Historical Perspectives
The fairytales that I am choosing to focus on are Snow White and Cinderella. While it is no doubt that these are
two of the most well-known fairytales, where did they come from? As I previously stated fairytales were derived from the oral tradition of storytelling, so therefore it is hard to pinpoint an exact source. While these two stories contain different characters, the storylines are very similar. Orphaned children left to the hands of an unkind stepmother and forced to work as servants in their own homes, until one day something magical happens.
The Historical Prespective: Cinderella
In Cinderella this magical thing is an invitation to a ball. Cinderella goes to the ball and
falls in love with the prince in one night. After the clock strikes midnight and she loses her glass slipper, the prince searches the kingdom in search of her, and eventually finds her when the slipper fits. The moral of the story is obvious: Be pious and good, and good things will always come your way. The story is classic, and timeless, and also ever-changing.
There is still argument to this day as to how many actual recorded versions there are of the Cinderella
story, but it is said to be anywhere from 345- 1,500 (Heiner, 1).The earliest record version of Cinderella was actually from China and was written by Tuan Ch’eng-shih in the middle of the ninth century (ReadyEd, 1).In this version of the story, there is no fairy godmother, but rather a magical fish. The shoe is not made of glass, but is rather made of gold, and the gold fish leads her to her prince. The next recorded version of Cinderella, is a little more familiar and comes from the French author Charles Perrault (ReadyEd, 1). In this version there is still
talking animals, a pumpkin carriage, and a handsome prince, but with one major difference. In the end of Perrault’s version of the fairytale,young Cinderella finds husbands for her wicked stepsisters. This shows a value for forgiving ones enemies, that some of the other Cinderella stories lack. Another version of the Cinderella
story is the Grimm Brother’s version which is entitled “Ash Girl”. This version also does not have a fairy godmother, and this tale is far more gruesome than the story that we have come to know. In this version, Cinderella is helped by a magical dove that sits at her mother’s grave, and gives her the gown and shoes for the ball. This sounds similar so far, however, when the prince comes to find out who the lost slipper belongs to, the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to make the shoe fit. Also in this dark retelling, the wicked stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by birds for their cruelty to Cinderella, and their deceitfulness (ReadyEd, 2). However dark this version may seem, it is still representing the values of good vs. evil. Cinderella, who was always kind, and worked hard, was rewarded, while her sisters, who were selfish, and deceitful, perished.
Obviously, the Grimm Brother version is a lesser known adaptation. However Perrault’s version is the version that most people think about when they think Cinderella, even though they may not realize it (Heiner, 1). Today we have many of our own adaptations of these fairytales. We have all heard the term “A Cinderella story” which typically refers to a rag to riches scenario. There are several modern adaptations of this beloved fairy tale such as“Ever After” featuring Drew Barrymore, which is set in a renaissance time period, similar to what the original
setting of Cinderella would have been set in. It follows the same lines that Perrault’s tale had, and was set in France. The beginning of the movie actually features actors portraying the Grimm Brothers as they learn the “true” tale of the little cinder girl. Although this particular version isn’t modern, there are those that are such as
“Another Cinderella Story” with Selena Gomez, and “A Cinderella Story” with Hilary Duff. These follow the lines of a persecuted heroine who suffers at the hands of her step family (Heiner, 1). There are also adaptations of the fairytale that would cater to boys such as the “Cinderella Man” a movie about James Braddock professional boxer who earned his nickname from his seemingly fairytale rise from poor local fighter, to heavyweight champion of the world (Braddock Estate, 1).
The Historical Perspective: Snow White
The original tale of Snow White has been debated, but the story does seem to be based off of a young girl that lived in Germany around the time of 1550 named Margarete von Waldeck. Margarete was a countess and the alleged lover of Phillip the II of Spain (Hart, 2). Most relationships at this time were based solely on political and social standing rather than love, and even though Margarete was a countess, the marriage would have signified
no political gain. Though it has never been proven, many have argued that Margarete was poisoned to get her out of the way, seeing as she died mysteriously at a young age (Hart, 2). Along with these similarities to the Snow White tale, it was also well known that Margarete had a terrible relationship with her step mother. In addition, the town in which she grew up hired many young children to work in the mines as slaves. This caused most of them to die
before the age of twenty, and stunted their growth during puberty; they were often referred to as “poor dwarfs” (Hart,2). Margarete was aware of this, since her family primarily hired the“dwarves”.
Over the years the tale of Snow White has been adapted and changed in various ways. There is of course the Walt Disney version which follows a young girl forced out of her home by an evil stepmother and into the woods,where she lives with seven dwarves and is saved by a handsome prince. The Disney version of this story premiered on December 21st, 1937, and has remained a classic in the Disney collection ever since. However movie adaptations of this story did not stop there. In 2012 alone two adaptation of the story: “Snow White and the Huntsman”and “Mirror,Mirror”, were released.
There is also the Grimm Brothers telling of Snow White. As with all Grimm tales, it is a bit darker than one would expect for a children’s story. It begins the same way as the version we are all familiar with,however instead of the queen ordering the Huntsman to bring back Snow White’s heart, she requests that he bring back her lung and liver as proof of the death (Grimm, 2). Of course the huntsman does not kill Snow White, but instead kills a wild boar and brings back the lung and liver of the animal to the queen,which she then cooks and eats. Another difference between this tale written in 1812, and the modern day Disney version is that Snow White is supposed to be seven years old, whereas in the Disney version Snow White is represented as more of a teenager. An additional difference in the two stories is that Snow White is tricked by the evil queen not once but three times in the Grimm version. The third time is by a poisonous apple that puts her under a sleeping curse (Grimm, 3). However it is not true love’s kiss that saves her, but rather a clumsy dwarf that trips over some brush while carrying Snow Whites coffin, and dislodges the apple from her throat (Grimm, 3). Lastly,instead of the young Snow White, running off,marrying the prince, and never thinking of her wicked step mother again, the wicked queen visits Snow White in her castle, and is then forced to dance in iron shoes that had been placed in a blazing fire until she fell down dead (Grimm, 3).
While this story is no doubt extremely gruesome, it was in fact told to children in that day in age. The earliest know version of the tale was written in Italy in 1634 (Windling, 1). This version of the tale involves a more complex back story, and was instead called “The Young Slave” (Windling, 2). It still contains the similar tension between an older matriarch and a young, beautiful girl, driven by jealousy. However the story begins with a mother who is swallows a rose leaf and later finds herself pregnant. Fairies come to bless the baby, but instead curse it and the child dies while her mother is coming her hair (Windling,2.) The mother locks the child away in a glass casket and when she later dies, she gives the key to her brother and makes him promise that he will not open the door. The baron later marries, and gives the key to his new wife, who unlocks the door to find the child (who has matured in her enchanted state), and becomes wickedly jealous (Windling, 3). Although this early version of the fairytale is still reminiscent of the Disney version, it is still a bit to colorful for what we would consider appropriate for children today.
The fairytales that I am choosing to focus on are Snow White and
Cinderella. While it is no doubt that these are
two of the most well-known
fairytales, where did they come from? As I previously stated fairytales were
derived from the oral tradition of storytelling, so therefore it is hard to
pinpoint an exact source. While these two stories contain different characters,
the storylines are very similar. Orphaned children left to the hands of an
unkind stepmother and forced to work as servants in their own homes, until one
day something magical happens.
The fairytales that I am choosing to focus on are Snow White and Cinderella. While it is no doubt that these are
two of the most well-known fairytales, where did they come from? As I previously stated fairytales were derived from the oral tradition of storytelling, so therefore it is hard to pinpoint an exact source. While these two stories contain different characters, the storylines are very similar. Orphaned children left to the hands of an unkind stepmother and forced to work as servants in their own homes, until one day something magical happens.
The Historical Prespective: Cinderella
In Cinderella this magical thing is an invitation to a ball. Cinderella goes to the ball and
falls in love with the prince in one night. After the clock strikes midnight and she loses her glass slipper, the prince searches the kingdom in search of her, and eventually finds her when the slipper fits. The moral of the story is obvious: Be pious and good, and good things will always come your way. The story is classic, and timeless, and also ever-changing.
There is still argument to this day as to how many actual recorded versions there are of the Cinderella
story, but it is said to be anywhere from 345- 1,500 (Heiner, 1).The earliest record version of Cinderella was actually from China and was written by Tuan Ch’eng-shih in the middle of the ninth century (ReadyEd, 1).In this version of the story, there is no fairy godmother, but rather a magical fish. The shoe is not made of glass, but is rather made of gold, and the gold fish leads her to her prince. The next recorded version of Cinderella, is a little more familiar and comes from the French author Charles Perrault (ReadyEd, 1). In this version there is still
talking animals, a pumpkin carriage, and a handsome prince, but with one major difference. In the end of Perrault’s version of the fairytale,young Cinderella finds husbands for her wicked stepsisters. This shows a value for forgiving ones enemies, that some of the other Cinderella stories lack. Another version of the Cinderella
story is the Grimm Brother’s version which is entitled “Ash Girl”. This version also does not have a fairy godmother, and this tale is far more gruesome than the story that we have come to know. In this version, Cinderella is helped by a magical dove that sits at her mother’s grave, and gives her the gown and shoes for the ball. This sounds similar so far, however, when the prince comes to find out who the lost slipper belongs to, the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to make the shoe fit. Also in this dark retelling, the wicked stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by birds for their cruelty to Cinderella, and their deceitfulness (ReadyEd, 2). However dark this version may seem, it is still representing the values of good vs. evil. Cinderella, who was always kind, and worked hard, was rewarded, while her sisters, who were selfish, and deceitful, perished.
Obviously, the Grimm Brother version is a lesser known adaptation. However Perrault’s version is the version that most people think about when they think Cinderella, even though they may not realize it (Heiner, 1). Today we have many of our own adaptations of these fairytales. We have all heard the term “A Cinderella story” which typically refers to a rag to riches scenario. There are several modern adaptations of this beloved fairy tale such as“Ever After” featuring Drew Barrymore, which is set in a renaissance time period, similar to what the original
setting of Cinderella would have been set in. It follows the same lines that Perrault’s tale had, and was set in France. The beginning of the movie actually features actors portraying the Grimm Brothers as they learn the “true” tale of the little cinder girl. Although this particular version isn’t modern, there are those that are such as
“Another Cinderella Story” with Selena Gomez, and “A Cinderella Story” with Hilary Duff. These follow the lines of a persecuted heroine who suffers at the hands of her step family (Heiner, 1). There are also adaptations of the fairytale that would cater to boys such as the “Cinderella Man” a movie about James Braddock professional boxer who earned his nickname from his seemingly fairytale rise from poor local fighter, to heavyweight champion of the world (Braddock Estate, 1).
The Historical Perspective: Snow White
The original tale of Snow White has been debated, but the story does seem to be based off of a young girl that lived in Germany around the time of 1550 named Margarete von Waldeck. Margarete was a countess and the alleged lover of Phillip the II of Spain (Hart, 2). Most relationships at this time were based solely on political and social standing rather than love, and even though Margarete was a countess, the marriage would have signified
no political gain. Though it has never been proven, many have argued that Margarete was poisoned to get her out of the way, seeing as she died mysteriously at a young age (Hart, 2). Along with these similarities to the Snow White tale, it was also well known that Margarete had a terrible relationship with her step mother. In addition, the town in which she grew up hired many young children to work in the mines as slaves. This caused most of them to die
before the age of twenty, and stunted their growth during puberty; they were often referred to as “poor dwarfs” (Hart,2). Margarete was aware of this, since her family primarily hired the“dwarves”.
Over the years the tale of Snow White has been adapted and changed in various ways. There is of course the Walt Disney version which follows a young girl forced out of her home by an evil stepmother and into the woods,where she lives with seven dwarves and is saved by a handsome prince. The Disney version of this story premiered on December 21st, 1937, and has remained a classic in the Disney collection ever since. However movie adaptations of this story did not stop there. In 2012 alone two adaptation of the story: “Snow White and the Huntsman”and “Mirror,Mirror”, were released.
There is also the Grimm Brothers telling of Snow White. As with all Grimm tales, it is a bit darker than one would expect for a children’s story. It begins the same way as the version we are all familiar with,however instead of the queen ordering the Huntsman to bring back Snow White’s heart, she requests that he bring back her lung and liver as proof of the death (Grimm, 2). Of course the huntsman does not kill Snow White, but instead kills a wild boar and brings back the lung and liver of the animal to the queen,which she then cooks and eats. Another difference between this tale written in 1812, and the modern day Disney version is that Snow White is supposed to be seven years old, whereas in the Disney version Snow White is represented as more of a teenager. An additional difference in the two stories is that Snow White is tricked by the evil queen not once but three times in the Grimm version. The third time is by a poisonous apple that puts her under a sleeping curse (Grimm, 3). However it is not true love’s kiss that saves her, but rather a clumsy dwarf that trips over some brush while carrying Snow Whites coffin, and dislodges the apple from her throat (Grimm, 3). Lastly,instead of the young Snow White, running off,marrying the prince, and never thinking of her wicked step mother again, the wicked queen visits Snow White in her castle, and is then forced to dance in iron shoes that had been placed in a blazing fire until she fell down dead (Grimm, 3).
While this story is no doubt extremely gruesome, it was in fact told to children in that day in age. The earliest know version of the tale was written in Italy in 1634 (Windling, 1). This version of the tale involves a more complex back story, and was instead called “The Young Slave” (Windling, 2). It still contains the similar tension between an older matriarch and a young, beautiful girl, driven by jealousy. However the story begins with a mother who is swallows a rose leaf and later finds herself pregnant. Fairies come to bless the baby, but instead curse it and the child dies while her mother is coming her hair (Windling,2.) The mother locks the child away in a glass casket and when she later dies, she gives the key to her brother and makes him promise that he will not open the door. The baron later marries, and gives the key to his new wife, who unlocks the door to find the child (who has matured in her enchanted state), and becomes wickedly jealous (Windling, 3). Although this early version of the fairytale is still reminiscent of the Disney version, it is still a bit to colorful for what we would consider appropriate for children today.
The fairytales that I am choosing to focus on are Snow White and
Cinderella. While it is no doubt that these are
two of the most well-known
fairytales, where did they come from? As I previously stated fairytales were
derived from the oral tradition of storytelling, so therefore it is hard to
pinpoint an exact source. While these two stories contain different characters,
the storylines are very similar. Orphaned children left to the hands of an
unkind stepmother and forced to work as servants in their own homes, until one
day something magical happens.