Fairytales

Fairytales

Explaining a Concept
Over time, fairy tales have been infused with the different desires, struggles, and complaints of their storytellers and provide perfect snapshots of the societies that created them.  Fairy Tales have enchanted people for generations. These stories have long been sources of entertainment and moral education, weaving together elements of fantasy with values. Today, fairy tales are often dismissed as children’s stories; however, they have permeated popular culture. There are countless versions of these classic tales, with movies, books, and songs recounting the ever so familiar tales as well as colloquial phrases alluding to them. However, some critics argue that beneath the innocent and whimsical demeanor of fairy tales, lie the suppressive values of the dominant culture. These stories have many times been adapted to accommodate the needs of their audiences, and the modern fairy tale, although embedded with the ideas of countless storytellers, has been completely transformed from its original version.
Fairytales are an integral part of American literature. Everyone is familiar with at least one timeless fairytale-whether it be the mysterious tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, or the enchanting story of Cinderella, who transformed from a slave into a Princess overnight. From Grimm’s Fairy Tales—what most people consider the “classic” or “traditional” fairy tales—to Disney movies, the idea of the fairy tale permeates our society, present to such a degree that disciplines from literature studies to anthropology to folklore have considered what fairy tales mean to us. The origin of fairy tales dates back thousands of years. We know that humans began telling tales as soon as they developed the capacity of speech. The history of fairy tales or fairy stories have fantasy creatures such as fey, fairies, elves, goblins, trolls, witches, giants, and or talking animals. It is not necessary for these tales to be about fairies. An enticing plot...

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