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Literary analysis of a fairy tale
Introduction about fairy tales
Fairy tale exploratory essay
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary analysis of a fairy tale
Introduction about fairy tales
Fairy tale exploratory essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In “Cinderella”, by the Grimm Brothers, the authors utilize a multitude of fairy tale genre conventions such as frequent usage of rhetorical devices, magical creatures, and the classic “Happy Ever After” fairy tale ending, to emphasize the importance of genuineness and the dangers of pursuing superficiality. The authors use several rhetorical devices such as symbolism and juxtaposition
From climbing up seven hundred foot cliffs to fighting off unusually large rodents, The Princess Bride is the story of an adventure that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. It is a romance narrative surrounding the cliché, the hero always gets the girl. We follow the protagonist Westley as he sets out on an action filled journey driven by his love for a woman named Buttercup. Certain characters such as princes, henchman, and witches are distinctively characterized during a romance narrative, but in The Princess Bride they inhabit alternative roles which contribute to this light hearted tale. The manipulation of tropes, commonly recurring literary devices, give a comedic feel to this intriguing and twist filled storyline.
Chivalric romances are often centered upon the efforts of gallant knights seeking to achieve a concept known as “true knighthood” which involves embarking on quests or adventures to obtain honor, love, and Christian virtue. The brave knights of these stories are met with many obstacles to overcome, commonly in regards to rescuing or protecting a lady. In other words, the typical role of women in this period is that of the damsel in distress or a helpless, dependent lady in need of a hero. However, the stories of Chrétien de Troyes’ Yvain, the Knight of the Lion and Friedrich Heinrich Karl La Motte-Fouqué’s The Magic Ring strays from the typical role of women as the damsel in distress.
The fantasy is about Buttercup, a milkmaid, and Westley, a farm boy, who fall in love and have to face many obstacles. The story mainly develops the themes of true love and revenge. However, in the book, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, the story develops the theme of revenge and true love in more depth compared to the movie. First of all, the book provides a detailed past of each main character which makes the reader sympathize with them. For example, in the book, the author has dedicated four to five pages to understand Inigo’s and Fezzik’s past.
This “muscled ribbon, brown as fruitwood, soft-furred” weasel with “pure white fur [and] two black eyes” convinced Dillard of a better way of life (Dillard 69-75). Now, she chooses to share that one stunningly still moment where their “look was as if two lovers, or deadly enemies, met unexpectedly on an overgrown path”(Dillard 82-83). Because, in that moment that dramatic feeling she felt will aid her in establishing an emotionally charged state of mind to ensnare her audience. If she is able to express the tone of that perfect moment of understanding correctly, she can connect to the dramatic or romantic side found in the idealists who believe they can change their lives. All these dramatic words, work to create what seems like a fairy tale, yet a very obtainable fairy tale in which life could feel complete.
Foster claims that many authors chose to include allusions of fairy tales in their works, because these authors assume that their readers will understand allusions of fairy tales more than any other allusions, and create an irony of a situation in the literature. For instance, Foster details one author using allusion of fairy tales by “upends our expectations about the story of Bluebeard, or Puss-in-boots, or Little Red Riding Hood to make us see the sexism inherent in those stories” (Foster 60). Foster implies that there is vast amount of fairy tales for authors to incorporate them into their work. Additionally, Foster states that fairy tales are timeless, despite the “age-appropriateness” of the literature.
When evaluating the Princess’s character, the narrator describes her as a “hot-blooded, semi-barbaric Princess” (7). This quote reveals her savage, aggressive, and irrational side; presenting characteristics that correlate with a shortage of compassion and remorse towards others. Furthermore, at the end of the story, the author states, “Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semi-barbaric futurity?” (7). This quote reveals that not only does the Princess lack empathy for the courtier, but she is also primarily concerned with her own feelings of loss and despair.
It revolves around the flight of the princess to escape the awful marriage to his father (Perrault, 1977). Charles Perrault uses the princess’ character to reveal the major themes of overcoming evil, child abuse and incest in the story. Perrault also brings out the moral that it is better to encounter awful challenges in life than to fail in one’s duty. He shows that although the virtue may seem unrealistic, it can always triumph. The author uses various literary devices to reveal the various morals of the story.
(paragraphs 9 and 10) The prince here is also shown as a trophy by him just agreeing to be with her for the rest of his life because of this one good deed. Also shown is the fact that the princess wasn’t long in agreeing because she is greedy and would have followed through with her promise in the first place if she know it was a prince. This is the part where he is shown as her
Many were not surprised at the beautiful couple, and even wished them the best. Others did not understand how she stole his heart, as she was just a poor peasanty girl in a nice dress. The couple felt words easily flowing from their mouths and even found themselves laughing so easily next to each other. In that singular moment in the ballroom, holding each other's hands, it was as if it was only them two in the ballroom. The Prince was aware of Beauty’s misfortune, and stated he knew all that went on in the surrounding lands.
In the novel “The Princess Bride”, William Goldman presents an abridgement of what is proposed to be the classic fairy tale by S. Morgenstern but is actually a novel created entirely on his own. The text is of a romantic love story between two protagonists in the country of Florin, a country which existed before Europe yet after the discovery of the Americas and Australia. Over the course of the novel, Goldman writes a story which strays from the normal parameters of a fairytale. Character design conflicts with the stereotypes and the word choice (Evil Stepmother, etc) is not typical. The timeframe set for the novel and the subplots within are rather ridiculous at times, even for a work of fiction.
Determination in “Cinderella” “Cinderella”, the original fairytale, is found in a collection of stories created by the Grimm brothers. The story of “Cinderella” is used in order to display and teach children and adults a way of living. This fairytale reflects values such as perseverance and determination. Cinderella, the protagonist, is an outcast her family, as her father is her only blood relative. She is forced to do housework and is not allowed to take part fun activities or share luxuries with her stepsisters.
In Margaret Atwood’s poem “There Was Once”, Atwood uses irony to point out the societal problems within the genre of fairy tales. Charles Perrault, the author of the short story “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”, writes about fantastic creatures, magic, and love, following the generic conventions of fairy tales. When compared to Perrault’s short story “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”, Atwood’s poem both compliments and contrasts Perrault’s. These two texts, although similar, offer different views on the genre of fairy tales. Margaret Atwood’s satirical poem, “There Was Once”, aims to disrupt the generic conventions of a traditional fairy tale.
Response to Little Red Riding Hood The Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale that was originally written by the French writer Charles Perrault in 1697. Over time the story was re-written by various other writers like Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, James Thurber and Roald Dahlover. As each version of the story was re-written, the treatment of female roles have changed by progressing towards a more feminist viewpoint.
“A ‘fairy-story’ is one which touches on or uses Faerie, whatever its own main purpose may be: satire, adventure, morality, fantasy. Faerie itself may perhaps most nearly be translated by Magic — but it is magic of a peculiar mood and power, at the furthest pole from the vulgar devices of the laborious, scientific, magician. There is one provision: if there is any satire present in the tale, one thing must not be made fun of, the magic itself. That must in that story be taken seriously, neither laughed at nor explained away.” - J.R.R. Tolkien 's 1939 essay "On Fairy Stories"