A Brief Look at the Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm's version of Snow White starts off so similar in comparison to Snow White the Walt Disney adaptation. I mean it sounds familiar right? Snow

Most modern fairytales are expected to have happy endings and be appropriate for children, nonetheless, in past centuries most were gruesome. Consequently, fairytales have been modified throughout time. The stories “Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont and “The Summer and Winter Garden” by Jacob and Wilherm Grimm share similarities and differences. The two stories are distinct because of the peculiar year they have been written in. LePrince de Beaumont’s story is written in London of 1783 and Grimm’s in Germany of 1812. At the time, wealthy people in London, were educated and had nannies who would read to their children; whereas, in Germany, the Grimm brothers created their own interpretation into a short story.

Before the Brothers Grimm transcribed what is known today as one of the most recognized fairytales ever recorded, it was being passed down orally from generation to generation at every corner of the globe. Various versions of Cinderella’s myth can be found in almost every culture in the world, all very distinct with their own specific qualities, reflecting each society’s predominant interpretations of religious themes. For instance, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s works were known to promote their Prussian culture and language, such as “Aschenputtel”, their German version of Cinderella. Most of their adjustments were heavily influenced by the criticism of their fellow countrymen, their audience, and their Christian beliefs.

As a child, I was told fairytales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs every night before I went to sleep. Fairytales are an adventurous way to expand a child’s imagination and open their eyes to experience a new perspective. Modernizations of fairytales typically relate to a specific audience, such as adolescence, and put a contemporary spin on the old-aged tale. Instead of using whimsical themes heavily centered in nature, the contemporary poems connect with the reader in a more realistic everyday scenario. Also, many modernizations are written in poetic form to help reconstruct a flow in the piece and to develop or sometimes completely change the meaning from that of the original fairytale. Comparing Grimm’s Fairytale Snow White

Many children know the classic 1937 Disney movie, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, but the tale is much different from the Brothers Grimm version, “Snow White”. Before this tale was modified by Disney, it was much darker. This story, and many other stories were also much more grim before Disney changed them. In interpretations of Walt Disney’s “Snow White” and the Grimm brothers “Snow White”, there are definitive comparisons that can be made, the history behind the Grimm brothers contribute to the story as a whole, and children and society reacted in different ways to the tale. The Disney tale and the Grimm brothers tale differentiate in multiple different areas.

The Grimm Brothers version of Cinderella is a written down oral story that people passed down from generation to generation, meant to teach a lesson about piety and good behavior. Before the Grimm Brothers ever wrote it down, the story had been told several times by memory. It is thus not surprising that the descriptions of certain events in the story, such as the way Cinderella went to the Ball, are lacking in details. It is obvious that these parts of the story are unimportant to the overall message of the story. Instead, it focuses on the piety of Cinderella and the wickedness of the step-sisters. Through the events of the story, it becomes obvious that the goodness of Cinderella is justly rewarded, and that

Everyone loves a good fairytale, and nothing is quite as magical and heartwarming as a Disney fairytale. The themes of love, comedy, and morality deem them as more than just little kids' stories, but suitable and entertaining tales for the entire family. This is known by a majority of the stories' readers. However, what one may not be so familiar with is the origin of these tales. Where did the stories of Cinderella, Ariel, and Rapunzel come from? The Disney writers certainly did not create them themselves. The differences in the originals will shock anyone familiar with Disney. And what about Snow White? There are differences between the original Brothers Grimm version of the ebony-haired, white-skinned princess and the Disney movie, believe it or not. Some major differences between both versions are the multiple ways the evil queen tries murdering her stepdaughter, the cause of Snow White's revival, as well as how the evil queen died. Why the story was altered is obvious:

Nearly over 5oo versions of the Cinderella are stories circulation, and making it the most well known tale as the globe. The story in this unchanging classic has been used, as a model for authors for generations and it will continue. Rather the stories in print or film, Cinderella story itself has purpose and inspirational. Cinderella has the most impact on young girls to imagine being swept off their feet by a sweet handsome prince, marry and “live happily ever after.” For over the century the story has ben redefined and revised, whether as the Disney film version or as the Grimm Brothers. However, both stories have a different and similar way to tell their story. Both stories aim at two different audiences and also the type of personality of the characters in both stories.

"The Brothers Grimm were academics best known for publishing collections of folk tales and fairy tales, which became massively popular." (Zipes p. 7) "Born in Hanau, Germany, a year apart, with Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm born the oldest, on January 4, 1985, and Wilhelm Karl Grimm on February 24, 1786. Their family consisted of nine other siblings, six of which survived infancy, and their parents." (Zipes p. 9) Their early childhood was described as "idyllic" with them living in a beautiful countryside home while their father, Philip Wilhelm, was employed by the Prince of Hessen. However, when Jacob was eleven years and Wilhelm only ten, their father died, and their fortune dramatically declined to nothing. Their family was forced to move

For generations stories and fairytales have been read to children all over. These stories that are read to kids often are lighthearted and have happy endings. In contrast, to these typical stereotypes about fairy tales the Grimm Brothers changes the way fairy tales are perceived. Now after reading the Grimm Brothers fairy tales seem a lot deeper and darker than the classics that would be read to kids because the characters are evil spirited, their are unpleasant endings and the mood is darker.

Who are the Grimms Brothers? Well The Grimm Brothers were two brothers named Jacob and William, and they lived in a family of nine children. They were famous for help writing and improving the beautiful tales known as fairytales. Although they did not write the fairytales, they went to towns and asked the people to tell their stories that have been past down to them. Later after they heard the stories they would write them down and interpret it and make it more interesting. Although the original fairy tales were not at all like the fairy tales today, they still were very interesting.

The women are the main focus in this story. Snow White is held to be the damsel in distress in this story. She is a beautiful young woman who wants to live happily ever after. In this story Snow White is taken pity upon. The Grimm’s write, “Because she was so beautiful the huntsman took pity on her…” (Grimm).

The four themes that Maria Tatar argues in her book The Hard Facts of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales are 1. Rise of national identity and culture 2.Dissolution 3. Political and religious refugees and 4. Change in technology. With all four of these being relevant to the time, it sets up the importance of the remake of the fairy tale. We have to look critically at where we are and where we are going because of our pop culture and politics.

Perrault perfectly embodies the ideal female cannon in his fairy tale “ The Little Glass Slipper”, the Brothers Grimm also embody this cannon in their tale of “Snow White.” They embody this cannon and its ideal virtues in the character of Snow White, who much like Cinderella is trusting, passive and dependent on the care of the dwarfs and the handsome prince. Snow White’s dependency is first showed when the Brothers Grimm write “Snow White was so beautiful that the huntsman took pity on her and said: ‘Just run away, you poor girl” (84). The Brothers Grimm show that Snow White is not in control of her own life, she has to depend on a man in order to live. During one of the queen’s murder attempts Snow White falls for her tricks and falls as if dead. The Brothers Grimm record that when the dwarfs came home “She didn’t move in the slightest, and they were sure she was dead. They lifted her up, and when they saw that she had been laced too tightly, they cut the staylace in two. Snow White began to breathe, and little by little she came back to life” (86). Through this seen the Brothers Grimm insinuate that females are dependent on men in every -and -which way. By making Snow White dependent on the

Fairy tales such as Snow White, have been rewritten and interpreted in many different stories throughout a vast amount of years. Two stories that retold the tale of Snow White were “Little Snow White”, Written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and Snow White and The Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sandors. The brothers Grimm wrote the “Little Snow White” in 1812 and explained the story of Snow White as a young child who was targeted to be killed by a jealous queen and hide away in a house of 7 dwarfs. In their home, Snow White was constantly tricked by the evil queen and killed then brought back to life by the 7 dwarfs. The story of Snow White and the Huntsman was directed in a much darker direction than the brother’s Grimm version where survival was sought for both the huntsman and Snow White. Similarities arose in both versions where Snow White had to survive a terrible ordeal that she is being placed in from being vulnerable to tricks from the queen in the brothers grimm version to surviving from her stepmother but also from the environment she encounters conflict in the Snow White and the Huntsman movie. The themes of both versions contrast each other since Snow White beauty is able to save her from different situations in ‘Little Snow White”, however, the queens obsession on being young and beautiful ultimately led to her downfall in Snow White and the Huntsman.