The Guardian: Beware Fairy Stories

There is an additional article posted on The Guardian today, as a supplement to the fairy tale brochures I'm posting about all week. I decided to give it its own post since it is not from a brochure. It is also longer and discusses one of the most popular topics about fairy tales.

Adult content warning: Beware fairy stories by David Barnett: These tales of extreme violence and horror aren't really just 'kids' stuff', nor were they meant to be

But the deeper you venture into the dark woods of these fairytales, the more you have to wonder – are these stories really for kids?

The Disneyfication of fairy stories over the past 70-odd years since Uncle Walt released his animated take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has put into most people's minds a primary-coloured world of beautiful people facing dastardly villains and apparently insurmountable obstacles on their path to a life of happiness alongside Mr or Ms (or, more likely, HRH) Right; a world where good always triumphs and there's no better relationship than one built upon the size of a kingdom. A world, largely, for children. But the picture painted by the Grimms was of a vast, dark, world-encompassing forest in which still darker deeds were committed – and went unpunished.

He also quotes from JRR Tolkien's On Fairy Stories:

"The association of children and fairy stories is an accident of our domestic history. Fairy stories have in the modern lettered world been relegated to the 'nursery', as shabby or old-fashioned furniture is relegated to the playroom, primarily because the adults do not want it, and do not mind if it is misused."

Barnett offers this conclusion with which I agree:

It would be a shame, though, if fairy stories – notwithstanding their origins as tales for grown-ups – were completely removed, in Tolkien's words, from the playroom. Sanitised and Disneyfied many modern versions may be, and the expectations of how life pans out they engender, especially among young girls, might not be completely desirable, but they do help to instil in children a sense of wonder that is vital for navigating the often dark and dense forest of adult life.

Be sure to read the entire article and then page down to the reader comments because the discussion is already going strong with the article freshly posted. There is the requisite Disney-bashing, too, which I usually find oversimplified. Not a criticism of Barnett, mind you, he doesn't really bash either.

I'm not a diehard fan, as we know, but I don't blame Disney for all of fairy tales' modern misconceptions either. There were sanitized versions of tales before Disney. "Fairy tale" as a term was also derogatory, implying "light fantasy" in culture at large before Disney, too. Researching fairy tales in the 19th century shows that. Their long history as women's and children's literature have brought about much of the misconceptions. Disney has not helped, has perpetuated the stigma on a greater scale, but is not the sole perpetrator.

Last week, when asked by a friend, I explained that I had just finished an article on the history of Snow White. "Oh, how cute!" she replied. There wasn't time to explain further, so I just smiled and wondered at myself for setting myself up again for such a response that is, well, condescending. If only she knew! As always, I had worked hard to balance the article to keep it from being maudlin and depressing. The tale's history includes child murder and cannibalism, still includes both most of the time. Some rarer variants even offer up polygamy. Now that's a popular topic, full of warm and fuzzy thoughts.

In the United States, we have virtually wiped out Donkeyskin and Bluebeard in popular culture although they were once much more recognized and remain better known in France. Catherine Deneuve's Peau d'ane has helped Donkeyskin stay in the French public conscious, for one.

Anyway, this is a topic that will always be with us. Here's another opportunity to discuss or a resource for the students wanting to write about it. SurLaLune welcomes countless numbers of those each year!