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Fairy tales

About fairy tales

The fairy tale has its roots way back in ancient times. A very significant literature genre, the fairy tales are present in all cultures worldwide. In contrast to folktales, which are spread form mouth to mouth and have no author, the author of the fairy tales in known and they are written down. In comparison to myths and legends, the time and place of occurrence in fairy tales are not defined. The characteristics of fairy tales include the appearance of fantastic elements in the form of talking animals, magic, witches and giants, knights and heroes. It wasn't until the 17th century that the fairy tales were written down and preserved for future generations. Fairy tales are a part of the larger folktale category.

Fairy tales research

The first to do research on fairy tales was the indologist Theodor Benfey during the 19th century. In 1910 the Finnish researcher Antti Aarne categorized fairy tales by their narrative content. Her work was later translated and enriched by Stith Thompson, with the result being the Aarne-Thompson classification system. In 1928 the Russian scholar Vladimir Propp contributed with his structural study of the morphology of fairy tales - an important contribution fairy tales research. The later research on fairy tales used a different theoretical approaches from anthropology, oral history, examining various individual philology, psychology and others. Good and evil in fairy tales is usually clearly separated, often in the form of good and evil characters. The content of fairy tales usually has a hero at the center and a conflict between good and evil, natural and supernatural forces. The hero is often a weak figure, like the youngest son. At the end of a fairy tale, the good is rewarded and evil - punished.

Fairy tales in Germany

In Germany the term fairy tales is largely associated with the first collection of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. There are, however, numerous German fairy tales that the Grimms did not record.

Fairy tales in France

The first collection of fairy tales in French was Charles Perrault's "Histoires ou Contes du temps passé avec des moralités". His work laid the foundation of the genre of fairy tales. The term fairy tale was later used by the French writer Madame d'Aulnoy. She named her book "Contes de fées" ("Fairy tales"), giving fairy tales their modern name.

Fairy tales in India

The Indian fairy tales have a long and varied tradition. The 2000 year old fairy tale collection called Panchatantra is among the most significant collections of Indian fairy tales. In beginning of the 20th century the Indologist John Hertel had the most important scientific contribution to Panchatantra.

Andrew Lang - Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 - 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, and literary critic. Born in Selkirk, Lang was the oldest among eight siblings. After graduating, he began to publish his works, showing he was a gifted journalist, poet, and writer.

Andrew Lang is best known as one of the most important collectors of folk and fairy tales. The twelve fairy tale books he... Go to Andrew Lang's fairy tales

Brothers Grimm - The Brothers Grimm are probably the best known story tellers in the world. Many years have passed since the time Jackob and Wilhelm Grimm released their "Children's and household tales". The first edition and was very modest, both in appearance and capacity - there were only 83 fairy tales, compared ... Go to Grimm's fairy tales

Charles Perrault - Charles Perrault was a French writer who lived in the second half of XVII century. He was one of the first writers in European literature who turned his eyes to folklore. Born in 1628 in a clerical bourgeois family, Perrault received legal education and had high royal office. In the second half of XVII century there was... Go to Perrault's fairy tales

Hans Christian Andersen - Hans Christian Andersen, born April 2, 1805 in Odense, was a Danish writer and poet. In his early days, Andersen wanted to become an opera singer. In 1819 he went to Copenhagen to pursuit that dream. His voice, however, was too weak and he was accepted as a dance student at the Royal Theater... Go to Andersen's fairy tales

Elsie Spicer Eells - Elsie Spicer Eells (Sept. 21, 1880 - May 24, 1963) was the author of numerous books, mostly relating to fairy tales and folklore in Brazil. Go to Elsie Spicer Eells's fairy tales

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