Introduction

Iconic, legendary, and entertaining; Fairy Tales are one of the most ancient forms of literature that continues to be written, adapted, and shared amongst many readers and listeners of all eyes and ears. This introduction will explore how entertainment and education go hand-in-hand- when portrayed in fairy tales, how this genre uses themes to deliver central messages, and how fairy tales explore the complexities of human life and society. By analyzing the content and themes of different fairy tales, we find that this genre does an excellent job of entertaining and is an important way to teach valuable lessons to not only young children but people of all ages.  

Since the beginning of time, fairytales have been mirrors of not only societal norms and values but also social issues and injustices within their time. With these tales being the ideal genre to broadcast not only core characteristics but display societal significance, readers are compelled to think critically of not only themselves but the world around them. In stories like Cinderella and The Ugly Duckling, readers can be challenged to compare their own experiences and trials to the main characters in these books to overcome challenges and use reasoning to figure out how to handle these societal and personal situations as they arise. Readers can also develop emotional awareness to see things from different perspectives as they experience empathy toward other characters within these books. Fairy tales can offer readers life lessons. For example, in the Three Little Pigs, we see how being lazy and taking shortcuts in life can lead to larger problems followed by disaster. 

The recurring themes and tropes included in fairytales add mystery and magic to each story. In most fairy tales there are talking animals, some magical aspects like spells or curses, mentors such as fairy godmothers, and quests. By examining these tropes, we will be able to see how fairy tales contain magic and how that magic can be transformative to children's imagination as they explore and read more. Fairy tales can enrich children's imagination and give children an escape to reality as they read. They can travel to places where impossible things happen which can create a fun and engaging learning experience while gaining knowledge about literature and writing. 

Although fairytales come with good lessons, can be entertaining, and may allow readers/listeners to develop self-awareness, something to take into account and be cautious of is that this genre acts as a platform for gender roles and stereotypical tropes. Because of fairy tales, we even get the character type of a “damsel in distress.” Which is primarily a female character who must be rescued by the hero (in most and all cases, is a man.) This stereotype implies women are incapable of helping or saving themselves, which is why she desperately needs a man to come and rescue her. We see this in many fairy tales like Cinderella where a man saves her from a damned life with her step-sisters and mother by marrying her, a version of Little Red Riding Hood where a huntsman comes and saves Little Red from being eaten by a wolf, and many more. This is just one of many examples of how gender roles/ stereotypes are displayed in fairytales. Although this genre comes with this caution, it might help to remember that fairytales are constantly adapted and tweaked, so it is possible to find a version of a story that fits your perspective. Such as in the retelling of Rapunzel produced by Disney called Tangled where although Rapunzel is still helped by a prince, she is the one who is in control as it was she who left the tower she was trapped in, and faced trials that required her to think quickly and save herself, rather than a prince climbing up and sweeping her off her feet "saving" her. This just shows how courageous, independent, and strong Rapunzel was. Thus allowing her to be in control of her destiny, appealing to a different perspective of the classic tale. 

In our exhibits, we are also going to be exploring the different adaptations of fairy tales and how they can add a deeper meaning and significance to these stories as a whole as well as give them new meaning as they are retold. With a variety of retellings, readers can view these classic fairy tales in new ways that apply to their daily lives while building on the original stories. When a fairy tale is retold, different aspects change either drastically or subtly. Something interesting about this genre we will explore is how one story can be told an unlimited number of times as well as in different forms of media including TV shows, movies, poetry, and of course books. Little Red Riding Hood, for example, has been adapted an unlimited number of times. From its original written by Charles Perrault to the retold classic many of us know from children's picture books to even films like Into the Woods by Disney, like Red Riding Hood, many other fairy tale stories have a variety of different versions and perspectives.