Traditional Fairy Tales Research Articles

Implementasi Profil Pelajar Pancasila Dalam Satua Bali

Satua is a Balinese traditional fairy tale or literary work in prose that contains life values, one of which is Satua Tong! Ceng! Pung! Pung! Jir! as the object of research. The purpose of this study is to determine whether Balinese satua can educate children's character and foster a sense of religious moderation in Bali. This study uses transformation theory, sociological theory, and ethnopedagogy theory supported by analytical descriptive methods and reading techniques in analyzing data. The results of this study are (1) revitalizing Balinese language satua by transforming books into learning videos that contain the values ​​of the Pancasila student profile dimensions. (2) There are three basic frameworks of Hinduism in satua, including: (a) Tatwa (philosophy) there are five philosophies of faith as the basis of belief called Panca Sradha, (b) Susila (ethics) there are Tat Twam Asi and Tri Kaya Parisudha which emphasize the attitude of mutual belonging and feeling as fellow living beings. (c) Ceremony (ritual) there is a sincere holy sacrifice called Yadnya which consists of five parts called Panca Yadnya. (3) Based on the responses of teaching teachers and the responses of 161 students from 9 elementary schools in Bali, 20.36% chose neutral, 49.87% agreed, and 29.76% strongly agreed. Thus, the use of learning video media can increase students' interest in learning and shape children's character according to the profile of Pancasila students, as well as foster an attitude of religious moderation in Bali.

Unveiling the Elements of a Fairy Tale: An Exploration of Proppian Narrative Functions in A Thousand Splendid Suns

In contemporary literature, Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns has often been celebrated for its everlasting appeal of storytelling. This study aims to identify the narrative functions of a fairy tale existing in the structure of the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. To serve this purpose, the study examines the plot of the novel through the lens of Vladimir Propp’s narrative theory presented in Morphology of Folktale. The current research maps the plot development of the novel onto Propp’s narrative schema. Hence, through the rigorous examination of the plot’s schematic description, the findings of the study discern the presence of twenty-one out of twenty-two archetypical functions of a fairy tale. Moreover, the key features of fairy tales, i.e., absentation of parents from their children’s life and the lack of parental affection, are also salient characteristics of this novel, as they play a major role in the progression of the plot. Lastly, by highlighting the subtle existence of fairy tale(s) structures in the plot, the paper foregrounds the domination, yearning and hope for fairy tales in the real life of human beings. These findings imply a deeper cultural and psychological significance, as they reveal how traditional fairy tale structures continue to resonate with contemporary narratives, bridging timeless storytelling patterns with modern societal issues. This suggests that such structures provide a universal framework for understanding human experiences, emotions, and resilience in the face of adversity. Finally, the study would be beneficial for all those who want to study and conduct research in the field of Structuralism and narratology.

Feminist Ethics and Magical Feminism in The Witch, by Robert Eggers, and Gretel & Hansel, by Oz Perkins

Based on notions of feminist ethics and magical feminism, we illustrate the initiation into witchcraft as a shift to a new morality for the teenage protagonists of the films The Witch (2017), by Robert Eggers, and Gretel & Hansel (2020), by Oz Perkins. These folk horrors subvert the character of the witch of the woods by giving her a coming-of-age background story, all the while keeping some key-elements from traditional fairy tales. We suggest that the leading girls undergo a moral transformation: in becoming witches, they cease their roles as caregivers, abandoning a care-oriented ethics that was imposed on them and embracing a new hedonistic, egotistical one.

Good People Do Not Eat Others?! Moral Ambiguity in Japanese Fairytales from the Late Nineteenth Century

In 2015, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired an educational series that re-examined traditional fairy tales by putting their characters on trial for their immoral behavior, such as revenge, violence, and dishonesty. These tales, rooted in premodern Japanese folklore, were widely available in various book formats by the late nineteenth century and, unlike modern adaptations, they did not sanitize violence or evil. This study analyzes four miniature picture books from the late nineteenth century that recount the story, Kachikachi yama (The Crackling Mountain). This analysis focuses on both verbal and visual representations of good and evil, with attention to themes of loyalty, filial piety, and virtuous revenge. The findings reveal that these picture books presented young readers with complex moral lessons, where the boundaries between good and evil were blurred. Additionally, they illuminate the prevailing image of children during that era, depicting them as “little adults” expected to be educated and prepared for the practical realities of the adult world.

Identification of Symbols in Indonesian Traditional Fairy Tales as a Health Promotion for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension

Background: Non-communicable diseases are one of the groups of diseases with the highest causes of death in the world. This was shown by data from WHO that in 2023, around 74 percent of the causes of death in the world are non-communicable diseases that kill 41 million people per year. This is due to the lack of public understanding of the influence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases on the incidence of non-communicable diseases and complications that can be caused by non-communicable diseases. Therefore, the use of traditional Indonesian fairy tale symbols in health promotion media to prevent non-communicable diseases can be used as an alternative solution to overcoming this challenge. Aims: This study aims to identify, examine, and synthesize symbols in traditional Indonesian fairy tales that have the potential to they can be developed to improve health messages to prevent noncommunicable diseases, especially diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Method: The method used in this study was a Literature Review with a narrative review study design. The steps taken are to gather all the fairy tales with inclusion criteria are fairy tales that have symbols about non-communicable diseases and exclusion criteria are incomplete fairy tales, and then do the screening, identifying symbols, analyzing symbols, and selecting potential symbols. Results: Of the 21 relevant titles of Indonesian traditional fairy tales and legends, 85 symbols were identified. From the analysis of the meaning of each symbol, 16 symbols were found that have the potential to be used as promotions for the prevention of non-communicable diseases, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, with 10 different symbol categories spread across 7 provinces in Indonesia. Conclusion: There are many symbols from traditional Indonesian fairy tales that have the potential to they can be used to increase the effectiveness of delivering health messages as an effort to promote the prevention of non-communicable diseases diabetes mellitus and hypertension. These symbols can be made into health messages nationally and can be flexibly used to create health messages in each region.

Жанр анімалістичного оповідання у малій прозіБогданаЛепкого

The article analyzes the development of the genre of the animalistic story in the work of one of the most famous representatives of early Ukrainian modernism - Bohdan Lepkyi. It was found that the end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th centuries was an era of radical renewal of European, including Ukrainian literature, a time of changes in artistic thinking and perception of the world, when there was an active expansion of the themes and problems of short prose, and artists paid attention not only on the inner world of a person, but also made attempts to penetrate into the soul of "our little brothers". It has been observed that two main types of prose samples can be conventionally distinguished in the world animalistic literature: 1) works where completely realistic animals are depicted, their way of life, behavior and thinking are presented believably; 2) works where animals embody various forces of nature or qualities and character traits of people are mainly conventional figures and perform a certain symbolic or allegorical role (such works are close to the genre of fairy tales, legends, parables, etc.). It has been analyzed that works about animals are also found in Ukrainian literature at the turn of the century (I. Franko, Lesia Ukrainka, as well as Bohdan Lepkyi). In the short stories of Bohdan Lepkyi, two works were found where animals are the protagonists: the story "Barefoot", written in the early years of the 20th century, and "The Mouse", created during the First World War. In the analyzed stories, B. Lepkyi depicts animals from the "home" space common in the fairy-tale tradition: a dog and a mouse. It was found that in the story "Barefoot" the author tried to convey the lifestyle, behavior and preferences of the dog as accurately as possible, to reveal his way of thinking. At the same time, the finale of the work testifies to the allegorical nature of both the image of the owner of the dog, which is the personification of human cruelty in the treatment of animals, and the image of the central character (the dog), which embodies the inability of an individual who has spent his whole life in captivity, to take advantage of freedom, to find his place in the unknown and often to a hostile world. It is concluded that in the fairy tale "The Mouse" B. Lepkyi resorts to fairy tales as a feature of the poetics of the work. The manner of presentation is condensed and allegorical, built on contrast. If in "Barefoot" the reader gets to know the character of the dog through numerous small episodes, then in "The Mouse" the novelist brings one event into the spotlight. The work expresses the opinion that war is a terrible tragedy that brings pain, grief and suffering to people. The main animal character of the work has a conventional character and is the embodiment of good, which must necessarily defeat evil, punish or teach it. It was concluded that B. Lepkyi's work contains animalistic stories of various types, which indicates the development of Ukrainian prose of the modernist era in the context of world literature, where works about animals gained more and more popularity. The first type of animalistic story by B. Lepkyi (the work "Barefoot") is characterized by a reliable depiction of an animal's lifestyle, an attempt to realistically convey its behavior and way of thinking, in particular in interaction with people. The second type (the work "Mouse") is characterized by the use of fairy tales as an aesthetic code and the depiction of animals as allegorical figures. Their behavior is conditional and reflects certain qualities and traits of a person.

A New Dawn of the Samurai –The Insight of Kimeitsu no Yaiba’s Success and Comparing it with the Chinese Anime Industry

The Japanese Anime industry has grown wildly during the last few decades and has become one of the dominant forces in the media market in the 21st century. Among all the anime of Japan, one specific anime gained massive success in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic started. The “Demon Slayer” (Kimeitsu no Yaiba) has defeated the well-known Spirited Away by Miyazaki Hayao and won the best-selling manga and movie of all time in Japanese anime-making history in a depression session of the industry. Its influence also went viral worldwide, especially in the younger generation, ages 10 to 20. The story of this anime is a traditional fairy tale of the brave saving the world, but the context of it is more Japanese-styled than others when the main characters are all samurai, and the villain is the “oni” (Japanese term for the monster). This study discovered several factors that contributed to Demon Slayer’s success from two perspectives: one is the usage of vital culturally represented elements, and another one is the shift made by the industry. This paper then discussed the anime industry in China. It used the “Nezha” anime to compare the existing inadequacies in the market and the possible ways to develop Chinese anime in an international market.

A Deep Study of the Reasons for the Formation of Chang'e Image in The Flight to the Moon

"The Flight to the Moon" in Lu Xun's "Old Tales Retold" is a modern and secular adaptation of traditional fairy tales under the environment of the times. In his works, Chang'e, who was placed in the secular world, changed from the traditional image of a fairy to a complex image with the characteristics of women of the times. She is not only a sharp secular woman, but also a numb woman under feudal thought, and finally an advanced female image with ideological awakening. In-depth text exploration and analysis of the reasons for the formation and transformation of Chang'e's image from her life and living environment are of great significance to the study of the living environment of women in the times and Mr. Lu Xun's thinking on women's view and women's way out.

Специфика реализации семиперсонажной схемы на материале карельских народных сказок

Series of Karelian fairy tales have been documented and analyzed, revealing their intricate structural, compositional, and plot elements. This study delves into connections embedded within these fairy tale narratives. Employing a typological approach, the article scrutinizes representative protagonists, examining the etymologies of their names, the descriptions of their characters, and the motivations behind their actions. This analysis is conducted primarily within the context of the Russian fairy tale tradition. Through a thorough examination of the Karelian fairy tale repertoire, the study identifies stories featuring unjustly persecuted girls and women, as well as fairy tales with unique protagonists such as the “younger brother Tukhkimus” and the “saboteur” Syöjätär and her variants. These tales exhibit distinctive characteristics when compared to the Russian fairy tale tradition. The analysis is grounded in V.Ya. Propp’s structural-semiotic approach, particularly his seven-person scheme of the fairy tale plot. The study effectively demonstrates how ethno-cultural and geographical factors of the region influence the specificities of these narratives.

A planar graph as a topological model of a traditional fairy tale

Abstract The primary objective of this study was to propose a functional discrete mathematical model for analyzing folklore fairy tales. Within this model, characters are denoted as vertices, and explicit instances of communication – both verbal and non-verbal – within the text are depicted as edges. Upon examining a corpus of Eastern Slavic fairy tales in comparison to Chukchi fairy tales, unforeseen outcomes emerged. Notably, the constructed models seem to evade establishing certain connections between characters. Consequently, instances where the interactions among fairy tale characters would result in a non-planar graph structure are notably absent. To put it differently, the models refrain from incorporating sub-graphs delineated by the Kuratowski theorem governing planar graphs, specifically the minimal non-planar graphs Κ5 and Κ3,3. Remarkably, even in more extensive texts featuring a larger cast of characters, connections that would yield a non-planar graph pattern are consistently avoided. This leads to the formulation of a hypothesis positing that traditional folk tales adhere to a “planar narrative” design – an identifiable narrative variant characterized by inherent limitations in complexity. This design, in turn, appears deeply entrenched within the societal framework of the cultures that produced these folk narratives.

“New Wine in Old Bottles”: Ethical Literary Criticism, Adaptations and Angela Carter’s Little Red Riding Hood

This paper reexamines the classic fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” and, in conjunction with Angela Carter's adaptations, “The Werewolf”, “The Company of Wolves”, and “Wolf-Alice”, reimagining and analyzing the story from the perspective of literary ethics. Both the original version of “Little Red Riding Hood” and Carter’s adaptations exhibit strong ethical consciousness. Carter’s artistic creation is deeply influenced by European traditional fairy tales in many aspects. The tragic endings of “Little Red Riding Hood” and Carter’s adapted version, “The Company of Wolves”, symbolize the disruption of ethical order. In both versions, the breakdown of ethical order is a result of violating ethical taboos, usurping ethical identities, and allowing free will to dominate, disregarding rational will. The conclusions of these two ethical tragedies serve as a warning to people: any violation of ethical taboos, trespassing on identity, and disruption of ethical order will bring punishment. Meanwhile, Carter’s adapted versions also illustrate the artistic charm and value of tragedy, as well as the practical significance of upholding ethical order. The paper analyzes key themes such as gender, power, morality, and self-awareness in the adaptation and explores how these themes can be reinterpreted through literature, placing the story in a contemporary context to enhance its relevance.

The Rise of the Oppressed: An Interrogation of the Contemporary Women in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Sister of My Heart and The Vine of Desire

The paper explores the representation of contemporary women in comparison to the traditional women in literary works. Women in the past have generally been represented in literary works as being weak and oppressed. However, the contemporary women have been represented in completely different ways. They are represented as being strong, educated and independent. The paper tackles the ways that help the Indian contemporary women to change, mainly through Anju and Sudha in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Sister of My Heart (1999) and The Vine of Desire (2003). The paper discusses the effects of childhood through Anju's and Sudha's childhood. It shows the effects of the traditional fairy tales, with their traditional theme of the masculine hero, and the contemporary ones, with a different theme that represents women as strong and independent . It also shows the effects of World literature through Anju who is affected by the new ideas of Virginia Woolf that help her to gain a revolutionary soul to rebel against the old oppressing rules of the Indian society. Moreover, while the traditional women's voice is silenced, the voice of the women in the novel, Sudha and Anju, as contemporary women are heard since they are the narrators of Sister of My Heart and a great part of The Vine of Desire. In addition, the paper represents the belief of some Indian families that a woman must have an abortion if the first baby is a girl. And the fact that Sudha's refusal to have an abortion is a declaration of her rise as an oppressed woman. Finally, The paper shows that contemporary Indian women with their abilities to read about other cultures, to continue their education and travel abroad to a different society become conscious of the conditions of oppressed traditional women and therefore they are able to rise against oppression, declaring the era of the rise of the oppressed

Итальянская литературная сказка и ее влияние на формирование сказочного жанра в Европе

The article focuses on issues related to the study of Italian literary fairy tales and the way how they influence the development of the fairy tale genre in Europe. The research aims to provide the diachronic overview of the development of world fairy tale literature highlighting the fact that the Italian novella gave rise to European fairy tale literature starting from the Italian Renaissance to the Victorian era. The research data were collected using the works of N. Machiavelli, G. Boccaccio, G. Fiorentino, P. Bracciolini, M. Salernitano, A. Firenzuola, G. F. Straparola, G. Basile, Ch. Perrault, Madame d’Aulnoy, J. M. Leprince de Beaumont, C. Brentano, Brothers Grimm, L. Tieck, F. F. von Hardenberg, J. Jacobs, A. Lang, and others. Particular attention is paid to the stages of the development of Italian fairy tale literature and to the analysis of the history of French, German, and English fairy tale traditions. One of the most significant current discussions in the research demonstrates how strong the link between medieval Italian novellas and European fairy tales is. There is a large volume of published studies stating that the development of European fairy tale literature is inseparable from the medieval Italian fairy tale; thus, narrative and ideological similarities are often seen in them. However, any fairy tale is considered to be a product of cultural influence: even though many European fairy tales are based on similar folklore motifs and plots, cultural adaptation within the centuries made them completely new works of art that vividly reflect national cultural peculiarities. Further, it is argued that cultural adaptation of medieval Italian fairy tales allowed French, German, and English fairy tales to avoid various unwanted and taboo topics, and to focus on positive characteristics, such as helpfulness, kindness, courage, and so on, which were so appreciated in later epochs. It should be noted that different historical periods provoke writers to create and adapt fairy tales to new and relevant trends, whether they are ancient philosophical musings or the cynical black humor of the Renaissance, the sophistication of the Enlightenment or the elegance and passion of Romanticism, the virtue and manners of the Victorian era or the pragmatism of modern times. The conducted research has shown that Italian fairy tales made an invaluable contribution to the formation of the genre of the literary fairy tale. Indeed, fairy tales provide the opportunity to discover and preserve a unique national linguistic world picture, cultural identity, and common values shared by people. Thus, world fairy tale literature allows preserving the centuries-long experience of humankind, and it may be regarded a universal legacy of worldwide culture, since its exceptional artistic forms make it possible for fairy tales to illustrate the world view of various nations and to reflect their unique cultural diversity and identity.

Авторские сказки Н. А. Алексеева: традиция, специфика

The purpose of this work is to identify the compositional and stylistic features of the texts of the author’s fairy tales by historian, ethnographer, folklorist N. A. Alekseev. The scientific novelty of this work consists in examining one unknown facet of the work of a prominent scientist in the field of ethnography and folklore of the peoples of Siberia N. A. Alekseev — the works of children’s fairy tales. In Yakut literary and folklore studies, this issue has not yet been the object of special research. Results. For the first time, five author’s fairy tales of the famous scientist were analyzed separately, such as «The Deer — Golden Horns», «Bunny-Aika and the Chipmunk», «The Tale of the Little Town», «The Merry Drummer», «The Tale of Two Friends», and their compositional and stylistic features were revealed. The main results of the study are related to the characteristics of the language and the style of the author’s fairy tales, which contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of magic and the display of magical actions in fairy-tale plots, as a result, the character system, the composition of the author’s fairy tales by N. A. Alekseev correspond to the canons of traditional fairy tales, which form the spiritual and moral qualities and norms of young and middle-aged children. The author’s fairy tales by N. A. Alekseev are based on the folklore tradition of the Yakut people.

Children’s exposure to aggression and stereotypes presented in fairy tales

Abstract Several authors draw attention to implicit or explicit messages about the real world, aspects that we probably think less about when choosing a story to read to young children. Examples of behavioural antimodels can be easily captured by a competent pedagogue or parent in narrative writings such as fairy tales or stories belonging to well-known writers from the international and Romanian literature. The present study envisages a qualitative investigative approach, based on semi-structured interviews, aiming to explore parents’ perceptions regarding the effect of preschoolers’ exposure to stereotypes and verbal and behavioural aggression found in many of the traditional fairy tales and most circulated stories. The results of the study were compiled by investigating the responses of the 12 participants (N=12) based on three dimensions of analysis. Thus, a first dimension focused on the vision of the effects of aggression present in literary texts on children and the way to manage passages marked by violence. The second dimension sought to identify the opinion of the parents interviewed in relation to the possible consequences of the repeated exposure of children to clichés and stereotypes. The last unit of analysis aimed to picture the participants’ beliefs regarding the need to harmonize the subjects of fairy tales and stories heard by preschoolers to the current lifestyle of today’s society. The end of the paper includes a series of discussions with reference to the educational implications, limitations of the study and future research directions.

Misconceptions about Science Concepts in Traditional Fairy Tales

Fairy tales, cherished for generations, often incorporate elements of magic and wonder. While not intended to be scientific, they sometimes introduce misconceptions about fundamental science concepts. This paper explores common misconceptions about science found in traditional fairy tales, aiming to shed light on how these stories may contribute to a misunderstanding of scientific principles and the potential consequences of perpetuating such misconceptions.

Improvisation and Radical Objectivization Identities in Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber: A Lacanian Reading

This research applies Lacanian psychoanalysis to scrutinize the use of improvisation and radical objectivization in Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber. Drawing on Lacan's theory of the "mirror stage," the work argues that Carter's use of these literary techniques disrupts the reader's sense of identity and challenges their preconceived notions of self and other. Through close analysis of key passages from the text, the research demonstrates how Carter's use of these techniques creates a sense of alienation and fragmentation in the reader, as they are forced to confront the unsettling and often disturbing aspects of the stories. The work also explores how Lacan's concept of the "phallus" is invoked in Carter's work, as she challenges traditional gender roles and subverts the dominant male gaze through the use of powerful female protagonists. Further, it maintains that Carter's use of these techniques, offers a powerful critique of patriarchal norms and invites the reader to engage with the complex and often contradictory nature of identity and desire. By disrupting traditional fairy tale tropes and challenging patriarchal norms, Carter invites the reader to engage with the complex and often unsettling nature of identity and desire, and offers a powerful critique of the ways in which these concepts are shaped and constructed by dominant cultural narratives.

The Folklore of Evolution in Andrew Lang’s Writings

Abstract This article builds upon Bernard Lightman and Peter Bowler’s works on the non-Darwinian nature of Victorian evolution, arguing that while their arguments helpfully reorient our understanding of evolution’s historiography, they underestimate the diversity of evolutionary theory in the Victorian era. Victorian evolution was highly idiosyncratic, as each individual (scientist, author, or reader) interpreted evolution according to his or her own preconceptions, resulting in a myriad of evolutionary theories. To illustrate this diversity, this article examines the work of Andrew Lang, a prolific late-nineteenth-century journalist, anthropologist, and fairy-tale enthusiast. I focus on two of his largely unstudied works to demonstrate how he exposed and critiqued Victorian assumptions about evolution and the origins of the theory. The first work, ‘Higgins, the Inventor of Evolution’ (1897), uses satire to reveal that evolution’s theoretical history was often overlooked in the nineteenth century. The second, The Princess Nobody (1884), is a children’s fairy tale that exemplifies how fairy-tale tropes can help modern readers grasp evolutionary ideas. Significantly, both works recycle older texts that also address evolutionary questions, making Lang a participant in a folkloric tradition of interpreting and critiquing evolutionary theory. Lang viewed evolutionary theory as similar to a mythic story that is told and reinterpreted through the generations. His writing demonstrates that the origins of evolutionary theory are ambiguous, and that traditional fairy tales convey ideas about human origins and kinship with animals that predate Darwin’s studies.

Путь-дорога к звездам: о специфике трансформации фольклорной волшебно-сказочной традиции в романе А. Беляева «Звезда Кэц»

The paper aims to determine how the folklore magical fairy-tale tradition is reinterpreted in A. Belyaev’s novel “Kets Star” (1936). The paper is original in that it is the first to analyze the specifics of the functioning of traditional elements of fairy-tale poetics forming the path-road complex, which appears in the novel as an initiation journey, and to characterize a new type of a scientist protagonist of the 1930s, who follows this path. As a result of the research, it has been found that the protagonist’s movement from shortage to its elimination through the passage of border loci characterized by the synthesis of the features of “one’s own” and “foreign” spaces ensures the protagonist’s transition to a qualitatively new state. The path-road is understood as the protagonist’s initiation in the process of which the scientific study and transformation of the world is associated with the self-realisation of the cognizer. The transformation of “foreign” into “one’s own” does not appear to be a miracle, but a natural result of the hard work of all mankind. Solitary scientists from Belyaev’s 1920s novels are replaced by a hard-working scientist for whom the support of a team of like-minded people is of great importance. While Artemyev’s journey has an end, the path-road of humanity to the stars is depicted as a fundamentally endless movement, an important component in the evolution of knowledge of the surrounding world and self-knowledge.

The Masculinist Construction of the National Woman and Her Gendered Practice of Love in the Colonial Bengali Fairy Tale Tradition

This article will concentrate on the discourses that circulated around the literary genre of the Bengali fairy tale as it developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century India, especially regarding its ownership and genesis, and the interaction of this with the political/social debates/discourses surrounding the position and role of women. The discourses generated through the various prefaces and commentaries that accompanied the story collections, constructed a certain idea of the national woman as the bearer of tradition. They posit a theory of the sustenance of indigenous cultural traditions (which included story telling traditions) in her tremendous capacity for all-consuming love. At the same time, the story texts presented and focused on self-sacrificing heroines who fit into the model of indigenous womanhood that was being constructed during this period. This article will argue that these discourses were built on a series of erasures of women’s voices, life stages and emotional spectrums but were serving the purpose of proving the superiority of indigenous traditions over that of the British imperialists. This project of defending Indian tradition, a central aspect of the cultural resistance to British imperialism, was a masculinist project. It reduced women to being mere sites and objects of knowledge.