale" (Volksmarchen). He said that these two types can be defined as "literary fairy tales" and "folk fairy tales." The folk tales are the older form which more oral and communal and that it is developed through retellings within a society. While, the fairy tale is a literary production made to a greater or lesser extent on folk tales and it has a more set form, meaning you can claim an authoritative version than the original author (http://www.fairrosa.info/disc/fairytale.definition.html).
As fairy tales are confused with folk tales, there is another article the researcher found entitled "Answering What is a Fairy Tale" written by Heidi Anne Heiner form the site SurlaluneFairytales.com. In the site, almost the same as Hastings, Heiner talked about how different authors define fairy tales. Cutting a quote from the site, she stated that "...fairy tales are part of folklore, but folk tales are not necessarily fairy tales. The simplest way to explain this is to think of fairy tales as a subgenre of folklore along with myths and legends" (http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html).
In short, fairy tales are the retold version of the folk tales that is improved depending how a certain author decides it to be. Fairy tales are derived from folk tales as they passed on, retold from different tellers. As Heiner said in her article, "Once the story is written, it becomes static in that version. It is no longer only folklore, but part of the world's body of literature" (http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html).
Reasons Why The Grimm's Fairy Tales Are Revised
I. Children as Audience
As the Brothers' Grimm were collecting their stories by travelling from one place to another they were also in the process of publishing their editions. Until later they realized that they developed the children as the major audience in their works.
There was an article entitled "Guardians of the Fairy Tale: The Brothers Grimm" written by Thomas O'Neill from the site NationalGeographic.com. In that article, Thomas talked about the legacy and process of the Brothers Grimm from the moment they started up to their last as their stories progressed and developed from time. The children were apparently attracted to the idea of princes rescuing princesses and how things magically happen, though in the first place, the tales were not really aimed for children. It is only to preserve the Germanic oral tradition.
In the article, he said that "Once the Brothers Grimm sighted this new public, they set about refining and softening their tales, which had originated centuries earlier as earthy peasant fare" (http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html).
Because of the attention they attracted to children, English publishers started to make beautiful and pleasant images of the stories that will satisfy their audience. And of course, as they were being translated and retold, the elements softened and the brutal and cruel parts were sensored, leaving the image of how we see 'fairy tales' in our days. A perfect example is how Disney portrayed it in their cartoon animated films that started with their version of "Snow White" and "Cinderella".
II. Offended Adults
If the audience the Grimm Brothers attracted are the children, there is also a big possibility that they would attract the adults as well, since children always rely on their parents. As their stories are exposed, adults also begun reading them and they noticed of the 'way' the original stories are told. With matured minds, they reacted on why the stories are made in such a way that they were brutal and violent.
Also from the article of Thomas O'Neill, he said that there was an American educator back in 1885 who railed that "The folktales mirror all too loyally the entire medieval worldview and culture with all its stark prejudice, its crudeness and barbarities." The original stories, as they were told, were pretty violent and the psychology were almost realistic but a little too cruel. The other adults who have read the stories were offended and they objected the Grimm's way of punishing the villains in their story.
Examples of these are the original story of "Snow White" where the evil stepmother is forced to dance on iron-hot shoes to death. Another is "The Goose Maid" where the servant is stripped, forced into a barrel studded with nails and dragged through the streets.
Almost all of the Grimm's tales are written in those way. The villains with unusual motives such as the evil stepmother of Snow White who is actually a cannibal wanting to eat her heart, are punished in a way they were cruelly tortured or violently punished. As the adults saw this, they resisted these kind of ways the stories were told and also they think that it is not suitable for their children to read.
III. Family Viewing
While they already attracted the children and the adults for their tales to be in favor of their audience, the tales continued to be revised to newer versions. One of the major roles that played a part in this is the company of Walt Disney.
The researcher found an article entitled "Disney v. Original Fairy Tales", a final project by Abby Quick from the site Quick105.Wordpress.com. In the article, she talked about the comparison of the Disney Movies from the original versions. In the bottom part which is her conclusion, she talked about the changes and the tales that were adapted to the movies. As their now target market as which is the children, Abby said that it is only understandable that Disney converts the tales to a cleaner version.
In the article, she said that "They feel the need to make the tales suitable for family viewing and don’t want to raise controversy. In more cases than not, Disney changes the main message of the fairytales they adapt. I think Disney changes the stories in order to put the values that they deem important. Because Disney is such a big and influential company, the values they instill are engrained in our youth" (http://quick105.wordpress.com/).
Nowadays, Disney had the most impact if talking about fantasies and fairy tales. And with their influence, they now played the big role of retelling these stories to a more child-friendly way and that is what they did. With Disney started the fairy tale retellings and animated them, they had become the main source of the tales nowadays that what they started is what most of believed in.
IV. Fairy Tale Revisions Necessary
Fairy Tales, regardless if they were meant for children or not, are the ones that spearheaded that short stories influence the children more. As most of us had grown to, we've always thought that fairy tales are meant for children and even though they really are not, the revised ideas of the fairy tales are where most values that we teach nowadays are taken from. The fairy tales that are retold to us, which are the improved and the cleaner versions, had always given us a good impact that they had been subject to basic value teachings to children. And as what the researcher had thought, it is only good that they are revised.
The best method to make a child learn is to let him/her read different books that will supplement her basic knowledge. And since fairy tale plots are the simplest and the easiest ones to teach, we had grown accustomed to them being the primary source. With their easy to follow plots and easy to recognize characters, even back in the Grimm's time they had attracted the attention. And by their help of the revised children versions, it developed a new method to teach youngsters without being much technical.
The researcher found an article entitled "Influence of Fairy Tales on Children" written by Rave Uno from the site Buzzle.com. In the article, he talked about the good points why children should read fairy tales. He also expressed the benefits of making kids read them and the good effects of it to their brains.
One point is that they "encourage the children to dream and imagine". According to him, childhood is the stage in life that dreaming is uncontrollable to children and their imaginations are wildly active. The idea of kingdoms and magic fulfill their creativity as a child especially when they read fairy tale books. In the article, he stated that "A child's mind with video games and movies is given the thought or the concept, he/she has not had a chance to imagine or think of it on his/her own" (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/influence-of-fairy-tales-on-children.html).
Chapter 3
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATION
Summary
This paper aimed to discover the reasons why the Grimm's fairy tales are revised.
The research design used in this study is descriptive research method wherein data from documents, studies and articles found on the internet were used to answer the research question presented.
1.Fairy tales go long way back to the Medieval period courtesy of the Grimms gathering them all around Germany. The tales are having cliched pattern of characters and endings as what their image had been portrayed today.They all have happy endings and they have this clean image of their plots with pleasant details.
2. The researcher learned that there was a time in the past that stories are written in a way that they had been brutal and violent before and most of the stories are revised.
3. The information the researcher gathered aimed to know the reason why the Grimm's fairy tales had been revised.
Conclusions
Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are drawn:
1. The children as audience is the major reason the Grimm's fairy tales had been revised, though them being the target audience was not intended. The Grimm's intention was to preserve their Germanic culture but their works apparently attracted the children.
2. The Grimm's tales attracted the adults as well but they soon noticed the way the tales are written and they found out that they were too violent and evil.They also objected the idea of the Grimm's tales of how they cruelly punish their villains.
3. As the children as their now audience and they have the adults attention as well, revisions that came after aimed the stories for family viewing in which the company of Walt Disney is responsible of. The animated cartoon movies that they produced became the child-friendly type version that is viewed today.
Recommendation
After drawing the conclusions of the study, the researcher hereby make the following recommendations:
1. Writers should take consideration of the way they write their stories since literary works are not entirely controlled for a specific audience. Though each have their own style of writing, they should at least make sure that their works are aimed to their specific target.
2. Readers who had read this research should be more open to research of the books or literary works that they read. It will help them gain more knowledge of how they are written and why they are written in such a way that is appealing to the audience. In short, it could give them more awareness to the things that they read.
3. Future researchers should be open more in their research in order for them to find out how things happen. They can also find more information of their topics that will can raise another of their interest.
4.Parents should guide their children more on what they read and what they see. Proper guidance to children is the best for them to learn the best things.
References
A. Electronic Media
Francine McKenna "The History of the Brother's Grimm" from
http://www.germanpulse.com/2012/04/10/the-history-of-the-brothers-grimm
Alessandro Cima "Grimm's Fairy Tales" from
http://www.candlelightstories.com/storybooks/grimms-fairy-tales
Elizabeth Kennedy "Grimm's Fairy Tales and Other Versions" from
http://childrensbooks.about.com/cs/fairytales/a/grimm.htm
Wally Hastings "Fairy Tale Defined" from
http://www.fairrosa.info/disc/fairytale.definition.html
Heidi Anne Heiner "Answering What is a Fairy Tale?" from
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html
Thomas O'Neill "Guardians of the Fairy Tale: The Brothers Grimm" from
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html
Abby Quick "Disney v. Original Fairy Tales" from
http://quick105.wordpress.com
Rave Uno "Influence of Fairy Tales on Children" from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/influence-of-fairy-tales-on-children.html
