Evolution of Fairy Tales

Intro:

As time moves on, the stories we're told as little kids evolve to fit with what society deems appropriate for children. Back in the 1800s, what was an acceptable bedtime story for kids is much different from the stories many of us grew up with. While these stories may have similar plots and characters, the levels of violence, death, sex, and topics generally deemed inappropriate for children were much higher in the past than they are now (12). Everything today must be "politically correct" and "sanitized" for the safety of children and to protect their innocence (12). As a result, the modern fairy tales many generations have grown up are much cleaner, sweeter, and happier than the original dark stories (12). There are still many parallels found between the original stories and the Disney tales, and lots of evidence of the original tales presence in modern adaptations on the "classic" Disney tales we all know and love. As each generation passes on the stories, they evolve to reflect what society deems as an appropriate story to teach life lessons and morals.

Original Grimm Fairy Tales

When people think of fairy tales, they often imagine dainty princesses, magical castles, heroic princes, and happily ever after. However, many of these fairy tales had dark origins. The Brothers Grimm are accredited with many of the tales that are well-known today because they were among the first to write them down (12). Many of the Grimm fairy tales were horrific, with violence, death, and sex scenes considered to be obscene due to their dark nature (12).

For example, the original Cinderella story had both stepsisters cut off their toes and heels so they could fit into the gold (not glass) slipper (12). The stepsisters also were beautiful with "ugly hearts," instead of being ugly like Disney depicts them, and have their eyes gouged out by doves during Cinderella's wedding (14). Other differences in the original story are that the prince coats the palace steps in tar to prevent Cinderella's escape, she attends the ball three nights, and on the third night of the ball she loses her golden slipper (14). This version of Cinderella has much more violence than the story society is used to, and that is because of Disney "sanitizing" the story for its family audience (13).

Rapunzel is another tale that is far from the original. The Brothers Grimm version has Rapunzel giving birth to twins after her prince visits her secretly many times (12). The Grimm version also starts with Rapunzel's mother craving the herb 'rapunzel,' and when her father went to steal some from the witch's garden, she would only give it to him if she could have the unborn child (15). The witch took this child, whom she named Rapunzel, and locked her away in a tower where no one could find her (15). However, the prince heard her singing, climbed her hair, impregnated her, and promised to rescue her (15). When the witch found out about the pregnancy and kicked Rapunzel out of the tower and into the woods where she gave birth to twins (15). Since the witch cut off Rapunzel's long hair, the next time the prince climbed the tower, the witch was there waiting for him (15). This caused the prince to jump from the tower into some brambles which happened to blind him (15). He wandered around the forest until eventually Rapunzel found him and cured his blindness with her tears, and they lived happily every after with their twins (15). The Brothers Grimm version is very different from the Disney tale, from the reason Rapunzel's in the tower to how she finally manages to leave, but this doesn't change the overall purpose of this story (15).

Sleeping Beauty by Victor Vasnetsov

A final example of how the original fairy tales were darker and more violent than the stories many children grow up reading is seen with Sleeping Beauty. Since the Brothers Grimm version of the tale is very similar to the Disney version, the first telling of the story of Sleeping Beauty in the 1340s will serve as the violent original example (16). While this version involves a fairy cursing Zellandine to fall into a deep sleep if she pricks her finger on flax, just like the Grimm and Disney versions, however they both lack the elements of rape and necrophilia present in the original tale (16). After being cursed and entering a deep sleep, one of the fairies tells the princess's lover where to find her (just like the Disney version), and provides him transport to the tower (16). He waits at her bedside for a long time before he is won over by her beauty and charms and sleeps with her (16). Nine months later, Zellandine gives birth to a baby boy WHILE SHE IS STILL ASLEEP (16). The baby sucks out the flax while attempting to nurse, and this wakes the princess from her slumber (16). This version of Sleeping Beauty is monumentally different than the Disney version, and so much darker (16).

The Brothers Grimm told the tales as true as they could to their original form, and back then it wasn't necessary to censor the stories to the degree to which they are censored today. It was okay if the stories had violence, death, sex, and other obscenities, because the stories were intended for children and meant to expose them to the good as well as the bad in life (12). In fact, Wilhelm Grimm was the first to start sanitizing the stories, and the process was eventually taken over by Disney in the 20th century (13). The morals of their stories don't drastically differ from that of the Disney versions, they just end in more horrific, violent ways instead of the "happy ending" which is a Disney trademark (13).

Sanitized Disney Fairy Tales

The Disney adaption of the Grimm fairy tales are more commonly known, and considered the "classics" by many people even though they aren't the original stories. Disney fairy tales differ from Grimm fairy tales not in moral of the story, but in the way the story is told. Typically, Disney fairy tales have happy endings, while Grimm fairy tales often end in violence or death (12).

For example, Disney's Cinderella is "the most elegant and dreamy retelling of the story," while the Brothers Grimm version "isn't pretty and pink with cheerful turtle-doves that help with the housework" (14). Disney's Cinderella focuses more on the story of a "beautiful, humble, and selfless" girl who marries the prince and the evil stepfamily receives no punishment for their cruel actions towards Cinderella (14). This version of Cinderella has been "sweetened" and "sanitized" in comparison to previous versions, specifically the Brothers Grimm tale (12;14). By changing the story, the purpose shifts slightly. The original intent of Brothers Grimm fairy tales was to teach children that "if you do bad things, bad things will come to you" (12). The purpose of Disney's Cinderella differs because while the Grimm tale touches on revenge on the stepsisters and lots of violence, Disney's version tells a "whimsical, animated story appropriate enough for the entire family" (13). Rhetorically speaking, by "sanitizing" the Grimm Brothers version, Disney has changed the purpose so instead of teaching children lessons about real life and exposing them to the good as well as the bad, it makes the original story seem "unsuitable for children" even though it was originally meant for children (12). Society wants to shield children from all the hours witnessed in the original Grimm tales, and Disney is accredited with the majority of that shielding, despite Wilhelm Grimm's effort at making the stories tamer with each edition of fairy tales published (13).

The Disney version of Rapunzel is very different from the Grimm version of the tale. This story instead focuses on how the witch who stole Rapunzel was after eternal youth, and how Rapunzel's mother got sick, requiring her to ingest medicine made from the flower the witch used to stay young (15). When Rapunzel's mother gave birth to Rapunzel, these healing properties were in her hair, so the witch cut off a lock of the golden hair causing it to turn brown (15). Since the hair no longer had healing properties, the witch took baby Rapunzel, which parallels the original story where the witch traded the 'rapunzel' herb for the baby (15). The witch then pretends to be Rapunzel's mother and keeps her locked in a tower until her 18th birthday when Rapunzel runs away with a thief, Flynn Rider (15). With the story focusing more on Rapunzel's adventures outside of her tower and her and Flynn working as a team, it differs greatly from the Grimm version (15). The witch in the Grimm version not only cuts off her hair and lures the prince to his demise, but Rapunzel is also impregnated and banished from her tower (15). The Disney version glosses over that fact by making Rapunzel a princess who doesn't get impregnated, but instead cuts off her hair to save Flynn's life (15). However, the peculiar similarity between the two stories is that Rapunzel heals her love with her magical tears... (15). While the purpose of both stories may be for Rapunzel to get out of her tower, the authors reach the purpose through different means. The Grimm version has Rapunzel kicked out before her prince could save her because she got pregnant, while in the Disney version she escapes the tower with the help of the thief (15).

Disney's Sleeping Beauty is as far from the original tale as stories could possibly be (16). However, the Grimm Brothers' version is extremely similar to Disney's, although there are elements that Disney pulled from another version by Perrault who is another author famous for recording fairy tales in Tales of My Mother Goose (16). This new and improved Sleeping Beauty is a "timeless cartoon" that focuses on the life of the blonde Princess Aurora and her dashing Prince Philip (16). The incredible illustrations that brought the film to life were done by Marc Davis, who helped Disney gloss over the obscenities like rape and necrophilia by depicting a beautiful princess who gets saved by her prince, just like in Perrault's version (16). Since the original tale differs drastically from the Disney tale, there are distinct differences between the way the two authors achieve their purpose, which is to awaken the "sleeping beauty." The original tale has the baby birthed by Zellandine cause her to wake up, while true love's kiss is what awakens Aurora (16). There are parallels between the stories when a prince comes to save her, however, the prince only saves her in Disney's version while his sole purpose is to impregnate her in the 1340 version (16).

The Disney versions of the original fairy tales are known for "sanitizing" and "glossing over" the parts of the tales deemed scary, violent, or inappropriate for children (12). However, this censorship is only based on what society today deems "unsuitable for children" (12). In the 1800s, the Brothers Grimm versions of fairy tales were intended for children, while today tales like that are targeted for adults (12;13). Disney is known for it's "happily ever after" ending, which differs greatly from the gruesome endings in the original tales, so by sanitizing the stories, Disney allows children to experience the same tales, glean the same life lessons, and learn the same morals of the story that kids in the 1800s did, but in a happier and less violent manner that better suits society today.

Fairy Tales with a Modern Twist

On television right now, there are two shows that illustrate both sides of fairy tales as we know them today. On NBC, the TV show Grimm is a modern version of the original Brothers Grim fairy tales without all of Disney's sanitizing (17). The show focuses on Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), a homicide detective in Portland, Oregon, who finds out his family is descended from the the original Grimms (17). Now Nick must carry on the family tradition of "hunting down fairy-tale monsters" found in our world (17). The show's executive producers both want to "stay close to the original material, which was pretty dark" instead of "sanitizing" it like Disney (17). One of the episodes even does a rendition of the original Cinderella where the stepsisters "cut off their toes and heels" to fit into the golden slipper instead of the Disney classic "with the singing mice" (17). The show isn't the "sanitized versions [people are] used to," but this unique spin on the original stories hopefully will draw in nostalgic viewers, which is the purpose of using the darker original tales instead of the Disney classics (17).

"These fairy tales are not the Disneyfied ones that have been handed down to us"
-David Giuntoli (17)

The other television show that gives a modern twist to the classic tales is "ABC's wholesome and Disney-esque Once Upon a Time" (17). The main character Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) finds out she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming when the son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago finds her (17). Emma doesn't believe Henry, her son, so he brings her to Storybrooke, Maine, where all the "beloved fairy tale characters are under the spell of the Evil Queen" (17). The show revolves around these characters leading normal lives in the modern world with no previous memory of their fairy tale lives, and it's Emma's responsibility to save them all and get their memories back by breaking the Evil Queen's curse (17). The show's producers have taken these familiar characters and well-known stories and "turn them into flesh-and-blood people," putting a new spin on the classics in a relatable yet entertaining way (17). By giving these tales a fresh twist, the morals embedded in the classic Disney tales can be revived, revamped, and retold in ways that relate to people's problems in the modern world using literary examples that are universally known. Just as the series Grimm is "counting on nostalgia to draw viewers," the producers of Once Upon a Time can appeal to a wider audience by "adding a dose of realism" to the tales everyone grew up reading as children (17). The purpose of using the classic tales in a modern setting makes the stories more relatable, and the morals more understandable, and the producers of Once Upon a Time achieve that purpose through their show.

The purpose of modernizing the classics is to convey the same morals and teach the same lessons, but to do so in a way that will better resonate with the audience. Using outdated stories, while still quite fascinating to some, don't always draw in everyone. With modern adaptations that show both the dark, gruesome Grimm tales and the whimsical, happy Disney versions, these morals reach audiences both old and young and tell the stories in a fresh, relatable way.

Conclusion:

As fairy tales evolve, the purpose shifts from the original scary, cautionary tale to an oozy-gooey, feel good movie that reminds you of childhood. However, as the generation that grew up with Disney fairy tales matures, the influx of fairy tales with a "grimm" twist has been increasing (13). There are modern adaptations of many stories because now people are once again fascinated by the violence and grotesqueness that originally filled these classic tales, however these films are targeting adults and not children this time around (13). The purpose of fairy tales shifted as society deemed was was appropriate for children, with the Grimm versions acceptable to kids in the 1800s, while the Disney versions are considered more appropriate today. This evolution of fairy tales has also caused the revival of the original tales because society deems them suitable for an adult audience meant to be watched after the children go to sleep (13).