Caitlin Chciuk Fantasy and Fairy Tale Literature Dr.

Nicole Burkholder-Mosco Fall 2010 Fairy Tale and Fantasy Literature: The Progression from Past to Present Fairy tales are more than true not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten. G. K. Chesterton Introduction Growing up, everyone heard stories of fantastical worlds; tales of magic, kings and queens, battles of good and evil; tales of talking animals, of fairies, of pirates and pixie dust; stories of everything that the world we live in is not. Fairy tales and fantasy stories are integral parts of childhood and growing up. While these stories have evolved and changed throughout history, children still listen in amazement at the tales conjured up to provide an escape from the harsh reality of the real world. They become inspired by the fantastical characters and ideas, and these stories are what propel childrens minds. Fairy tales and fantasy stories are much more complex than their surfaces make them appear. These genres are also incredibly similar, holding many of the same themes and elements. However, many of these seemingly childrens stories carry mature undertones, but this just makes them more appealing for people of all ages. In addition, fairy tales and fantasy stories have gone through a great deal of transformation, so they are somewhat different today than they were in previous centuries. Other genres and undertones, such as horror and religion, have also begun to get mixed with fantasy and fairy tale, creating entirely new aspects and ideas. Further, Todorovs idea of what fantasy literature entails has had an influence on the modern genre. As Sue Corbett states in her magazine article Reality Check for Fantasy, a reader can't enter the children's department of a bookstore these days without tripping on a wand or falling

Chciuk 2 into a portal (57). The popularity of these genres is ever-increasing. Through all of this progression and evolution of each of the genres, the goal of fairy tale and fantasy literature is to capture the child within the reader and mold the imagination.

Elements of the Genres Fantasy and fairy tale are very similar genres in literature. Many novels bridge the gap between both genres, simply because many of the elements are the same. Magic is a prevalent theme in both genres. In addition to magic, the idea of being able to do the impossible is a major theme. Both genres also have their stories set in worlds unlike our own. Often, these settings also have an air of magic or something mystical about them. However, even though these genres have similarities, they also have differences. The biggest difference is the origins. Fairy tale stories generally originated from folk tales or oral tradition. According to The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, We cannot say with historical precision when the literary fairy tale evolved, but we can trace motifs and elements of the literary fairy tale to numerous types of storytelling and stories of antiquity (xi). In a way, fairy tales laid the foundation for fantasy literature, as fantasy literature originated from the one of the main elements of fairy tales magic. Many novels can fit into both of these genres easily. While it has more characteristics of fantasy literature, Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland is one of those novels that can bridge the gap. One of the main elements of fantasy literature is that it deals with unrealistic things happening in a realistic world. Fantasy literature also employs the idea of believing in seemingly impossible things, such as talking animals also an element of fairy tale literature and food products that make you grow or shrink. In Alice, the title character tries to make sense of the nonsensical world she lands in after falling through a rabbit's hole, but she soon realizes that

Chciuk 3 she's in a place where she doesn't know the rules (Bauermeister and Smith). The only aspect that could make this novel more fantasy than fairy tale is the origin. Unlike fairy tales, which originated centuries ago and were passed down through oral tradition, fantasy originates from the mind of the author and ideas of magic, which is exactly how Carroll composed Alice. It is told that The event [where Alice was first told] was a boat trip and picnic The children begged him to write the extemporaneous story down (Harris-Fain). Carroll penned the novel, and the story of Alice became famous. While the story does not have fairy tale origins that reach back through the centuries, it does still have the similar idea that it started off being told orally and then got written down. The elements of magic, talking animals, and the impossible all define the fantasy and fairy tale genres. Origin is really the only difference between the two. In The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, the author states All the early writers of fairy tales borrowed from other literary and oral tales, and thus their narratives can be regarded as retellings that adapt motifs, themes, and characters (xii). The same can be said of fantasy literature the genre takes the ideas laid out in fairy tales and twist them to make new stories.

Todorovs Fantastic Another aspect of the fantasy genre that can be looped into the fairy tale genre is Todorovs Fantastic. According to Mark Bould in his article The Dreadful Credibility of Absurd Things: A Tendency in Fantasy Theory, The publication in 1970 of Tzvetan Todorovs The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre, gave the study of criticism of fantasy a measure of academic validation (53). The Fantastic, according to Todorov, includes one of three key elements the Marvellous, the Fantasy, and the Uncanny. The Marvellous is the belief in the

Chciuk 4 supernatural and magic. The Uncanny is the belief that anything unnatural occurring is because of a distortion in the mind of the character. The Fantasy shows that there is no probable explanation for what is occurring. Even if there is a reason, it is written off as impossible. In a biography of Todorov, it is stated that he believes that the reader ought to reject any rational, poetic, or allegorical interpretation of the events that have provoked this hesitation, because trying to rationalize what is happening could put the events into the marvellous or the uncanny instead of the fantastic (Guha). Todorovs ideas are what have shaped modern fantastical criticisms today, placing the literature into one of the three elements he wrote of.

Progression: Past to Present The progression of both fantasy and fairy tale stories has been going on for centuries. While the fairy tale genre has been around for much longer than fantasy genre, both have gone through many transformations. Subject matter is one of the areas where both fantasy and fairy tale literature has changed. Logically it would seem that fairy tales today would be more dark and sinister than those of the past. There is not as much repression on the authors, and themes nowadays are much more open. However, looking back at some of the fairy tales penned by the Grimm brothers, stories in the Victorian age were extremely dark. Everyone knows the Disney-fied version of Cinderella, where Cinderella is treated horribly by her family, then finds her Prince and is whisked away to live happily ever after. The Grimms version of the story is much more dark and sinister, though. One of the more awful bits is when the prince is going around looking for the girl who wears the slipper. In the Disney version of the story, the stepsisters try to fit into the shoe, and when their feet do not fit, they give up. However, in the Grimm story, the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet in order to make

Chciuk 5 them fit into the shoe (Grimm 159-160). Another gruesome bit comes at the end of the tale the doves peck out the stepsisters eyeballs, condemning them to blindness (Grimm 161). Obviously there has been a change in the telling of the story as time went on, as the Disney version that children today know is not gruesome at all. There are still fairy tales and fantasy stories today that are incredibly dark. In the rise of the vampire genre, most stories are taking a sinister turn. However, those stories are more geared towards adults. The stories that we think of as childrens tales have all been made suitable for young ages, removing many of the dark themes. In removing the themes, the stories seem to lose a bit of their appeal. But the audience is still provided with a ticket into a fantastical land unlike any other.

Mature Themes Adult and mature themes seem to be incredibly prevalent in the fairy tale and fantasy stories that are supposed to be meant for children. While these themes may not be immediately apparent, especially to children, they are still there. As mentioned in the previous section, Disney has done a great job of making these fairy tales and fantasy stories more kid-friendly. However, throughout these tales, Many of humanity's least attractive, primal emotions are on display: greed, jealousy, lust, and cowardice (Budin). In addition, many of these stories deal with death and murder, which do not seem like child-friendly topics. However, each tale twists the adult idea to make it seem like something fun for children. Peter Pan is J.M. Barries most famous novel. While it seems to be a novel intended for children, there are many themes throughout it that seem to focus on adult situations. There are some themes, such as family and acceptance, which could appeal to children. However, there are

Chciuk 6 also themes such as death, violence, and lust, which are really not appropriate for young children. For example, the children deal with violence and death on a regular basis. In Chapter 15, the boys are killing pirates left and right and feel absolutely no shame about it. In fact, they keep count of the number of pirates they kill, and even take pride in it. This sort of violence is not something that children under ten years old deal should be dealing with. Yet Barrie wrote it into his novel. These adult themes can also be twisted to be appropriate for children. Another example from Peter Pan is the treatment of women in the novel. When she goes to Never Land, Wendy takes on the role of the mother of the Lost Boys. She prepares meals and cleans for them. However, it isnt just playing in Never Land she truly puts herself in the role of taking care of them. Not only is she playing the role of the mother, shes playing the role of a Victorian housewife as well, in a childlike setting. This is how young women were brought up they were housewives in training. Many novels from the Victorian age deal with this sort of theme. Fairy tales and fantasy stories hold these adult themes in order to teach lessons to young children. The article from a childrens literature journal entitled Worlds of Fantasy states An irony about fantasy is that despite the fanciful characters, strange imaginary worlds, and bizarre situations encountered, it has the power to help us better understand reality (492). In modern fairy tale and fantasy stories, just like in the past, the stories have morals. Through the battles of good versus evil in these stories, the audience is taught a lesson about being good instead of evil.

Mixing Horror

Chciuk 7 Moving into the twentieth century, fantasy and fairy tale authors began to mix their stories with another genre: horror. This happens so often that a new subgenre has emerged Dark Fantasy. Philip Martins definition of Dark Fantasy is a fantasy subgenre that combines elements of fantasy with those of horror (46). This genre is also known as gothic fantasy or horror fantasy. Because fantasy and fairy tale literature incorporate ideas of magic and the impossible, it is easy to give the genre a twist of horror. One of the most famous authors of horror is Stephen King. He incorporates many ideas from the fantasy genre into his novel Eyes of the Dragon. The novel seems like it could be a strictly fantastical story due to its setting and plot the story takes place in a kingdom, and at the forefront is a battle of good and evil with a twist of magic. However, it is also filled with themes such as murder, corruption, and homosexuality. What really twists this book into horror fantasy is the kings assistant, a mysterious man named Flagg. Flagg is an evil magician, and is also a great cataloger of horrors, (Tritel). Flagg commits murders and attempts to pit the other characters against each other. But even beyond that, Flagg has some sort of horrific magical air about him. The novel states that he has the ability to sense when something is happening to the person he is attempting to corrupt (King 250). He also does not age and has been around the kingdom for two hundred and fifty years or so (King 61). The supernatural effect that Flagg has on the kingdom falls into both categories of horror and fantasy. Another example of Dark Fantasy is Broms The Child Thief, which is a modern retelling of Barries Peter Pan, but with horrifying twists. This novel takes Barries adult themes, especially death and violence, and puts Peter in a modern world. Peter still holds that completely childish mentality he constantly wants to play. However, he also wants to save these children

Chciuk 8 from their horrible home lives full of abuse, drugs, and rape. The children he encounters are from an incredibly violent neighborhood, and he takes them to Avalon (a parallel of Never Land) to save them. Brom uses Peters childish mentality to make the children trust them so he can take them out of their horrible lives. Avalon is a place full of death, violence, and war all extremely dark themes. Brom takes Barries original ideas and puts them into his own dark tale. Horror fantasy is rapidly growing. Even the bestselling Harry Potter novels incorporate elements of horror literature, such as murder and death. This genre is also becoming incredibly alluring to young adults, because it is an escape from reality. Chase Will states, Trapped within the black ink words between book covers, blood-suckers and their horrific kin wait for the next train into Imagination (17). Dark Fantasy has a way of getting into the readers minds and not letting go, creating a genre that is fun and exciting to read.

Mixing Religion Many authors have mixed fantasy and fairy tale with religion, especially in the twentieth century. One of the most famous authors who does this is C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia. As Gregg Easterbrook explains, There's no denying that Narnia is an Anglo Anglican's fantasy. Lewis is subtle with his religious references, masking them with the fantastical ideas of talking animals and interesting characters. In the first novel published (the second novel chronologically), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the lion Aslans death is incredibly similar to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Aslan gives his life for those who have betrayed him, and then rises from the dead soon after. In addition, in The Magicians Nephew, parts of the story mirror Genesis Creation and the Garden of Eden. So, in addition to holding some of the main characteristics of fantasy and fairy tale literature, such as talking animals,

Chciuk 9 magic elements, and the battle of good versus evil, Lewis also incorporates religious undertones into The Chronicles of Narnia. On the other hand, Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass, takes a completely different approach to incorporating religion into his fantasy story. In contrast with Lewiss Christian themes, Pullman takes on a strong anti-Christian viewpoint. Pullman is a selfproclaimed atheist who has referred to himself, tongue in cheek, as being "of the devil's party (Young 36). The Golden Compass and the rest of the His Dark Materials trilogy have been said to be a direct response to Lewiss Narnia. According to Cathy Young, the novels include all the basic elements of Christian theology, from God and angels to the souls of the dead, but in a way that turns the traditional religious viewpoint on its head (38). Pullman is attacking both Narnia and religion itself. While it seems like his characters are attempting to go against the authority in their land, the undertone is actually that the people are going against religion, which Pullman views as oppressive. Both of the authors successfully mix religion with fantasy and fairy tale literature, albeit differently. In Gregg Easterbrooks article, he says: Both Lewis's and Pullman's series take place on earth and in a parallel world; both have as protagonists astonishingly capable children; and the subtext of both is the search for the divine. But in Lewis's books children seek the divine in order to experience happiness and perfect love, whereas in Pullman's trilogy they seek it in order to destroy it (Easterbrook). The twentieth century is showing new ideas and concepts in regards to fantasy and fairy tale literature, and both Lewis and Pullman have helped to perpetuate these new ideas through their religious (or anti-religious) undertones in their novels.

Chciuk 10 Fantasy and Fairy Tale Literature Today Fantasy and fairy tale literature are ever-changing genres. As more and more ideas get introduced into literature, fantasy and fairy tale are looped in and changed again. Both of the genres encompass sub-genres, incorporating different ideas such as horror, religion, and realism. In addition, many movie adaptations have been made of all different fantasy and fairy tale stories. Disney has been the main adapter of these stories, creating both cartoon and live-action movies of some of the best known fairy tales. Stories like the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series have become some of the biggest movies in the world, as well as being best-selling books. Both of the genres are growing more and more popular as the century progresses. This is partially due to the themes. The Worlds of Fantasy article also states the following: Fantasies allow the reader to consider and speculate about central and sometimes painfully realistic themes in a way that is more palatable than in realistic fiction or fact. The fantastic nature of the characters and the setting provides readers with emotional distance that gives them than room in to

consider sensitive and important ideas more objectively genres. (Worlds of Fantasy)

other

Because fairy tale and fantasy literature nowadays still hold elements of reality, the stories become more relatable, especially for children and teenagers. They are seeing children their own age doing impressive things, and want to see more of that. In addition, more and more fantasy stories are

Chciuk 11 placing fantastical characters in our everyday world. One of the most popular examples of this is Harry Potter. JK Rowling takes magical characters, wizards, and puts them into London. These characters that Rowling created are very relatable for teens, and the Harry Potter series is one that makes this genre so popular among teens and young adults.

Conclusion Fantasy and fairy tale literature is different today than it was in previous centuries. There are not as many adult and mature undertones as there were in the nineteenth century during the Victorian era. However, many elements still hold true. The genres still incorporate the elements of original fairy tales, such as magic, talking animals, and the idea of doing the impossible. As Alice states in the 2010 movie Alice in Wonderland, Sometimes I believe in six impossible things before breakfast (iMDB). This is what fantasy and fairy tale literature strived to bring to the readers from the time both genres were incorporated into the literary world. The genres also strived to capture the childlike ideas of the adult readers. Fantasy and fairy tale stories are some of the most popular in the literary world, mainly because they provide the readers with an escape into a world similar to but unlike our own.

Chciuk 12 Primary Sources Barrie, J. M. Peter Pan. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1950. Print. This novel is a fantasy novel that tells the story of young children in a fantastical world filled with pirates and magic. Brom. The Child Thief. New York: HarperCollins Pub., 2009. Print. A retelling of Peter Pan, this novel puts Peter in a modern world with new characters and enemies to fight. Carroll, Lewis. The Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass,. New York: C. N. Potter, 1960. Print. This story tells of Alice, a young girl who finds herself in a fantastical world full of talking animals, magic, and nonsense. Grimm, Jacob, Wilhelm Grimm, and Arthur Rackham. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Library Collection, 2009. Print.

This edition of Grimms Fairy Tales includes every fairy penned by the Grimm brothers. These violent, grotesque fairy talks were a staple of childrens literature in the Victorian era. King, Stephen. The Eyes of the Dragon: A Story. New York, NY: New American Library, 1988. Print. This is a fantasy story about kings and the power of magic over a kingdom. Lewis, C.S. Prince Caspian. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1951. Print This is the fourth chronological book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. It tells the story of a prince fighting for his right to the throne. Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1950. Print.

Chciuk 13 This is the second chronological book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. It tells the story of three young children discovering the magical land of Narnia, as well as incorporates religious themes into fantasy literature. Lewis, C.S. The Magicians Nephew. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1955. Print. This is the first chronological book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. It tells the story of the creation of Narnia and the first discovery of it. Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. Print. This novel incorporates anti-religious themes into fantasy literature.

Chciuk 14 Works Cited "Alice in Wonderland (2010) - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. Dec. 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/>. This website provides a list of quotes from the 2010 movie Alice in Wonderland. It also provides trivia and facts about the movie itself. Bauermeister, Erica, and Holly Smith. "Review of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, 1997. 79. Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. Dec. 2010. This article is a review of the novel Alice in Wonderland. It explains the story and also analyzes the major themes within the text. Budin, Miriam. "A Tale Dark & Grimm." School Library Journal 56.11 (2010): 114. Academic Search Complete. Web. Dec. 2010. This article gives the history of Grimms fairy tales. It also explains some of the major mature themes in Grimms fairy tales and why they are there. Corbett, Sue. "Reality Check for Fantasy." Publisher's Weekly 253.28 (2006): 57-59. EBSCOhost. Web. Dec. 2010. This article explains the recent growth in popularity of fantasy and fairy tale literature. It discusses the opinions of retailers who sell fantasy and fairy tale literature in their stores, and explains why these novels have become such a crucial aspect of literature. Easterbrook, Gregg. "In Defense of C.S. Lewis." Atlantic Monthly 288.3 (2001): 46-49. Academic Search Complete. Web. Dec. 2010. This article defends C.S. Lewis decision to incorporate religion into fantasy and fairy tale literature. It also explains how Lewis incorporated this theme into his stories.

Chciuk 15 Guha, Arnab. "Tzvetan Todorov." Twentieth-Century European Cultural Theorists: First Series (2001). Literary Resource Center. Web. Dec. 2010. This is a biography of Todorov and his ideas and achievements throughout his lifetime. It explains his idea of Fantasy and tells of how his theory has influenced fantasy literature in the present century. Harris-Fain, Darren. "Lewis Carroll." British Fantasy and Science-Fiction Writers Before World War I.. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 178. Literature Resource Center. Web. Dec. 2010. This source is a biography of Lewis Carroll, author of Alices Adventures in Wonderland. It explains how he met Alice Liddell, the inspiration for the main character. It also gives insight into his life as a photographer of young girls, and discusses the success of the novel. Kurkjian, Catherine, et al. "Worlds of Fantasy." Reading Teacher 59.5 (2006): 492-503. Academic Search Complete. Web. Dec. 2010. This article discusses the impact of fantasy and fairy tales on childrens literature. It shows different examples of stories from these genres and explains some major themes that appear in these works. Martin, Philip. The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: from Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest : How to Write Fantasy Stories of Lasting Value. Waukesha, WI: Writer, 2002. Print. This novel teaches aspiring writers what goes into writing fantasy literature. It provides insight into what will make a novel successful. It also gives many tips about what exactly to write.

Chciuk 16 Meliaender, Gilbert. "Entering Narnia." Christian Century 122.24 (2005): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. Dec. 2010. This article reviews many novels that study Lewis The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It gives insight as to how and why Lewis wrote the series, and also provides criticisms of the major themes in the novel. Will, Chase. "The Alluring Darkness." Young Adult Library Services 6.4 (2008): 17-18. Academic Search Complete. Web. Dec. 2010. In this article, the author explains the popularity of the fantasy genre among teenagers and young adults. He also explains the rise of horror in fantasy literature and why it is so appealing to young people. Tritel, Barbara. What the Wicked Magician Did." New York Times Book Review (1987): 12. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. Dec. 2010. This article is about the character Flagg in Stephen Kings Eyes of the Dragon. It gives a summary of Eyes of the Dragon and also discusses the role of Flagg and his magic within the story. The article also explains Kings incorporation of horror into fantasy for this novel. Young, Cathy. "A Secular Fantasy." Reason 39.10 (2008): 36-42. Academic Search Complete. Web. Dec. 2010. This article summarizes Philip Pullmans The Golden Compass. It also gives insight as to why Pullman included anti-religious ideas in his story. In addition, it discusses Pullmans personal claims of being an atheist and also shows how The Golden Compass is a response to Lewis Narnia.

Chciuk 17 Zipes, Jack. The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: from Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm. New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 2000. Print. This novel focus on fairy tales and their origins. It explains the oral tradition throughout history that led to the creation of fairy tales, and explains the progression from past to present.