Chauncey, Jorgensen, and Turley 1 _________Memorandum_________
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
Dr. Karen C. Holt
Catherine Chauncey, Aly Jorgensen, Rachel Turley
January 23, 2012
Research Proposal “The Application of Fairy Tales in Modern Society”
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PURPOSE
For this project, we hope to better understand the role that fairytales play in our society,
both in times past and present. We hope to answer the following questions:
• Have writers had to change their stories in order to please society? (Zipes)
• Do stories change with the ever-changing morals of society? (Betelheim)
• Is the impact of fairytales different now than it has been in times past? (Gaster
and Jackson)
• Is it politically correct to change stories to match the expectations of society?
(Garner)
• Does altering the story modify the literary merit of the original story? (Zipes and
Hearne)
• Does it change the moral of the story when it was first created? (McKinley)
BACKGROUND
Rachel: Fairy tales, both in film and storybook form, have always held a certain interest
for me. From the time I was a little girl I have seen every Disney film offered and have
read the tales of young princesses in distress who would later have princes come to
rescue them from the evil villain. The ending is always happy, the characters always
beautiful, and the world always better (Zipes). Furthermore, I am interested in
researching the symbolism found in these fairy tales, the reoccurring themes we see time
and time again, and the ethics involved in changing stories to conform to the expectations
of society (“Children’s Books”).
Aly: I have always loved the idea of fairy tales, and although I have not conducted much
research on the topic, I would like to know more. I am intrigued by the modifications that
have been made to fairy tales and why they are still being made (Gaster). Reading
through some of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, I have noticed the difference between
the original and the Disney version of several fairy tales and the difference in their plot,
theme, and morality is amazing to me (Zipes). The originals are usually much more
ominous and daunting while the Disney and modern versions are promising and hopeful.
I feel that this topic is one that I will be actively interested in and will benefit from
learning.
2 As a child, I loved watching the Disney fairy tale movies. They inspired me and taught
me to dream and to hope. As I have grown older and read and learned about the older
versions of these fairy tales, I have seen the differences and have realized that they do not
have the same meaning that we give them today (Gaster). The variation in plot, theme,
and morality says much about the changing ethical toleration of society (Zipes). As the
morals of society decrease, fairy tale morality increases, creating an inverse relationship.
Through my research, I hope to better understand these changes. I am interested in this
topic and am excited to research it.
Catherine: I was raised in San Diego: the home of the “Mormon Castle”, (also known as
the San Diego LDS Temple). It is every Southern California girl’s dream to become a
princess and get married in that “castle”. We are all obsessed with the idea of a happily
ever after. Stories that end with a happily ever after have always been intriguing to me.
Independent from when or where it was written, we can relate almost all fairy tales to our
lives today. A fairy tale is something that “comes from the masses” (Hearne). We’re the
ones that started them, and we’ve continued to circulate them for years. Whether the
original editions or the new adaptions, I have always wanted to know more about the
creation of these stories (Ashliman and Bobby). The Disney Company, especially, has
interested me. I have done previous research on the Disney Company and its creation, but
I have always been interested in how the Disney versions of stories compare to their
originals. I have read Tarzan and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Disney versions
differ pretty dramatically from the original story line. I am excited to look more in depth
at older fairy tales (like Cinderella or Pinocchio) and compare them to their modern day
film versions, whether animated or live action (Hearne and Zipes).
SIGNIFICANCE
Fairy tales have had a remarkable affect on our modern day society as well as historic
societies. In our paper, we will focus on three well-known fairy tales: “Cinderella” by
Charles Perrault, “Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont, and
“Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi. Our group hopes to learn about the historical and modern
importance of these stories (Gaster). We wish to better understand the origin of their
ideas and to collect evidence to prove our findings. We also hope to study the impact of
fairy tales in modern times. There are countless movies and books that are inspired by
these stories, with Disney being an obvious front-runner (Zipes). We aim to analyze those
movies and books to find their symbolism, themes, and answer the question, “Is it right to
change the stories?” (Zipes).
Collectively, we will focus on expectant happy endings and how the general public
integrates the morals and teachings of fairy tales into their lives. We hope that by
combining the historical and modern societal impacts we can bring a new perspective to
analyzing fairy tales. When finished, our research will help others study the authentic
fairy tales and understand how they have changed. Hopefully, readers will be able to
decide whether or not it is ethical to alter fairy tales to conform to society’s morals.
DESCRIPTION
Chauncey, Jorgensen, and Turley 3 The majority of our research will be completed through online sources, but not excluding
books provided by the library written specifically on fairy tale literature. The online
sources we will use include Google Scholar, EBSCO Host, and ProQuest. The primary
resources for Rachel and Aly’s research will be the Internet while Catherine will focus
her research in books and articles, with some online research. Our outline shows the basic
plan for which topic on which we will individually focus.
METHODOLOGY
Our research will be categorized into three different sections. Using ProQuest,
EBSCOhost, GoogleScholar, and books, Aly will cover the background as well as the
societal and historical impact of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Pinnochio. Rachel
and Catherine will focus on how these tales impact modern society – specifically popculture. Using ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and GoogleScholar, Rachel will center her
research on the role of these tales in literature. Catherine will concentrate her research on
how they have been incorporated into cinema. A majority of her research will come from
books, but she will also use Internet databases (ProQuest and EBSCOhost) to procure the
information needed.
PROBLEMS
We’ve discussed our schedules, and our schedules seem open. None of us have anything
pressing or important in the near future. The largest problem we may encounter is having
a lack of resources. There may not be enough information on our specific topics,
especially the historical impact of fairy tales. Our solution is to check different local
libraries for books that may have the needed information and utilize Interlibrary Loan.
Another problem we may have could be cohesiveness. With our main topics being
historical and modern impacts, we may find it difficult to link the two in an intellectual
and organized manner. We will prevent this by keeping in mind the differing topics while
writing and keeping close to our thesis.
TIME TABLE AND SCHEDULE – Always meet in 3rd floor of McKay Library
Date -­‐ Time 1/18/12 – 2:00 PM 1/19/12 – 2:00 PM 1/21/12 – 12:00 PM 1/24/12 – 1:00 PM 1/26/12 – 1:00 PM 1/30/12 – 2:00 PM 2/1/12 – 1:00 PM 2/3/12 2/10/12 Topic of Discussion Purpose, background, significance, and description for proposal Methodology, problems, and request for approval Proposal Outline, the introduction/body Body/conclusion Finishing paper Editing paper Peer Review in class PAPER DUE 4 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andersen, Hans C. The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales. New York: Gramercy, 2006. Print. This book is a compilation of the complete collection of Andersen’s fairy tales that provide the fairy tale endings that Andersen intended them to have. Andersen, Hans C. The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen. Trans. Diana Crone Frank, Jeffery Frank. North Carolina: Duke UP, 2005. Print. This book is an anthology of some of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. They were selected and translated by Diana Crone Frank and Jeffery Frank and include the original illustrations of Vilhelm Pedersen and Lorenz Frolich. Some of the stories included are The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelisa, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. Ashliman, D.L. Folk and Fairy Tales: A Handbook. London: Greenwood P, 2004. Print. A reference that’s used for the introduction of fairy tales. Offers a broad examination of folk and fairy tales as a folklore type. Contains an introduction, definitions and classifications, examples and texts, and a section on approaching fairy tales with literary analysis. Betelheim, Bruno. “The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales.” London: Thames and Hudson, 1976. Web. Discusses the emotional and symbolic importance of fairy tales for children, including traditional tales that were at one time considered too dark. (i.e. books published and collected by the Grimm brothers) Bobby, Susan Redington. Fairy Tales Reimagined. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. Print. A collection of sixteen essays analyzing fairy tales recreated through short stories, novels, poetry, and the graphic novel. They apply different theoretical perspectives including postmodernism, psychoanalysis, Marxism, feminism, structuralism, queer theory, and gender studies. Chauncey, Jorgensen, and Turley 5 Cashdan, Sheldon. The Witch Must Die: How Fairy Tales Shape Our Lives. New York: Basic Books, 1999. Print. This book explores how fairy tales help children deal with inner conflict. Its main
argument is that “[they deal with psychological conflicts] by projecting their own
internal struggles between good and evil onto the battles enacted by the characters
in the stories. Rumpelstiltskin, Pinocchio, and Rapunzel vividly dramatize lust,
envy avarice, and sloth on a safe stage, allowing children to confront their own
‘deadly sins’”.
"Children’s Books: Child Abuse and Happy Endings." New York Times: A.39. New York Times.com Nov 13 1988. Web. 21 Jan. 2012. This article explores potential reasons as to why some endings of fairy tales are changed for the public. It delves into latent justifications for altered fairy tale stories and considers why society is so hesitant to accept the alternate versions. Garner, James F. “Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for our Life and Times.” New York: Macmillan, 1994. Print. This book is a rethinking of well-­‐known fairy tales. The author, James Garner, changed thirteen different fairy tales from different authors to be completely free of bias. The outcome is fairly laughable. The author obviously criticizes biases of any kind. Some of the biases are sexism, racism, culturalism, ageism, speciesism, and intellectualism. Gaster, Michele. “The Modern Origin of Fairy Tales.” The Folklore Journal 5.4 (1887): 339-­‐51. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. This article is a unique perspective into how fairy tales were perceived and analyzed in the 19th century. The author discusses the different ways of explaining origins of fairy tales. The author also questions if mythology could be a possession of ancient times and not something that could be changed to fit modern times. He found that this was false. Hearne, Betsy. “Disney revisited, or, Jiminy Cricket, It's musty down here!” Plain City, OH: Media Source. Mar/Apr 1997. Web. 6 A very critical analysis on Walt Disney’s interpretation and creation of old fairy tales into animated feature films. Jackson, Anthony. “The Science of Fairy Tales?” Folklore 84.2 (1973): 120-­‐41. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. This article examines the time in which fairy tales were told. People in the Middle Ages believed in the content of these stories. Instead of being fanciful, these stories were realistic for the people. The author also describes the normal plot lines of fairy tales and how they differed. The creatures and characters were also defined and analyzed and their connecting points were found. McKinley, Robin. Rose Daughter. New York: Green Willow, 1997. Print. This book explores a very different ending from the one that we all know and love from the story of, “Beauty and the Beast.” Parsons, Linda T. “Ella evolving: Cinderella Stories and the Construction of Gender-­‐
Appropriate Behavior.” Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V., June 2004. Web. An article analyzing fairy tales and their affect on the gender roles they imply. Contains four versions of the Cinderella story, and analyzes them, and try to consider if they do or do not force gender roles on the readers. Zipes, Jack. Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller. New York and London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis, 2005. Print. This book broadens our understanding of Andersen as he explores the relation of Andersen’s work to the development of literature and of fairy tale’s in particular. Zipes, Jack. Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry. New York: Routledge, 1997. Print. Chauncey, Jorgensen, and Turley 7 This book explores different fairy tales and their importance in understanding the time period in which they were written. It also uncovers the grim aspects of fairy tales. The author, Jack Zipes, analyzes several different fairy tales from different authors and gives their significance in both meaning and portrayal. He also discusses the Disney franchise and its captivation with repetition in all of the films the company produces. REQUEST FOR APPROVAL We believe fairy tales have changed the way society perceives stories. We are excited to
delve deeper into this subject and discover the impact these stories have had on our
perceptions of “happily ever after.” We hope to receive insight and advice from you as
we move forward with our research. We request your approval for the subject we are
researching, and are willing to make any changes necessary to create a more cohesive
paper.
OUTLINE