Lecture 3

Grimms’ Fairy Tales

Of Feminine Subtlety

  • Probably written by the clergy, to convince men not to get taken in by women.
  • Was in a book of tales about how a “Good Christian” would act.
  • The main character is clearly Christian.
    • Number 3 (trinity)
    • Sign of the cross
    • Long journey of suffering
    • Ending with clear moral
  • Women don’t have names or personalities

The Pig Prince

  • Italian fairy tales are very violent, sometimes even more than the Grimms’
  • Ugliness is magnified through hate; beauty is revealed through love

Riquet with the Tufts

  • Age of Enlightenment: downplaying magic, more into things that can be explained