A Cultural Analysis Of 'Bluebeard'

In Tatar’s article, An Introduction to Fairy Tales, she draws us in by describing childhood books as “sacred objects.” She takes a quote from Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. describing how the stories give lessons about what a child subconsciously knows - “that human nature is not innately good, that conflict is real, that life is harsh before it is happy - and thereby reassure them about their own fears and their own sense of self,” (Tatar 306). She describes how many adults long for the simplicity of enjoying those stories in their childhoods, only to realize that they outgrew them, and instead have been introduced to reality. The original stories were more for adults rather than for children. Nowadays, stories have been adapted to be more suitable for children. Fairy tales may allow a kid to wonder due to their charm, but they also can

If you think of any fairy-tale from your childhood, you will most likely think of princesses whose beauty is described before their name, who live awful lives until a man can control them, and the clichéd phrase “Happily Ever After”. A deeper look into each fairy tale’s history reveals an original piece of writing that explores different life lessons to those perceived by modern society, often through gruesome and seemingly horrific tales. Although all fairy-tales, original or otherwise, are make-believe stories, they are still fundamentally shaping the views of children and giving them an expectation of the world. ‘Sun, Moon, and Talia’ by Giambattista Basile, also known as the original Sleeping Beauty, versus modern-day Maleficent show very

There is perhaps nothing as terrifying as realizing that your dark suspicions about someone ended up being correct. Actually, something more terrifying is having that horrible realization and having no method of escape. Charles Perrault’s “Bluebeard” is a story of intuition and feminine curiosity, but the tale can also be read through a feminist lens and taken as an examination of the oppressive attitude and potential danger that men can pose to women. This can be seen through how the tale treats women, how the story represents men, and through examining the actual events of the story when compared to the supposed moral. Perrault’s “Bluebeard” has quite a bit to say about gender relations, even though the views of the author may be distinctly different from a more feminist interpretation.

The key functions as a symbol of power and knowledge despite the fact that Bluebeard gives clear orders to his wife that she is not to enter the one closet. When Bluebeard gives his wife the ring of keys, saying: “Open them all; go into each and every one of [the rooms],” he grants to her a certain superiority now that she has access to anywhere in the house and the accompanying knowledge. Keys have always and continue to entail power, keys to the city are handed only to people with very high status, just as in the ancient Egyptian era where they symbolized the Godly powers of life and death. Bluebeard’s wife was provided with access not only to a place, or house, but acceded to a higher responsibility and power: “ “Here,” said he, “are the

Marina states that the story contains the most deeply disturbing explicit adult material and that Bluebeard is a Jack the Ripper. Marina states that the beard signifies strong men. The beard being blue intensifies the frightfulness of his appearance. Marina states, the color blue represents ambiguous death, the shadow side, desire, knowledge, and the unexpected and raw meat. In some retellings, the chamber actually becomes blue. The fairy tale itself was first known in France as “Conte Blue”. William Gass wrote an essay called “ On Being Blue”. He stated that maybe it is blue of reality itself. Gass then quoted a scientific manual stating that blue is the specific orgone energy within and without the organism. Also the word barbe in French looks as if it is related to the word barbarian. The story starts off making the reader feel a bit sympathetic for Bluebeard. His request for her obedience seemed reasonable. Warner points out that the beard is a patriarchal ornament, and a devilish goatee. Warner pointed out that within the fairytale it is shown that marriage will be the death of the new wife.

Fairy tales have been told for years and have been adjusted as authors see fit to portray their particular message or create a more applicable story for a new culture or era. At times, these tales remain true to their purpose even when written in different. By specifically evaluating the purpose, moral, and characters within two versions, Brothers Grimm’s titled “Briar Rose” and Charles Perrault’s “Sleeping Beauty in the Wood,” an understanding of their relevance can be distinguished. These versions of Sleeping beauty act as one of these tales though “many…have done their best to make her story go away” (Tartar). Although written in an earlier era, Brothers Grimm’s “Briar Rose” and Charles Perrault’s “Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” work effectively on a modern teenage and young adult audience evident in the similar purpose through their tale’s distinct morals and character portrayal.

Fairy tales function to entertain, inspire, enlighten, and in some cases condition our beliefs and behavior by teaching a lesson or having a theme. As literature progresses and becomes more modernized, most authors still follow this general concept for newer versions. However, contemporary authors create diversions from the classic tales by making them more intriguing and interesting. Even though the plots are fairly similar, some of the retold versions critique and reformulate the themes and messages. This is significant because it shows how each author

Throughout history, stories have been a way for people to communicate ideas and lessons through a form of art. One distinct genre that is well-known by many is the fairy tale. A fairy tale is any story that contains magical and imaginary beings and lands. They are often, but not limited to, being created for children. Fairy tales are often employed as symbolic lessons for the children. For adults, fairy tales were a form of entertainment. The Aarne-Thompson Folktale Types and Motif Index separates fairy tale stories into categories based on a major characteristic of the story, be it a supernatural adversary or tales of fate. Fairy tales have affected generations of people, it is difficult to determine if they were a beneficial building block

Fairy tales have had a great importance to not only children, but society throughout the 17th century and beyond. Many of these fairy tales were written to represent the importance of a certain moral within a human being’s life and that we should be aware of such dangers around us. These fairy tales show value such as being kind, appreciative, and being aware of one’s surroundings. Fairy tales in general have certain focuses such as the role of women in society was very frightening and dangerous, and that the talk of women was seductive and wicked. Also, the lives the original tellers lived was from marriage to childbirth to mother to step-mother to mother in-law. Fairy tales withstood the test of time in that they were edited and changed as they were written down, removing the darker and more gruesome elements of the story. “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” is amongst these fairy tales, which demonstrates the representation of women and the dangers that are among them.

The fairytale genre and folk tale stories have dated back centuries ago, written by literary geniuses such as the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault. The movies we see as kids have clouded the nature of the fairytale genre and have imposed a different view on society. Traditional fairytales go beyond the typical Disney themed movies, they dig deeper into the child’s imagination and convey a reflective meaning about the way we live. Through the works of Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault’s fairytales, we are able to conclude the true meaning of fairytales and how they have served as a stepping stone to early childhood development.

Fairy tales have fed the imagination of many generations during the centuries. Through these stories, the human’s mind can fly beyond the reality and create new worlds with their specific rules and creatures. Symbolism is an intrinsic element of these creative stories. Fairy tales convey many meanings through symbols and consequently create a deeper space for their audiences. They look like a road that every time a person passes through them, he/she can find new things around. “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs” gathered by the Brothers Grimm are two of these famous fairy tales. The central theme of both of these

A little boy and a little girl sit, eyes wide, eagerly awaiting the story. 'Once upon a time...', and they are reeled in. This short phrase is a trigger to our subconscious; for every fairy tale is a mirror reflecting our own or our society's morals. Passed down through thousands of years of oral tradition (1), variations arise. Yet beneath the differed versions the lessons are the same; both to entertain and condition their audience, fairy tales have maintained their popularity throughout time.

Some scholars believe that as soon as humans were able to speak, they might have already formulated their own version of fairy tales in their story telling (Evolution of Storytelling and Fairly Tales, n.d.). Apparently, fairy tales are deeply embedded in human culture that it can be found even in the earliest writings of the Aryans and the Hindus (Bunce, 1878). The early Greeks’ Iliad and Odyssey as well as the early Anglo-Saxons’ Beowulf are just a few examples of folk tales that have been told until today. Although these stories are not meant for children, these folk tales laid the foundations of today’s modern fairy tales (Anderson, 2006). Most likely, every culture has their own version of fairy tale, which could have evolved from the folk tales of their ancient pasts. Modern fairy tales combines the elements of fables and fantasy in order to instruct moral values. Among the most common are Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beasts, The Frog Prince, Pinocchio and many other fairy tales of such genre, which highlights moral values such as goodness, loyalty and honesty. On the other hand, some modern fairy tales such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are purely entertaining without the need for moral emphasis (Anderson,

Fairy tales portray wonderful, elaborate, and colorful worlds as well as chilling, frightening, dark worlds in which ugly beasts are transformed into princes and evil persons are turned to stones and good persons back to flesh (Guroian). Fairytales have long been a part of our world and have taken several forms ranging from simple bedtime stories to intricate plays, musicals, and movies. However, these seemingly simple stories are about much more than pixie dust and poisoned apples. One could compare fairytales to the new Chef Boyardee; Chef Boyardee hides vegetables in its ravioli while fairytales hide society’s morals and many life lessons in these outwardly simple children stories. Because of this fairytales have long been instruments

For decades, we have been exposed to a seemingly harmless components of fairy tales. The happy endings, love at first sight, charming princes and beautiful princesses are only some of the most common elements found in fairy tale stories. Researchers believe that its origin dates back to 16th to 17th century. For hundreds of years, fairy tale stories have provided entertainment and inspiration to young children around the globe. If we were to examine how men, women, and children’s role are portrayed in these stories, what patterns would we notice, and how would we interpret them? Does prolonged exposure to these make believe stories affect a child’s socio-psychological development? How do they help shape our perception of reality? Perception