Sunday, February 4, 2007
Hansel and Gretel Varients
After reading all four varients of the story Hansel and Gretel the only one I had ever read was the original by the brothers Grimm. The others seemed odd to me. The only thing all four had in common was the fact that the poor children were abandoned by their parents. To me if I were young this would be scary to read. I would never want my parents to abandon me. In the story "Rose Tree" the song "My wicked mother slew me, My dear father ate me, My little brother whom I love, Sits below, and I sing above, Stick, stock, stone dead." would be very scary to read as a child. The "Rose Tree" and "Jupiter Tree" I found to be quite similar. These stories as Zipes would say were probably contaminated by a group of people. These varients of stories we have been reading have been passed down mostly through oral tradition so they have been contaminated by many generations of people. What do you think?
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On page 83, Zipes talks about the rise of “an interest in American Folklore.” I have never seen this term used before, and I was a bit confused as to exactly what he meant by it. After completing the chapter; however, I concluded that there really is no distinct genre of American Folklore, at least in my opinion. There are many types of folklore that originated here in America, from Native American folklore to slave folklore, but what does Zipes mean when he uses this term? Each person who writes a story, or “contaminates” a fairy-tale is, in his or her own way, creating a new type of folklore, but is it really possible to categorize those stories, or are they all just considered to be “American?”
On another note, Zipes also mentions, on page 83, that Bertha and Elenor Whiteney owned a bookstore in “Boston that dealt exclusively with children’s books.” I do recall from an earlier chapter Zipes saying something to the effect that there is no such thing as children’s literature. Is he contradicting himself? If an entire bookstore was dedicated to children’s books, I would think that is proof enough that there is a genre, which should be considered children’s literature.
I like the quote on page 87, “Gag’s tales were not tales for children but projections of her childhood, an endeavor to recapture her home and to recall an idyllic episode in her life.” I think this claim could be made for many authors who write fairy tales, or anything, which is normally associated with childhood, in general. For many people, childhood is a time of carefree fun and happiness and remembering these times may bring about a certain comfort and/or peacefulness. For this reason, the stories, which we might generally think to be written for children, may in fact be written for adults; A way for adults to reconnect with their past. While Gag may have been concerned with preserving the Grimm’s fairy tales for others, her main reason for translating may have simply been so that she herself could find pleasure in them all over again.
I agree with the fact that Gag was writing as much for herself as for others. I think Zipes makes a valid point that when authors write they are reliving their childhood or are writing for adults as well. However, even though he says contamination is not necesarrily a bad thing, he certainly sounds as if he doesn't like it. I also understand that The Grimm brothers were the first to actually write down fairy tales, but do they really have the say all as to what a fairy tale should or shouldn't be? How a certain story should or shouldn't go? So if another author wants to vary it a bit, is it so bad to stray from their story? I guess I wonder why everything has to be compared to Grimm stories.
I also only have read the Grimm version on Hansel and Gretel. The others were very different and so I have never heard them. As said before the only connection I saw was that the stepmother didn't like having the child or children and decided to have them killed. The father didn't agree but went along anyway. It sounds like a weak man indeed to me. Otherwise all were interesting especially the new ones. I think in this case Zipes would say that the contamination is obvious but in a good way.
ps. I LOVE DISNEY and I like his movies. Poo on anyone who doesn't... and I agree he wanted to make the movies his own...
Before reading the Hanzel and Gretel varients I had only read the one written by Grimms brothers too. I noticed many similarities in all varients. In all the versions there was always an evil character and they were about brothers and sisters. I think the story is too violent for childern. Why would you want to read this to your child? I feel like abandonment isn't something that children should not be interested in. Although I guess one can argue that there a lesson about the diffculties in life. Overall, I did not really enjoy story. The Grimms Brother's version seemed to be the one I felt most familiar with.
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