Abstract
Fairy tale literature can be identified as didactic, as it shares moralistic and educational ideals through its characters and themes. Intending to instruct, fairy tales relate specific moralistic concepts, indicating accepted and unaccepted conduct. Researchers have postulated the correlation between a fairy tale and its social context, considering that these tales include contrived elements specific to the societal structure from which they originate. Specific to this research is the connection between a fairy tale and the gendered ideals held within the society as noted in Grimm Brothers’ Briar Rose . The version analysed in this article is the Collins Classics collection of the Grimm Brothers’ tales, which was published in 2013. This tale reflects content which perpetuates and supports the patriarchal expectations of the 19th-century Germany. The Grimm Brothers’ treatment of the princess, 13th fairy and prince reinforce gender-specific roles for men and women. The rewards and punishments earned by the characters mould not only their behaviours, but also potentially the behaviours of the 19th-century readers. This article analyses the behavioural consequences faced by the characters in Briar Rose , with particular consideration of how these responses convey gender ideals to the readers, and how these influence their own subsequent behaviour and expectations.
Highlights
The Grimm Brothers’ collections of tales were compiled because the brothers believed their country needed a single language, set of beliefs and culture
They, sought to develop a literature which would embody these (Haase 2008:408). This prompted the brothers to seek ways to preserve the folk tales told within their society, and so, in 1812, they published a collection of tales called Kinder- und Hausmärchen [Children’s and Household Tales 1812]
The Grimm Brothers maintained that their tales were inherently German: that they were originally oral tales passed down through generations, and that some tales within their collection originated in oral form over 300 years prior to their publication (Smith 2013:105)
Summary
The Grimm Brothers’ collections of tales were compiled because the brothers believed their country needed a single language, set of beliefs and culture. Just as the princess does not act in masculine, domineering, aggressive ways after waking and meeting her prince, the 19th-century female reader is introduced to the idea that behaving according to patriarchal expectations will lead to happy endings. Through behaving in these ways can women obtain their ‘goal’, or at least what these tales claim should be their goals: happy marriages to handsome men In including these female characters, the Grimm Brothers restrict the possibilities for a female reader in the 19th century to encounter an independent, powerful and heroic female protagonist, dissuading her from behaving in more contemporary ways. Just like the young female characters, the prince character resembles specific traits set out for men
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