1. Theoretical Background of Fairy Tale Parodies
1.1 Brief Historical Background
Parodies have been a large contribution to English literature and culture especially from the
beginning of the 14th Century (c.f. Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales) (Thaler 79) up to
today’s popular Disney Fairy Tales like Shrek or Tangled (Rapunzel). They were particularly
popular during the Victorian Age (Ranke 578) during which they dealt with topics concerning
individuality and personality traits, human relationships, poverty and wealth as well as the
conditions and circumstances of living together (Kullmann 138).
Throughout Europe, parodies with regards to especially the Comical Epic, were already
written as early as in Antiquity (e.g. parodies on Homer’s Heroic Epic or the Parody of
Androcles and the Lion) (Ranke 577). In the 18th century, it was mainly critical and non-critical
parodies that were used as the main devices for satirists targeting particularly social and cultural
topics (Ranke 578). In the 20th century, several popular fairy tales collected by the Grimm
Brothers were parodied on a literary level (Ranke 580) which then again appeared in popular
culture through movies, and are especially known today from recent Disney movies (first of its
kind: Shrek). On TV, Edward Everett Horton, known from the famous TV show Rocky and
Bullwinkle (on air from 1959 to 1964), used fairy tale parodies in order to produce humorous
effects, and, thus, was the first to provide animated depictions of fairy tale parodies (Kinsella:
Fractured Thoughts Workshop). A few years later in 1968, Jon Sciezka followed the trend and
opened the door for plenty of Fairy Tale Parodies with his The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
which led to the genre’s today’s popularity (ibid.).
1.2 Definition and Characteristics
In order to explain fairy tale parodies, one first has to take a look at the term Parody. It is a work
“created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work” (Kinsella: Fractured Thoughts
Workshop) or “a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule the work, its subject or
author” (Thaler 79). Hence, it imitates an original text or its parts by maintaining its form but
changing the content (Ranke 577). This can be achieved by using a different register and/or by
having plot divergences and twists (Kinsella: Fractured Thoughts Workshop). Parodies may also
rely on irony and satire or even black humour in order to criticize the society or other matters of
public concern.
Fairy tale parodies are a specific type of parodies. Their basis is a common folktale from
the oral tradition that is rewritten to present unforeseen humour caused by a change in the
situation and/or the portrayed characters (ibid.). For the humorous aspect to develop, its
foundation has to be a recognizable folk or fairy tale which is modified in particular contrast to
its original story (ibid.). The satirical elements aim mainly at typical fairy tale motifs like magic,
princesses and princes, while also the archaic language used can be the target of mockery
(Kullmann 132/133). Fairy tale parodies also quite frequently question the belief or non-belief in
the existence of magic (Kullmann 135), the original’s improbable plot and the typical repetitive
style of fairy tales (Ranke 580). These recognisable motifs are often quoted ironically (Kullmann
133), and hence there is a high portion of marked intertextuality regarding the original text or
other fairy tales (Kullmann 138).
1.3 Advantages of the Fairy Tale Parody for the Classroom
In the following an answer to why teachers should consider using Fairy tale parodies when
teaching a foreign language such as English will be presented. Canonical works like the famous
Grimm’s Fairy Tales (but also others like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales) can be accessed by
pupils, who are learning English, more easily as these tales are adapted to be humorous and
suitable for the language progress of the students. As it is the teacher’s ultimate goal to have his
or her students write their own fairy tale parody, their writing skills are improved as well as they
first have to study, then imitate and finally rewrite a typical fairy tale. This can be done through a
huge variety of writing ploys which help create one’s own story. Finally, the creation of a
collection of all the pupils’ fairy tale parodies can even result in their own class book which
provides a visible product achieved by all students. As a follow-up, these books can be displayed
in the classroom or school library.
Fairy tale parodies can also enhance empathy for the not-so-popular characters like the
witch or the stepmother when they take over the role of the main protagonist. Furthermore, the
pupils can develop further literary skills by comparing the fairy tale parody to the original fairy
tale, outlining all the similarities and differences.
Fairy tale parodies can furthermore help increase the pupils’ vocabulary by taking a look
at the fairy tale’s individual word field (princess, they lived happily ever after, dragons, evil stepmother, heroic princes, etc.). This can be done by first reading a fairy tale parody, then analysing
and understanding its unknown vocabulary and content, and, finally, writing one’s own parody
incorporating the newly required fairy tale related vocabulary.
2
1.4. Possible Ploys for Fairy Tale Parodies1
In order for the fairy tale parody to be effective, it is important to change the original plot in a
way that it heads into a different direction than it does in the original. This can be achieved by
various kinds of ploys such as the changing of characters into animals, choosing another
character (maybe the evil one) as the protagonist, the invention of new characters or the
inclusion of characters from other fairy tales. Another possibility regarding the characters is to
change their personality traits. Thus, Cinderella, for example, could be portrayed as the wicked
one whereas her step-sisters and her step-mother could be depicted as the lovely ones. Another
humorous device might be the employment of reverse gender roles, turning the prince into the
one needing help and the princess into the one rescuing him.
More basic aspects concern the setting, the ending and the form of presentation. Place
and time in which the story evolves can be changed for humorous effects (e.g. Wild West, North
Pole, modern-day city, etc.) while the ending might be extended or altered (e.g. what happened
after they lived happily ever after?). If one wants to keep the plot as it is but instead prefers to
change the style of presentation, this can result in a very entertaining story as well. Examples for
such alterations can include rewriting the original plot into a rap song, a poem, a play, a
newspaper article with quotes from central characters or by writing letters to famous folk figures
(as oneself or any of the other characters).
Generally, however, there are no limits set for the pupils’ creativity when it comes to
changing an original fairy tale into their own, new fairy tale parody. The short summary given
above only lists a few possible ploys among many.
2 Procedure
In this section the focus is on teaching a unit on Fairy Tale Parodies. As the unit is quite
extensive it will be spread out over two teaching sessions. In the following, the suggested
procedure, two detailed lesson plans as well as the teaching material needed will be provided.
2.1. Teaching Unit 1, 45 minutes
As a warm-up to today’s teaching unit the teacher could talk about last night’s hockey or soccer
match or anything else that is relevant to this respective class and everyone or at least most of the
students will have heard of. The aim of the warm-up is to get everyone’s attention and establish a
personal connection with the students before beginning with the actual topic of today’s lesson
which is “fairy tale parodies”. As an introduction to the topic a visual stimulus consisting of a
1
All ploys taken or inspired from Kinsella: Fractured Thoughts Workshop; for many more suggestions c.f.
http://www.marilynkinsella.org/Workshop papers/Fractured_Thoughts_workshop.htm
3
picture of Snow White and the seven dwarfs will be shown to the pupils on the Overhead
projector (See attachment below). They are then asked to describe the picture (“What can you
see in the picture?”, “What do the people look like?”, “Who could they be?”, “What are they
doing?”). After explaining the aim of this lesson, the teacher hands out the story of Snow White
to the class (See attachment below). Before reading the story together out loud, the teacher asks
the students to highlight fairy tale specific vocabulary and phrases while reading the story. Such
vocabulary or phrases could include “Once upon a time”, “princess”, “kingdom” or “wicked”.
After having read the text, the teacher then collects the students’ highlighted words and phrases
which constitute typical characteristics of fairy tales and creates a mind map including all the
relevant student answers as well as expanding the mind map incorporating further ideas and
words that were not part of the story (See attachment below). This mind map will be extended
throughout the lesson integrating further ideas and phrases the students will stumble upon during
class, including, for example, words of the fairy tale parody that will be read later on. After
having completed the mind map with the most relevant ideas and vocabulary concerning fairy
tales, the teacher hands out another worksheet to the class, this time with a parody of the original
Snow White fairy tale, called, The True Story of Snow White (See attachment below). Before
reading the story silently, the teacher tells the students to highlight or take notes of the
similarities as well as dissimilarities between the original fairy tale and the fairy tale parody. (i.e.
“Mirror, oh mirror on the wall” vs. “Fridge, oh fridge next to the wall”). After having read the
text, the teacher asks the students why they did or did not like the story. This is done as a general
feedback and also to make the students aware of the intended humour applied in the fairy tale
parody, and to find out whether this kind of humour is appreciated by the students or possibly
seen as too bizarre or ruining the original. In the following step, the students first discuss the
(dis-)similarities they detected with their partner and finally with the whole class (Think-pairshare). The teacher collects the student answers and writes them down on a transparency on the
overhead projector (See attachment below). The teacher completes the table by adding any
similarities or dissimilarities not mentioned by the class. Finally, the students are supposed to
write their own fairy tale parody. Prior to doing so, however, they are put together in groups of
three, on the basis of a coloured card each one has to choose. The students with the same colours
get together in one group. As each colour corresponds to one famous fairy tale, the students who
picked the same colour automatically also chose the same fairy tale. Together with the card,
comes along a worksheet with the original fairy tale, which the students have to write the parody
on and which they are supposed to read at home (See attachment below). Once the students have
gotten together into their groups, the teacher hands out another worksheet with the suggested
4
guidelines concerning, for example, the setting and characters of their parody version they will
have to write next time in class (See attachment below). After the students have gotten to known
their group members and received their worksheets, they are now supposed to get back into their
seats. The teacher then explains the homework for next time, which includes reviewing the
entries the students copied into their notebooks, reading the original fairy tale they are to write
the parody on, as well as taking a look at the worksheet with the guidelines on planning their
story and gathering first ideas on writing it.
2.2. Teaching Unit 2, 45 minutes
For today’s warm-up the teacher can choose whatever might be relevant and of interest to this
particular class, e.g. the Oscars, in case they took place last night. Afterwards the teacher asks
the students to give a brief overview of what they did last time (Characteristics/(Dis-) similarities
of fairy tales and fairy tale parodies). After explaining the procedure of today’s lesson, the
teacher then asks the students to get together into their groups of three, which were already
determined last time. The students are now supposed to fill out the worksheet with the guidelines
on writing their fairy tale parody. They are allowed to use some of the ideas given on the
worksheet, but should be encouraged to come up with their own ideas as well. The next step, is,
to then write their own fairy tale parody, incorporating the ideas they have just gathered. While
writing the story, the students are supposed to take turns writing it, having each student write one
sentence until the whole parody is completed. This way it is made sure that each student does the
same amount of work and no one is left out. Moreover, it fosters creativity as each student’s
imagination is very different, thereby resulting in very unique content and writing style. After
approximately 19 minutes, the students are supposed to have finished their story. Each group has
to now share their story with the rest of the class, by reading it out loud. After all the stories have
been shared, each student has to vote for the best fairy tale parody. The number of votes for each
story are written on the blackboard by either the teacher or a student. Finally, one of the last
steps of this lesson includes a short feedback given by the teacher on the group work as well as
the stories written. Here the teacher is to say what went well and what needs to be improved next
time. Afterwards, the teacher will collect all the fairy tale parodies in order to correct them at
home, before binding them together into a Class-Fairy-Tale-Parodies-Book which will be
exhibited in class and the school library. Each pupil is to receive his/her own copy as well. For
homework the students are to draw pictures matching their fairy tale parodies, which will be
included in the Class-Fairy-Tale-Parodies-Book as well. As a possible follow-up, the teacher
inquires with his/her students if they are interested in rehearsing one specific fairy tale parody
5
play and acting it out at a school event. They could either choose to rewrite one of their own
parodies into a play and act it out or to use one already written by someone else (See PDF for
suggestions: https://www.contemporarydrama.com/toc/p1511sample.pdf).
2.3. Lesson Plans
School: Gymnasium
Class: 9th grade
Teacher: …
Topic: Fairy Tale Parody
Teaching Units: 2
Learning objectives:
1. Content-related learning objective: The students are aware of the common characteristics of
the fairy tale as well as the fairy tale parody.
2. Linguistic learning objective:
- The students improve their speaking competence by describing a picture as well as talking
about the characteristics as well as similarities and dissimilarities of fairy tales and fairy tale
parodies.
- The students improve their reading competence by reading a fairy tale (parody) story.
- The students require the necessary vocabulary and phrases in order to write their own fairy
tale parody.
- The students improve their writing competence by writing their own fairy tale parody.
3. Methodical learning objective:
- The students practice to gather specific information out of an unknown text. (
detailed understanding)
- The students learn to structure vocabulary systematically with help of a mind map.
- The students learn to outline and structure a text by gathering their ideas and outlining their
story first.
4. Social learning objective: The students practice their social skills by having to work in a
group.
Teaching Unit 1: 45 min.
Time
Phase/Activities
Teacher
Students
Interaction
2'
Warm-up
3'
Lead-in (visual
stimulus)
T greets S and talks about
last night's hockey match
T asks S to describe Snow
White picture
3'
Setting aim of
T describes aim and steps
S participate in small T-S talk
talk.
S describe the
T-S talk
picture of Snow
White
S listen
T-S talk
Media
T, S
OHP
T,S
6
1'
7'
8'
lesson
Pre-reading phase
(speaking)
While-reading phase
(reading,
highlighting fairy
tale typical
vocabulary and
phrases)
Post-reading phase
(=Ergebnissicherung
) (Speaking, Writing)
1'
Pre-reading phase
(speaking)
7'
While-reading phase
(reading, taking
notes)
8'
Post-reading phase
(=Ergebnissicherung
) (speaking, writing)
3'
Pre-writing phase
2'
Closing, homework
of lesson
T hands out Snow White
story and remarks that the
story will be read together
out loud
T, "Read the story and
highlight fairy tale typical
vocabulary and phrases"
Students receive the
Snow White story
T-S talk
T,S
Students read story
and highlight
relevant words and
phrases
Plenary,
individual
work
WS
(worksheet)
T collects students'
highlighted voc. and
phrases and writes them
on blackboard, while
adding words and ideas
not found in the Snow
White story
S share their
highlighted words
and phrases with
class, adding further
ones not found in
the Snow White
story
Plenary
Blackboard
T hands out Snow White
Fairy Tale Parody as a
contrast to the original.
FTP is to be read silently
T, "While reading the text
think of the similarities
and dissimilarities
between the original and
the parody. Unknown
words can be looked up in
a dictionary"
T, “Did you like the story?”
T collects similarities and
dissimilarities and writes
them down
S receive Fairy Tale
Parody
T-S talk
WS
S read FTP silently
while
highlighting/noting
down the
similarities and
dissimilarities
individual
work
WS,
dictionaries
S share their
answers first with
their partner then
with the whole class
T tells S to pick one
colored card and then get
together with students of
‘same colour’. Each color
stands for a different fairy
tale. T also hands out WS
with original FT as well as
WS with guidelines
T tells S to get back into
their seats. HW: to review
today’s entries, read the
original FT they are
supposed to write a
parody on and think of
S get together into
their groups.
Individual
OHP
work, pair
work,
plenary
(Think-pairshare)
Group
Card, WS with
work
fairy tale, WS
with
guidelines,
dictionaries
S get back into their
seats and listen
Plenary
T, S,
blackboard
7
ideas for FTP
Teaching Unit 2:
Time
Phase/Activities
Teacher
Students
Interaction
Media
2'
Warm-up
Lead-in (Short
revision of last class,
aim of this lesson)
S participate in small T-S talk
talk.
S review what
T-S talk
happened last time
and listen
T, S
3'
9'
Pre-writing phase
(writing, notetaking)
S get together in
groups and start
planning their story
Group
work
WS with
guidelines, WS
with original
fairy tale
19'
While-writing phase
(writing)
T greets S and talks about
last night's ‘Oscars’
T asks S to give a brief
overview of the last lesson
and explains the
procedure of today’s
lesson
T tells students to get into
their groups and start
planning their FTP
according to the
guidelines on the WS
T tells S to start writing
their FTP.
Group
work
WS with
guidelines, WS
with original
fairy tale
7'
Post-writing phase
(reading)
T asks S to share their FTP
with the class
Plenary
T, S
3'
Rounding-off,
feedback
T gives short feedback to
group work and the fairy
tale parodies written, asks
S to vote for the best FTP
S start writing their
FTP based on
guidelines, taking
turns writing one
sentence each
Each group reads
out their FTP to the
class
S listen and vote for
the best FTP
Plenary
T, S,
Blackboard
2'
Closure, homework
T gives brief outlook on
S listen to T
what will happen with the
FTP (bound together into
book), hw: draw pictures
matching the FTP (to be
included in the Class-FairyTale-Parodies-Book)
T-S talk
T, S,
Blackboard
T, S
8
3 Bibliography
3.1 Theoretical Part
Kinsella, Marylin A. [Renowned Storyteller]: “Fractured Thoughts Workshop”. URL:
<http://www.marilynkinsella.org/Workshop papers/Fractured_Thoughts_workshop.htm>.
(Last accessed 25.08.2015).
Kullmann, Thomas: „Englische Kinder- und Jugendliteratur – eine Einführung“. Grundlagen der
Anglistik und Amerikanistik 31. Berlin: Erich Schmidt. (2008): 132-138. Print.
Ranke, Kurt. „Parodie.“ Enzyklopädie des Märchens: Nibelungenlied – Prozeßmotive. Vol. 10.
2002. 577-583. Print.
Thaler, Engelbert. Teaching English Literature. Paderborn/München: Schöningh, 2008. 79-80.
Print.
3.2 Practical Part
ABCteach.com:
“Fairy
Tale
Story
Planner.”
N.p.,
n.d.
Web.
URL:
<http://www.abcteach.com/free/s/storyplanner_fairytale.pdf>.
(Last
accessed
25.08.2015).
Reyes, Janet B.: “Three Fairy Tale Parodies – A Trio of Comedy/Parody Plays.” Contemporary
Drama
Service,
n.d.
Web.
URL:
<
https://www.contemporarydrama.com/toc/p1511sample.pdf>.
Shortstoriesshort.com:
“Snow
White”.
N.p.,
n.d.
Web.
URL:
<http://shortstoriesshort.com/story/snow-white/>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015).
Vcstar15 (anonymous user): “Snow White.” Wattpad.com (community for readers and writers).
N.p., n.d. Web. URL: <http://www.wattpad.com/16770892-fairy-tale-parodies-snowwhite>. (Last accessed: 25.08.2015. adapted).
Picture Little Red Riding Hood. Topillustrations.wordpress.com. N.p., 02.12.2013. Web. URL:
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/11/131129-little-red-riding-hoodfolktale-tehrani-anthropology-science/>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015).
9
Picture Three Little Pigs. Kids-pages.com. N.p., n.d. Web. URL: <http://4.bp.blogspot.com/KaDLe8-BgHY/UPJbJiqhkhI/AAAAAAAABP0/i-gBAzGDzo0/s1600/the+end.jpg>.
(Last accessed 25.08.2015).
Picture Frog Prince. Allamericanparents.com. Web. URL: <http://allamericanparents.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/03/a00b7fafae6b0fa308b8d447f01bb9b8.jpg>. (Last accessed
25.08.2015).
Picture Beauty and the Beast. Naldzgraphics.net. N.p., n.d. Web. URL:
<http://image.naldzgraphics.net/2012/06/6-Beauty-and-the-Beast.jpg>. (Last accessed
25.08.2015).
Picture Hansel and Gretel. Posterlounge.de. Michaela Heimlich, n.d. Web. URL:
<http://img.posterlounge.de/images/wbig/michaela-heimlich-haensel-und-gretelmaerchen-serie-177325.jpg>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015).
Picture Sleeping Beauty. Scottgustafson.com. Scott Gustafson, n.d. Web. URL:
<http://www.scottgustafson.com/Images/Whats_New/Sleeping_Beauty/full_image/Sleepi
ng_Beauty.png>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015).
Picture
Rapunzel.
Usmagazine.com.
N.p.,
23.01.2013.
Web.
URL:
<http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/59538-taylor-swift-poses-asrapunzel-in-new-disney-ad-by-annie-leibovitz-picture/1358968006_taylor-swiftrapunzel-disney-zoom.jpg>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015).
Picture Snow White. 7-themes.com. N.p., 29.05.2015. Web. URL: <http://7themes.com/data_images/out/62/6982817-snow-white-cartoon.jpg>.
(Last
accessed
25.08.2015).
Picture Cinderella. Wallzip.biz. N.p., 23.07.2015. Web. URL: <http://wallzip.biz/wpcontent/uploads/2015/07/beautifull_cinderella_dress_movie_2015_wallpapers.jpg>. (Last
accessed 25.08.2015).
“Beauty
and
the
Beast”.
Fairytales.biz.
N.p.,
n.d.
Web.
URL:
<http://www.fairytales.biz/brothers-grimm/beauty-and-the-beast.html>. (Last accessed
25.08.2015, adapted).
“Little Red Cap”. Authorama.com. Fairy Tales By the Grimm Brothers. N.p., n.d. Web. URL:
<http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-22.html>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015,
adapted).
“Rapunzel”. Authorama.com. Fairy Tales By the Grimm Brothers. N.p., n.d. Web. URL:
<http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-16.html>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015,
adapted).
“Sleeping Beauty”. Lit2Go. Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Grimm Brothers. N.p., n.d. Web. URL:
<http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/68/fairy-tales-and-other-traditional-stories/5102/sleepingbeauty/>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015, adapted).
“The Frog Prince”. Lit2Go. Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Grimm Brothers. N.p., n.d. Web. URL:
<http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/175/grimms-fairy-tales/3066/the-frog-prince/>. (Last accessed
25.08.2015, adapted).
10
“The Story of the Three Little Pigs”. Authorama.com. English Fairy Tales By Joseph Jacobs.
N.p., n.d. Web. URL: <http://www.authorama.com/english-fairy-tales-16.html>. (Last
accessed 25.08.2015, adapted).
Alishman, D.L.: “Hansel and Gretel”. Pitt.edu. The Grimm Brothers’ Children’s and Household
Tales
(Grimms’
Fairy
Tales).
1998-2015.
Web.
URL:
<http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm015.html>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015, adapted).
Ashliman, D.L.: “Cinderella”. Pitt.edu. The Grimm Brothers’ Children’s and Household Tales
(Grimms’
Fairy
Tales).
1998-2015.
Web.
URL:
<http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm021.html>. (Last accessed 25.08.2015, adapted).
4. Appendix: Teaching Material
4.1 Stimulus: Picture Snow White
4.2 Mind-Map: Word Field Fairy Tales
fairy, dragon, giant, elf,
dwarf
Queen
& King
Witch –
magic spell,
witchcraft
cottage
Castle
forest
Places/
Setting
Characters
kingdom
Prince &
Princess
knight –
horse and sword
recurrent motifs
Once upon
a time
non-realistic
plot
Repetitive Style:
Mirror, mirror
on the wall…
Story
Structure
They lived
happily ever
after.
tower
Fairy Tales
audience:
children
happy endings,
moral
Brothers
Grimm, Hans
C. Andersen
brave
good – evil
Personality
Traits
wicked
beautiful/fair ugly
11
4.3 Original Story Snow White
Little Snow White (and the Seven Dwarfs)
Once upon a time there lived a lovely princess with fair skin and blue eyes. She was so fair that she was
named Snow White. Her mother died when Snow White was a baby and her father married again. This
queen was very pretty but she was also very cruel. The wicked stepmother wanted to be the most
beautiful lady in the kingdom and she would often ask her magic mirror, “Mirror! Mirror on the wall!
Who is the fairest of them all?” And the magic mirror would say, “You are, Your Majesty!” But one day,
the mirror replied, “Snow White is the fairest of them all!” The wicked queen was very angry and
jealous of Snow White. She ordered her huntsman to take Snow White to the forest and kill her. “I want
you to bring back her heart,” she ordered. But when the huntsman reached the forest with Snow White,
he took pity on her and set her free. He killed a deer and took its heart to the wicked queen and told
her that he had killed Snow White. Snow White wandered in the forest all night, crying.
When it was daylight, she came to a tiny cottage and went inside. There was nobody there, but
she found seven plates on the table and seven tiny beds in the bedroom. She cooked a wonderful meal
and cleaned the house and tired, finally slept on one of the tiny beds. At night, the seven dwarfs who
lived in the cottage came home and found Snow White sleeping. When she woke up and told them her
story, the seven dwarfs asked her to stay with them. When the dwarfs were away, Snow White would
make delicious meals for them. The dwarfs loved her and cared for her. Every morning, when they left
the house, they instructed her never to open the door to strangers.
Meanwhile, in the palace, the wicked queen asked, “Mirror! Mirror on the Who is the fairest of
them all?”
The mirror replied, “White is the fairest of them all! She lives with the seven dwarfs in the woods!” The
wicked stepmother was furious. She was actually a witch who knew how to make magic potions. She
now made a poisonous potion and dipped a shiny red apple into it. Then she disguised herself as an
old peasant woman and went to the woods with the apple. She knocked on the cottage door and said
“Pretty little child! Let me in! Look what I have for you!” White said, “I am so sorry, old lady, I cannot
let you in! The seven dwarfs have told me not to talk to strangers!” But then, Snow White saw the shiny
red apple, and opened the door. The wicked witch offered her the apple and when she took a bite poor
Snow White fell into a deep sleep. The wicked stepmother went back to the palace and asked the mirror,
“Mirror! Mirror on the wall! Who is the fairest of them all?” The mirror replied, “You are, Your Majesty!”
and she was very happy.
When the seven dwarfs came home to find Snow White lying on the floor, they were very upset. They
cried all night and then built a glass coffin for Snow White. They kept the coffin in front of the cottage.
One day, Prince Charming was going past the cottage and he saw Snow White lying in the coffin. He
said to the dwarfs, “My! My! She is so beautiful! I would like to kiss her!” And he did. Immediately,
Snow White opened her eyes. She was alive again! The Prince and the seven dwarfs were very happy.
Prince Charming married Snow White and took her to his palace and they lived happily ever after.
taken from: http://shortstoriesshort.com/story/snow-white/
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4.4 Parody Snow White
The True Story of Snow White (Parody)
Once upon a time, there was an ugly princess named Snow White. She had a wicked neighbor who
thought of herself she was the queen of town and whose only goal in life was to be the ugliest of them
all. She was so insane that she talked to a fridge which she believed was magic and day after day she
would ask it the same thing, “Fridge, oh fridge next to the wall, who’s the ugliest of them all?” and day
after day she thought it said, “My queen, you are ugly, but the ugliest of this town is Snow White.” The
neighbor was always trying to find a way to kill Snow White. She tried poisoned apples, soda bomb,
multiple trap doors, and she even tried to trick Snow White into drowning herself. Each effort ended
with Snow White being happy and the neighbor getting injured.
One day, she was so determined to kill Snow White, so she asked the fridge, “Fridge, oh fridge
next to the wall, how can I make Snow White fall?” Supposedly the fridge said, “Do exactly what I say
and she shall fall,” it continued, “Go to the market and get some strings and some metal ties.” The
neighbor was very confused, but she did as she was instructed. When she returned she went to the
fridge, “Fridge, oh fridge next to the wall, help me make Snow White fall.” The fridge said, “Very good
my queen. Now go outside where the two big oaks stand and tie the strings from the one to the other,
then use the ties to make sure the strings shall stay.” The neighbor did as she was told and tied the
rope. After that she went to the fridge, “Fridge, oh fridge next to the wall, help me make Snow White
fall.” The fridge answered, “Now, for the plan to work all you have to do is lure her to the trees.” The
neighbor tricked Snow White and made her run towards the two trees. When she came to the rope, Snow
White fell, got up, brushed the grass off, and continued running.
In rage the neighbor went to the fridge and said, “You tricked me!” “I didn’t trick you,” it
said, “You told me to make her fall and I did.” The neighbor then left town to live in the forest with her
grand-daughter Little Red Riding Hood and the three little bears and Snow White became so lonely
that she moved in with seven men who took good care of her and they lived happily ever after.
taken from: http://www.wattpad.com/16770892-fairy-tale-parodies-snow-white (adapted)
4.5 Analysis and Interpretation: Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Parodies
Similarities and Dissimilarities Snow White Original vs. Parody
Common
Features
Snow White
Original
Parody
princess, beautiful, lovely,
fair skin, naïve
princess, ugly, plays minor
role
Snow White’s
Threat
Stepmother/Queen/
Witch
very pretty and quite clever
but cruel, very jealous of
Snow White
Neighbor (wicked, insane,
talks to an object and thinks
it answers, believes in
magic, not very clever)
Perspective
First part: Queen (but in
favor of Snow White)
Second part: 7 dwarves and
Prince Charming
wants to be the most
beautiful lady in the
kingdom
Neighbor (Snow White:
minor part)
Threat strives
for being best in
specific field
wants to be the ugliest in
town
Analysis/
Interpretation
personality traits changed;
but overall content very
similar (story merely
expanded)
different character with
similar personality traits and
aims; except: is ugly and not
very clever
 questions existence of
magic
reader does not feel sorry for
Snow White, but rather
enjoys the silly attempt to
make her fall
strange wish, hard to
understand  humorous
(irony)
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Magic Object
Mirror: neutral, only
answers to question about
who is the most beautiful
one
Fridge
tricks the neighbor (word
play fall), pretends to help
Magic Spell
“Mirror! Mirror on the wall!
Who is the fairest of them
all?”
“Fridge, oh Fridge next to
the wall! Who is the ugliest
of them all?”
Attempts to
harm Snow
White
Seven Dwarves
huntsman (sent to kill Snow
White in the forest and bring
her heart)  unsuccessful
poisoned apple Queen brings
herself disguised as old
peasant woman  partly
successful (does not kill
Snow White, she only falls
into a deep sleep and can be
saved by a kiss)
Snow White’s protectors,
love and care for her
(instruct her to never open
the door to strangers)
Romantic
Aspect
Prince (her life saver and
true love), marries her
Ending
Queen is unsuccessful,
Snow White lives happily
ever after with her Prince
Charming
 happy ending
“Fridge, oh Fridge next to
the wall! How can I make
Snow White fall?”
various unsuccessful
attempts beforehand:
poisoned apple, soda bomb,
trap doors, trick Snow White
into drowning herself;
now: kill her with strings
and metal ties (as she is told
by the fridge)  Snow
White only falls and then
continues running
7 people she moves in with
because of loneliness after
her neighbor had left town;
take good care of her and all
of them live happily ever
after
(possibly the 7 Dwarves)
Neighbor leaves for the
forest to live with her granddaughter Little Red Riding
Hood and the Three Little
Bears;
Snow White moves in with
the 7 Dwarves to live
happily ever after
 happy ending
magic object becomes an
everyday object, hard to
imagine a fridge talking 
supports the image of the
insane neighbor  belief in
magic questioned here; more
probable: neighbor is insane
rhyming pattern target of
mockery: magic, repetitive
style of magic spell (typical
for fairy tales)
also: word play on fall  to
fall to the ground & die
all attempts by the neighbor
are determined to fail 
supports the impression that
the neighbor is not very
clever
the Seven Dwarves do not
play an important role;
however, they are the ones
she lives happily ever after
with
typical fairy tale romance is
not given and therefore not
the typical happy ending
 mocks typical fairy tale
structure
mentioning the characters
from other popular fairy
tales gives the ending a
completely new direction:
we get to know that the
neighbor is Little Red
Riding Hood’s grandmother
and therefore know what
will happen to her
afterwards; however, even
this implication is partly
changed as the Three Little
Bears are also mentioned;
Snow White does not marry
Prince Charming but stays
with the 7 Dwarves (which
were not mentioned before)
Conclusion: Characteristics of Fairy Tale Parodies
- Parody imitates the original Fairy Tale by maintaining a similar form; the content is what is
changed  original Fairy Tale has to be recognizable
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- humorous elements: different register, new plot divergences & twists (changed situation,
different personality traits for the characters, new characters or from other fairy tales, etc.)
- satirical elements aim mainly at: typical fairy tale motifs (magic, princesses and princes),
archaic language and typical repetitive style; or question belief or non-belief in magic, mock the
original’s improbable plot
- sometimes also: irony, satire, black humour
4.6 Fairy Tale Parody Story Planner – Guided Writing Instructions
inspired by: http://www.abcteach.com/free/s/storyplanner_fairytale.pdf (adapted)
Original Fairy Tale: _____________________________________________________
Group Members: _______________________________________________________
Plan your own Fairy Tale Parody
Use the following suggestions to plan your story. You do not need to write full sentences.
Place and Time
Where does your story take place? Name and describe the place where your story
happens. Also think about the time in which your story takes place.
Some inspirational ideas: North Pole, Wild Western, modern-day New York, the Middle
Ages, today, future (via time travelling machine), time of the dinosaurs …
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Characters
Who are your characters? Who tells his story? Give them names and write brief
descriptions of each one (what do they look like? what are their characteristics?).
Some inspirational ideas: add a character from another fairy tale, have your characters
change personality traits (e.g. instead of good and beautiful  evil and ugly etc.),
choose a different character as your protagonist (maybe even the evil one?), change
people into animals, invent new characters …
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Plot
What happens in your story? What gives the story a beginning, a middle, and end?
What makes the story funny? What are the twists in comparison to the original fairy
tale?
Some inspirational ideas: make fun of magical elements or question the improbable plot,
extend the ending (what happened after they lived happily ever after?) …
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The End
How does your story end? Will they live happily ever after or not?
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Typical Phrases in your story
Rewrite those sentences or phrases that are used several times in the text to make it
funnier, but be careful to make it match the story. Use them as well in your story.
Example: “Mirror, Mirror on the wall! Who is the fairest of them all?”  “Fridge, oh
Fridge next to the wall, who is the ugliest of them all?”
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