HIST 1010 Lecture 7: Images of Women in Fairy Tales
20 Jun 2016
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Document Summary
Originally written down in 1810, edited by brothers grimm over 47 years. Snow white not the driving force in the story. The queen/stepmother was illustrated as a more complex character (evil, sexual) Conflict is between the mother and the daughter. Common thing in all versions is the mirror. Snow white never gazes into the mirror; it gains its authority only because the queen looks into it. The relation of witches to fairies/pagan world. The influence of european witch hunts and trials on fairy tales. Witches/stepmothers/sleeping beauties: women roles in a patriarchal society. Witch is a word/concept/image that has undergone a process of demonization that is still potent today. Witches as ancient divinities are intriguing because the pagan goddesses in the western world eventually gave birth to the greco-roman goddesses and fates, who engendered fairies, nymphs, mermaids, sirens, pixies, and other supernatural creatures.
