Genre research

Fairy tales are normally based on adaptations of stories told in folktales, myths or legends. Featuring mythical creature and sometimes magic these tales can appeal to a wide range of audiences.  A common feature of most fairy tales is that they are told from a narratives perspective based on a long time ago and usually always end happily, however this is not the case for all.

In recent times many film adaptations have been produced based upon fairy tale stories, both in animation and live action formats.  An example of this is Disney’s Snow white. Released in 1937 this film was ground-breaking at the time using its appearance and theme to establish the association of fair tales with children. 

Since the release of snow white many other films have followed its example, films such as,  Cinderella, the little mermaid and beauty & the beast.

Not all fairy tales are made for child audiences, other works have retold familiar fairy tales in a darker more sinister manner. Notable examples of this are Jean Cocteau's beauty and the beast & the company of wolves based on a re adaptation of little red riding hood. 

Based on research from websites most fairy tales feature the following components...

• A good character- usually a clever helpless person assisted by others in the progression of the story
• An evil character- either a witch? A demon? An evil stepmother? A sinister gnome? who prevents the good character from achieving there goals however In the end, the evil character usually loses somehow
• Royalty- someone who has more privileges than the other characters in the story Ie a rich king, queen
• Povety- not necessarily money poverty represents the fact that a character lacks something that others have
• Magic- either mythical beasts or spells 

Common motifs ~

·        Talking animals / objects

·        Cleverness / trickster / word games

·        Traveler’s tales

·        Origins ~ where do we come from?

·        Triumph of the poor

·        Human weakness explored (i.e., curiosity, gluttony, pride, laziness, etc.)

·        Human strengths glorified (i.e., kindness, generosity, patience, etc.)

·        Trickster (sometimes a hero, sometimes on the side of evil but humans benefit)

·        Tall story (slight exaggeration – hyperbole)

·        Magic words or phrases; repetition of phrases/words (abracadabra!)

·        Guardians (fairy godmothers, mentors, magical helpers, guides, etc.)

·        Monsters (dragons, ogres, evil creatures, etc.)

·        Struggle between good and evil, light and dark

·        Youngest vs. Oldest (sons, daughters, sibling rivalry)

·        Sleep (extended sleep, death-like trances)

·        Impossible tasks (ridiculously mind-numbing, fantastic effort needed to complete, etc.)

·        Quests

·        Gluttony / Starvation (there’s a fine line between eating for survival and succumbing to temptation)

·        Keys, passes (opening new doors)

·        Donors, Benefactors, Helpers