History of fairy tales

1. History of fairy tales Lecture 1 Winter semester 2018

3. UTUBE • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIFOlQU56FY&t=118s • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcezfs9RzAQ • http://operagasm.com/why-fairy-tales-stick-interview-with-a-fairy-tale-scholar/

4. What Are Fairy Tales Give your own definition

5. What is a fairytale ? Fairy tales are stories of magic ,wonder and enchantment . They’re stories that feature fantastic creatures, a faraway place and elements. They explore mythand take you to magical lands.

6. Fairy Tales can be described as a farfetched story; they typically begin with “Once upon a time in a land far away” or some variation of this phrase, without specifying an actual time or location. Fairytales are short stories that include magical elements such as enchantments and fantastical characters

7. So where do fairy tales come from? • Well, they began as folk tales as a part of the oral tradition. The purpose of these tales was “communal harmony” that “explain(ed)natural occurrences such as the change of the seasons and shifts in the weather or to

9. So where do fairy tales come from? • Well, they began as folk tales as a part of the oral tradition. • The purpose of these tales was “communal harmony” that “explain(ed)natural occurrences such as the change of the seasons and shifts in the weather or to

10. ….celebrate the rites of harvesting, hunting, marriage, and conquest” (Zipes, 1995).

12. Examples of Fairy TALES • Historically, examples of fairy tales have existed all over the world. • The first known recorded version of“Cinderella” -“Yeh-Shen,” is from China dating around 850 AD (Tatar, 2002).

13. STORY of Yehshen-china

15. So what is included in the fairy tale genre? • These are the “magic” tales. Generally they begin with, “Once upon a time…” and end in, “…happily ever after.” More particularly they are the group of tales that were revised and published to appeal tocourt society. Meaning they “reflected” that culture- the tastes, experiences, and concerns.

16. Role of italy and france in the history of the fairy tale • Italy and then France played prominent roles in establishing the fairy tale. With the new technology of the printing press, folk tales were then sub categorized into “legends, myths, fables, comical anecdotes, and, of course, fairy tales.” (Zipes, 1995)

17. The German origin of the title of fairy tales actually translates into a little story from a long time ago, presumably, a time when the world was still capable of magic. Fairy tales are believed to have begun as oral stories which Europeans passed down through the generations until the renaissance when the subgenre was first documented in print. Authors such as The Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen, are two of the most notable representatives from the subgenre.

18. Evolution of press • With the invention of the printing press in 1440 these tales were altered to fit the mores and values of the literate class.

19. From oral to print • As a consequence of shifting from the oral tradition to the literary, the tales were “privatized”, the central characters were made aristocratic, and one had to read and have money to purchase the texts. Overall this meant that fairy tales became a movement on how to be “civilized”.

20. The first published tales • Because fairy tales came out of the oral tradition, and as fairy tales were published throughout the 17th and 18th centuries they continued to exist orally there is no documented “original” version. It was in 1812 and 1815 that the brothers Grimm- perhaps the best know compilers of fairy tales- published fairy tales in two volumes in order to “celebrate German culture”. (Zipes, 1995) They had collected many of these stories from the merchant class who probably heard them from their nanny’s and other servants. (Tatar, 2002)

21. Brothers Grimm • Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm wrote and re-wrote many versions of each tale in an effort to create a definitive product. The initial version however was not drafted for children. It was in the republication they revised it to make it more suitable for a younger audience; this meant removing images of sex and pregnancy from the tales. On the other hand they still retained strong violent imagery and moral consequence (Tatar, 2002).

22. From oral to print 2 • So you may be wondering, during the transition from oral to printed, what occurred artistically with Fairy Tales? • Although there are several examples of Aesop’s fables being illustrated in the 17th and 18th Century it was not until the 19th century when the illustration of fairy tales and children’s books as a whole really exploded.

23. 17th century illustration

24. 17th century Aesop

25. The monkey and the cat Aesop 1855

26. The sculptor and the statue of Jupiter 18th century

27. Aesop’s The fox and the grapes, 1680

28. 18th century fairy tales illustration

29. 19th century

30. 20th century illustration

31. An all times favourite…Little RED RIDING HOOD

32. Pedagogical value of fairy tales • Can you think of any reasons why fairy are important? • In which aspects of children’s lives?

33. Fairy tales can teach a lot to children, But the answer is well encapsulated in one of Eistein’s quotes. “If you want your children be intelligent read them fairytales . If you want to be more intelligent read them more fairytales” (Albert Einstein)

34. Why we should teach Fairy tales ? • Fairy tales teach children lot of things… • Teach children how to grasp the meaning and power • behind storytelling • It supports the ability to make predictions and comprehend other stories. • Teach them how to deal with conflict with themselves • Aid children in dealing with anxiety

35. Why we should teach Fairy tales ? Cont. • Teach children the value of the empathy • Help children learning to manage their emotions and learn • from characters in stories • Help children how to navigate life • Help children to understanding of right and wrong • Teach children that good will always win

36. Most people can’t help but wonder if lives have actually been saved because of stories, the lasting solace and courage people find in them. The world doesn’t seem a very friendly place at the moment, so it’s more important than ever before that we teach kids the value of empathy – of putting themselves in other peoples’ shoes and seeing the world from other points of view. Fairytales can support this view and teach children this important lesson.

37. EXAMPLES: Cinderella is a story about bulling of stepsisters to Cinderella. Children can describe the feelings of Cinderella . Feel how mean the stepsisters and stepmother are .Think what they can do if they are Cinderella .Children can also understand the feeling of losing somebody when the parents of Cinderella died. Hansel and Gretel can teach to children the feeling of forgiveness .Children can understand the feeling of loneliness in the wood. They express the feelings of adults (father ,mother and the witch). The frog prince is a fairy tale about difference and kindness. They can feel the emotions of frog and princess. They can imagine the frog as a person of different country and how princess would behaved.

38. Why Fairy Tales Stick: Interview with a Fairy Tale Scholar Posted by Melissa Wimbish Here we have an interview with Jack Zipes, a retired professor of German who is widely recognized for his research and writings in the field of fairy tale. His interest began after an encounter with Albert Einstein who advised him to study fairy tales if he wanted to do well in life. (Well, I guess all of us opera singers are well on our way!) http://operagasm.com/why-fairy-tales-stick-interview-with-a-fairy-tale-scholar/

39. If anybody asks me why fairy tales stick, I always respond with a question: Why do we breathe? We don’t know exactly how long human beings have told fairy tales, but we do know more or less that people began telling stories as soon as they were able to speak. They probably communicated with gestures, dancing, painting, and other artifacts even before they could speak. What kinds of tales did they tell? Clearly, they communicated warnings, instructions, explanations, and anything that helped them adapt to their environments and to survive. They also communicated with metaphors. Gradually, they embroidered and embellished their communications with descriptions and learned to construct their stories artfully to entertain, amuse, and instruct listeners. The more artful they became, the more the stories resonated, and since the early humans did not know how to write, they stored relevant stories in their brains. And, just as it was then, so it is now.

40. That was it folks for today • Thank you for attending.