Honors English
Fall 2009
Mrs. LaRubio
Automotive H.S.
“Snow White” and Fairy Tales Research Paper
The first paper you will do will focus on the questions and ideas we have come across while discussing “Snow
White” and the fairy tales and children’s stories we have examined this semester so far.
PAPER TOPIC: Is it possible for a revisionist version of a fairy tale to be more important than the original?
Some ways to approach this topic:
 Examine the roles of women in each version of the tales.
 Examine the absent/nearly absent father/king in the tales.
 How is human sexuality dealt with in the tales?
 What is the function of the dwarves in the tales?
 How is the tale a “temperature gauge” for our society and the collective human consciousness?
 FOR ADDITIONAL IDEAS: look at pp. 2121-2124 for additional ideas for approaching this essay.
This question is not all-inclusive; rather they should serve as a ‘jumping point’ for your essay. You should
incorporate other ideas or concepts discussed in class or have considered on your own. See below for paper
specifications.
THE NITTY-GRITTY
The paper is due on Friday, November 6th (this is the last day of the marking period). It is due AT THE
BEGINNING of class. If you would like me to print out your paper for you, you must email it to me in MS
Word or as a Google Doc no later than 8 pm the night before the paper is due (Thursday, November 5th). Late
papers go down a grade for each day they are late. For example, if you hand in your paper one day late, it will
start off with an A-; two days late, it will start off with a B+; etc. You only have the option of revising your
paper for a better grade if the paper is on time.
Your paper must be in correct MLA format; this means it must have an MLA heading and follow all MLA
specifications. See The Bedford Introduction to Literature (specifically pp. 2121-2146) for clarification on
MLA format.
 The paper is to be 2-3 pages typed, double-spaced, in either Times New Roman or Arial font. The fonts
must be in 12 point. I do not want 10 point font (I have no wish to go blind), and I do not want them in
14 point (since I’m not going blind).
 Use 8 ½ x 11 white paper. Please do not use colored paper, strange color print, pictures, paper or plastic
folders, etc. Please make sure you staple your paper (one in the upper left-hand corner please).
 You must have an MLA heading on the first page of your paper. This should include your name, my
name, the name of the course, the date you are submitting the paper, and a title for your essay. Your
name and page number (if you choose to include this) is to be in the upper right hand corner only. Please
do not put a full heading on all of the pages.
 Your paper must have one-inch margins—not 1.25 (which many computers set them at; if your
computer does this, figure out how to change it).
 Your paper must be grammatically correct. (YES! Grammar, spelling, and punctuation count!)
 Because many college professors frown on writing in first-person (using “I”), for this paper, make sure
you stick to third-person.
 You must use secondary sources. The only sources you are allowed to use are the ones I have given
you—this means you can use the introductions to both The Classic Fairy Tales or the Introduction to
Snow White by Maria Tatar, and/or the Bruno Bettelheim excerpt from The Uses of Enchantment. You
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may NOT use dictionaries (unless you decide to explore a word’s etymology and use the Oxford English
Dictionary—see www.oed.com), encyclopedias, or on-line summaries of the novel.
DO NOT USE THE INTERNET TO RESEARCH YOUR PAPER. We are going to review how to
evaluate sources and how to select appropriate sources for your papers—this is not that time. For this
paper, I am only interested in what YOU have to say.
However, you must use quotes to back up your ideas. Remember, you should not merely quote the
author/writer—demonstrate how meaningful her/his statements are to the work you are discussing.
 Consult The Bedford Introduction to Literature and your class notes on correct MLA format
to be used.
Your Works Cited page is to be on a separate sheet of paper. You should have a minimum of 4 entries:
o Your primary sources: the Brother’s Grimm version of Snow White, the Anne Sexton poem, and
the Neil Gaiman story.
o At least 1 secondary source—either of the Introductions and/or the excerpt from The Uses of
Enchantment
***If you fail to hand in a works cited list with the above requirements, your paper will go down in
points (e.g. If you hand in an "A" paper, but fail to give me four sources, and instead only give three,
you will receive an "A-". If you hand in an "A" paper but only hand in one source, you will receive a
"B+" etc.) Also, anything listed on your works cited page should be cited in your paper. If you put an
entry on your works cited list and then it does not appear in your paper, this will also cause your grade
to be lowered.
Finally, please come up with your own ideas and discuss them with me! I am available to discuss your
paper during 6th and 7th period in Room 115 (the Humanities Department) or in our classroom, 215.
Purdue University has an excellent online writing lab:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Online MLA Formatting and Style Guide:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/