Final Blog Post

Reread all blogs you have written and reflect about what you have done and learned in the semester

Over the course of the semester I have gained a new appreciation on fairy tales, because of the many perspectives we have looked at them through. I have also learned how to decipher fairy tales, separation what is needed to keep the tale going from what is at the heart of the tale. The first blog I wrote about was what is my favorite fairy tale, which I said was Rumpelstiltskin. After reading many fairy tales from the Brother’s Grimm, I think that my new favorite fairy tale is Bluebeard. Since I researched extensively on the tale, I adore the symbolism and deeper meaning of the tale. 

Another important thing I learned this semester was why do people write fairy tales. People write fairy tales because of the Zeitgeist, or spirit of the time. There are many fairy tales about a myriad of monsters and heroes because the Zeitgeist is always adapting, changing to fit new cultural and historical contexts. In blog post 7 I learned about the Greek tale of “Cupid and Psyche”. Through this tale many similarities arose to “The Frog King”, such as the female getting herself into trouble because she cannot resist temptations. I also found a cartoon called “Little Red Walking Hood” for blog post 8, and compared it to the Grimms original. During this comparison I learned why Disney appropriated most of his stories, in order to change the Zeitgeist and also to give people hope, which was something people needed during the Great Depression.

The final thing I learned during the course of the semester is that fairy tales make it into mainstream media, and it is important to find these allegories. A salient example is “Silence of the Lambs”, which has “Little Red Riding Hood” motifs. The female character must fight her way into the light against Buffalo Bill, just like how Little Red must fight against the Wolf. In conclusion, From Grimm to Disney highlighted things I would have never thought about in fairy tales, and taught me how to read them in order to find out what they actually mean.