Memetics and Cultural Evolution of Grimm’s Fairy Tales in Slovenia (1849-2012)

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales are a typical example of memetics and cultural evolution. The most known types/motifs/mems in their Children’s and Household Tales (1812) are: Little Red Cap, Little Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, the Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, the Frog King (or the Iron Heinrich), Thumbling, the Wishing Table, Town Musicians of Bremen etc.Purpose: Based on Jack Zipes’ theory of memetics and cultural evolution of fairy tales the article deals with translations, adaptations and retellings of Grimm’s Fairy Tales in Slovenia in the period from 1849 to 2012.Methodology/approach: Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are applied. The goal of the research was to deal with the reception of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales from the point of view of Jack Zipes’ theory of memetics and cultural evolution and to determine which fairy tales have been translated into Slovenian. The article deals with the question whether the priority was given to the most typical fairy tales that had already been translated into many other languages trying to find out if any other specific selection criteria were used. Based on the qualitative and quantitative research and on the descriptive method, Jack Zipes’ sociological theory is applied to a representative bibliography of the translations into Slovenian.Research limitation: Grimm’s fairy tales were translated into Slovenian but the authors and/or translators were either not cited or cited by initials or annotations (i.e. translated from German into Slovenian by…)Many Slovenian (juvenile) authors have written original texts based on Grimm’s fairy tales (i.e. Oton Župančič: Sneguljčiča /Snow White, 1900) thus combining folk tradition and originality. Originality/practical implications: The research applies the sociological theory of memetics and cultural evolution of the American scientist Jack Zipes to the reception of Grimm’s Fairy Tales in Slovenia in the period from 1849 to 2012.