Textual Changes in the Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales. Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Sleepy Beauty, and Hansel

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1 Degener 1 Cole Degener Engl 305 New Historical 23 Nov 2014 Textual Changes in the Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:09 PM Deleted: 17 Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Sleepy Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel are few of the innumerable fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers that are still popular today. Throughout the Brother s various editions and retellings of their various tales, they changed aspects of the story to appeal to their audiences. The public has consumed the Grimm Brothers fairy tales since they were first published, but the specifics of the tales have shifted. The tales no longer emphasize certain variables, such as violence, sexism, and premarital relationships, which the earlier editions once did. Instead, society has stripped away these aspects, and what is left is a tale that can be conformed into what the public wants. Disney is a great example of this, having taken the classic Grimm s fairy tales and sifted out much of the problematic details, leaving the tale child friendly. By doing this, the gruesome Grimm Brothers tales are able to survive in today s society. The Grimm Brothers fairy tales remain popular today because they are Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:09 PM Deleted: Without Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, these stories would likely have never made it to exist in today s pop culture. Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:09 PM Deleted: No Deleted: longer are the tales that emphasize violence, like many of the early editions of the Grimm s tales. Deleted: the violence Deleted: ; Deleted:. Disney has the tales people love without the problematic details that once existed within the tales. Although sexism still exists within many of the fairy tales today, later editions of the fairy tales have been slowly eliminating some incidents of sexism, which makes the tales more enticing to the public. Take Sleeping Beauty for example; this tale has undergone various changes in order to get rid of particular problematic details of the tale. For example, Briar Rose is given gifts from the wise women. The gifts bestowed upon

2 Degener 2 Briar Rose include virtue, beauty, and riches (Grimm 498). Maria Tatar, in The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, gives readers the Grimm Brothers tales, but adds information from other editions of the tales. In regards to this tale, Tatar states that in the earlier editions of Sleeping Beauty, the gifts promise turn the Grimm s Sleeping Beauty into an ideal woman (Tatar 97). This wording is not present in the Sleeping Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:12 PM Deleted: In Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:12 PM Deleted: s Deleted: Deleted: she Beauty tales that the general public is aware of now. If this wording were present in today s story telling of Sleeping Beauty, readers would notice the sexism that is present right away. Instead, the Grimm Brothers, as well as Disney, have taken this part out in order to keep the public s interest. Additionally, many scholars, such as Bruno Bettelheim, who study Sleeping Beauty can see how the story revolved around Briar Rose s sexuality. For example, when the wise women come to celebrate the birth of Briar Rose, there are thirteen of them (Grimm 498). Bettelheim explains the importance of the number thirteen. Bettelheim states: Fifteen was often the age at which the menstruation began. The thirteen fairies in the Brothers Grimm s story are reminiscent of the thirteen lunar months into Deleted: In Bruno Deleted: s book, The Uses of Enchantment, he Deleted: ; which the year was once divided thus the number of twelve good fairies plus a thirteenth evil one indicated symbolically that the fatal curse refers to menstruation. (Bettelheim 232) Although individuals who study the Grimm Brothers, as well as other fairy tales, can Deleted:. trace the meaning of the thirteen women back to menstruation, the general public cannot trace the meaning. Writers and producers, such as Disney, have made it so the public does not know that the tale revolves around Sleeping Beauty s puberty. As a result, the public does not view the tale as being overly sexist. Although these examples are only

3 Degener 3 two small ways that later editions of Sleeping Beauty have been changed, one can see how the changes help audiences of all ages enjoy the tale without feeling poorly. An additional way the Grimm Brothers fairy tales are becoming more welcoming for audiences is by the elimination of violence. When individuals indulge in the fairy tales, either by reading or viewing them, they often do not see violence. Additionally, Disney has made many of the once violent tales into films that can be enjoyed by consumers of all ages. The tales were not always violent-free; take Cinderella for example. In her annotated book, Tatar states, The Grimm delight in describing the blood in the shoes of the stepsisters, who try to slice off their heels and toes in order to get a perfect fit (Tatar 30). In the original edition of the tale, the Grimm Brothers spare no gruesome detail of this occurrence. In contrast, if one were to look at the later editions of the tale, as well as the movies, this incident is not mentioned. Instead, the Grimm Brothers, in the later editions, simply explain that the glass slipper did not fit the stepsisters (42). Additionally, in the original Cinderella, Cinderella invites her stepsisters to the wedding, but when they arrive, doves peck their eyes out (30). This gruesome part of the fairy tale does not occur in later editions. By eliminating these aspects of the tale, the story becomes much more appropriate for children and the story is still the one people know and love. Tatar further explains the horror and violence that occurs in fairy tales in her book, Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood. In her book, Tatar mentions the fact that in the original Grimm s version of Snow White there was much more violence than what now exists in today s Snow White. Tatar explains the punishment of Snow White s stepmother by stating, iron shoes are heated over a fire, and the evil stepmother is forced to dance to her death in read-hot iron Deleted: Formatted: Underline Deleted: Deleted:

4 Degener 4 shoes (Tatar 84). Additionally, in her annotated book, Tatar explains how Disney has tamed the stepmother s wickedness. Tatar explains: Deleted: the Disney s queen, who demands Snow White s heart from the huntsman who takes her into the woods, seems restrained by comparison with the Grimms evil queen, who orders the huntsman to return with the girl s liver, both which she plans to eat after boiling them in salt water. (Tatar 79) In other cultures, the stepmother wants a bottle of blood with Snow White s toe, Deleted:. intestines, and a bloody shirt, just to name a few (79). These descriptions of what the stepmother wants are clearly vastly different from Disney s depictions, as well as later versions of the Grimm Brothers version. By minimizing these aspects of violence, the Grimm Brothers fairy tales become more enticing to audiences of all ages since violence is not a major part of the tale. Furthermore, the Grimm Brothers fairy tales are also becoming more inviting to readers as a result of the elimination of premarital relationships, specifically premarital sex. The most prominent account of premarital sex occurs in Rapunzel. In the second edition of the tale, the text states, Then Rapunzel forgot her terror, and when he asked her to take him for her husband (Grimm 496). This edition of Rapunzel, as well as later editions from the Grimm Brothers and Disney, makes sure to mention an engagement or marriage. Additionally, Rapunzel simply asks, Mother Grothel, how is it that you climb up here so slowly, and the King s son is with me in a moment (Grim 496). In contrast, the first edition of the story made no mention of an engagement or a marriage and did not mention a word about Grothel s weight. Marina Warner, in After Rapunzel, states the differences between the first edition of the story and the later Deleted: In Deleted: s article Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:16 PM Deleted: Warner

5 Degener 5 editions. Warner states: In the first transcription Rapunzel doesn t mention the witch s greater weight, but instead asks her why her clothes are getting so tight (Warner 331). Warner suggests that the Brothers edited this story to include an marriage in order to Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:16 PM Deleted:, Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:16 PM Deleted: i make the moral stronger (331). By making Rapunzel married to the King s son, their sexual relationship was deemed permissible. Furthermore, in Snow White it is stated that when Snow White reached the age of seven, she had become as beautiful as the bright day and more beautiful than the queen herself (Tatar 83). In her annotated book, Tatar states that in early centuries, children entered adulthood much earlier than youth do today (83). Additionally, Snow White is married at the end of the story. As a result of the story being unclear about Snow White s age, it is questionable whether or not she was old enough for marriage. To solve this, in later editions of the story, Tatar states that Snow White is depicted as an adolescent or young adult approaching an age suitable for marriage (83). By doing this, audiences of the story are able to feel comfortable when reading about Snow White s marriage. These two examples of Rapunzel and Snow White show how fairy tales change in order to make consumers feel more content with the story. By eliminating confusion about the premarital relationships that occur within the fairy tales, the audiences feel more comfortable reading the tales. The Grimm Brothers fairy tales have been consumed widely by audiences of all ages since the stories were first published. Although the earlier tales contained problematic details, the Grimm Brothers, as well as others, such as Disney, changed them in order to make a story that could be enjoyed by readers of all ages. As time goes on, and more details of the story become challenging to audiences, newer editions of the fairy tales will originate in order to conform to society s standard. All of the tales that

6 Degener 6 individuals know and love today are likely to stand the test of time, regardless of what changes follow, which can be seen by the history of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Works Cited Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. Vintage Books ed. New York: Vintage, Print. Grimm, Jakob, and Wilhelm Grimm. Grimm's Fairy Tales. Ed. Louis Untermeyer and Bryna Untermeyer. Vol. 3. New York: George Macy Companies, Print Tatar, Maria. Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood. New York: W.W. Norton, Print The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales. New York: Norton, Print. Warner, Marina. "After "Rapunzel.." Marvels & Tales 24.2 (2010): Academic Cole Degener 11/23/14 4:17 PM Deleted: Tatar, Maria Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov