Abstract
“Once Upon A Time…”: When these famous words are heard, it is assumed that a tale full of imaginative storytelling will unfold. Fairy tales have existed for thousands of years. Humans have used their creative imaginations to tell stories of magic, romance, adventure, and danger that teach significant morals and lessons. These stories have evolved over centuries throughout various cultures, geographical regions, and generations. One important way of considering fairy tales is exploring the various versions of the same basic stories that exist in countries all around the world — yet often with very different story specifics. These critical discussions further highlight the connections of human storytelling while reflecting cultural differences. This paper compares and contrasts global interpretations of established fairy tale story structures (including versions of ‘Cinderella’, ‘Snow White’, ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ and ‘Rapunzel’). Additionally, the study dissects the historic ATU Index established by folklorists during the 20th and 21st centuries (arguably the most established and cited system in cataloguing popular global fairy tales) by exploring the index’s structure using well-known story types (including ‘Aladdin’, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘The Frog Prince’, ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’, and ‘Rumpelstiltskin’) and addressing the reasoning behind certain famous fairy tales not being included in the index (including ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’, and ‘Peter Pan’).
Presenters
Matthew HodgeAssociate Professor, Theatre and Music, William Peace University, North Carolina, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Fairy Tales, Literature, Culture, International, Stories, Disney, Morals, ATU Index
