Blog 3

What is a fairytale?

The word fairy tale is an English translation of the French words “conte de fée,” a form of oral narrative. According to Stith Thompson, a “Märchen” (fairy tale) is a “tale of some length involving a succession of motifs or episodes. It moves in an unreal world without definite creatures and is filled with the marvelous. In this never-never ending land, humble heroes kill adversaries, succeed to kingdom and marry princesses” (The Folktale, 1977, 8). Fairy tales are written works, with sophisticated language and creative storylines. The characters in fairy tales are complex and they might not necessarily get a happy ending. Tales could have magical creatures, princesses, or animals that can talk.

Oxford defines a fairy tale as “a children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands”. There is one thing wrong with this definition, fairy tales aren’t only stories for children. Fairy tales are timeless, this is a reason why the stories written hundreds of years ago are still read and loved today. Jack Zipes says, “Unlike any other art form, the fairy tale stays with us from infancy into old age” (63). This is very true, we hear the stories as children and we remember them as we grow and then we pass the stories onto our own children. Just like any other story, fairy tales allow readers to escape into other worlds and use their imaginations. Max Lüthi says, “The fairy tale portrays, in a wider sense than is generally realized, a harmonious world. The confidence from which it flows is transmitted to both those who tell it and those who hear it… It gives not only pleasure, it gives form and inspiration…” (57). Reading can change and help mold people's lives. Fairy tales help people grow and reading them brings people pleasure. Another reason why old fairy tales are still read today is that reading the stories makes people happy and they want to share this happiness with others so they pass the stories on. If someone loved listening to a fairy tale when they were a child then they are going to share that story with their own children and the stories will continue to be passed on. 

Fairy tales shape people and affect everyone in many different ways, as described in this quote, “Fairy tales in their oral, literary, and mass-mediated forms have enabled children and adults to conceive strategies for placing themselves in the world and grasping events around them. Imbibed and learned in infancy, fairy tales provide the means for structuring and giving shape to people and incidents that children encounter on a daily basis. The acquisition of words and the capacity to narrate endow children with a powerful feeling that they can determine the course of their lives” (Zipes 62). Fairy tales help children understand the world around them and they help children deal with basic human conflicts, desires, and relationships. Fairy tales can also be therapeutic. They can be used to address painful or unsettling issues in a non-threatening, playful manner (“The Positive Impacts of Fairy Tales for Children” Leilani VisikoKnox-Johnson). Fairy tales help mold people’s lives and give them the strength to make their own destinies.

Fairy tales are magical stories set in imaginary places and even though they are fictional they have a major impact on people. Fairy tales have been around for hundreds of years and they are still read today because they influence many people and they make anyone that reads them happy. Reading is necessary for child development and fairy tales help children learn to write their own stories (the ones of their lives) and grow.