Annotated Bibliography

Allan, Robin. Walt Disney and Europe: European Influences on the Animated Feature Films of Walt Disney. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1999. Print. Robin Allan’s book discusses Walt Disney’s animated fairy tales as being profoundly influenced by European culture and European folktales. He cites many of the well-known animated tales such as Cinderella and Snow White and meticulously examines how their re-working of characters and themes is attributed to European sources. In addition, he analyzes Disney’s tales in regard to the pop culture of the time, drawing on the audiences that were targeted and reasons why.

Golberg, Stefany. “The Smart Set: Happy 200th, Snow White! – October 1, 2010.” The Smart Set. 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. . The article briefly comments on the changes that fairy tales have underwent to come to be as we know them today. Whereas today they are more geared for children and are more colorful and cheerful in their content, centuries ago they were more dramatic and gory, geared for an illiterate audience that used the tales as melodramatic entertainment. Golberg attributes the transition to a children’s audience to hope, the hope that the child and other characters exhibit in the tales. Citing Walt Disney’s Snow White as an example, she shows the avid optimism and hope that is present in its elements, as opposed to that in the Brother Grimm’s version of Snow White.

Haase, Donald P. “Gold into Straw: Fairy Tale Movies for Children and the Culture Industry.” The Lion and the Unicorn 12.2 (1988): 193-207. Project MUSE. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. The journal article addresses two sides of a debate about the Disneyfication of fairy tales: one about the definite structure of a fairy tale and how Disney distorts it with his adaptations and the other about the fairy tales having never contained any eternal truths but rather reflected the values of their time, as did Disney’s. The article discusses varying motifs and structural changes that fairy tales have underwent as a function of new power relations, morals, and experiences of the society (i.e. patriarchal structure, female roles). In addition, analyses of other scholars such as Charles Eidsvik, Bruno Bettelheim, and Clarke Sayers are included.

Jean, Lydie. “CHARLES PERRAULT’S PARADOX: HOW ARISTOCRATIC FAIRY TALES BECAME SYNONYMOUS WITH FOLKLORE CONSERVATION.” TRAMES: Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences 11.3 (2007): 276-83. Estonian Academy Publishers. Web. .In this paper, Lydie Jean discusses Charles Perrault’s work as it relates to traditional folklore. Jean argues that Perrault was not interested in conserving folklore in his fairy tale interpretations, but the popularity of his works eventually resulted in that. She shows a connection between Charles Perrault’s fairy tales and the aristocrats who were the tales’ primary audience. She mentions how his interpretations differed from the original folk tales that came before them, and these changes made them more relatable to the aristocrats. For example, she mentions some tales have witty remarks that were obviously directed at the educated people, and that some of the morals in the end were geared at the upper class. She however does not give specific examples that support those claims with the exception of The Sleeping Beauty. Though, no details about The Sleeping Beauty and its relation to the aristocratic lifestyle are discussed.

Knox, Skip. “Germany after the Thirty Years War.” Boise State University. Boise State University. Web. . The source addresses the after-math of the Thirty Years’ War in Germany in the economic, social, and governing spheres. It provides statistical data of population and land loss and discussed changes in trade and labor relations that ensued. Although relatively short, it gives much helpful information and insight on Germany’s post-war state.

Orenstein, Catherine. Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale. New-York: Basic, 2003. Print. Orenstein’s book traces the history of Little Red Riding Hood in various social contexts, analyzing them in light of the values common to the times. She cites Charles Perrault’s fairy tales how they are reflections of the court society present in 18th century France. It discusses elements of aristocratic lifestyle that influenced the writing style and content of the tales. In addition it portrays Perrault’s literature as an attempt to defend the aristocracy’s lifestyle and strengthen it.

Perrault, Charles, and Judith Bronte. “”Cinderilla or The Little Glass Slipper” by Charles Perrault, 1729.” Judith Bronte – Christian Poetry, Inspirational Romance, John Bunyan, & Christian Romance. Web. . French to English translation of Charles Perrault’s Cinderella.

Pineiro, Victor. “The Moral of Snow White.” Popten. 24 June 2008. Web. . The article examines Walt Disney’s Snow White as a case of war-propaganda. Pineiro analyzes the changes that the characters underwent since the Grimm’s version, and attributes their new function to the unstable political condition of pre World War II. Fight against Communism, gender segregation, and a “call-to-arms” are some of the higher political purposes of Snow White that Pineiro considers.

Weber, Eugen. “Fairies and Hard Facts: The Reality of Folktales.” Journal of the History of Ideas 42.1 (1981): 93-113. JSTOR. University of Pennsylvania Press. Web. . Eugen Weber begins the article with a critical analysis of the Grimm Brother’s Hansel and Gretel, arguing that it is a grim reflection of the prevailing hard times characterized by hunger, poverty, danger, and high mortality rates of women leading to stepparent/stepchildren issues. He explores various themes and common situations found in fairy tales and their relation to real life at the time. His work continuously cites the apparent shortcomings in Bruno Bettleheim’s psychological analysis of the tales and offers alternative analyses in areas of disagreement.

Zipes, Jack David. The Brothers Grimm from Enchanted Forests to the Modern World. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Print. In his book, Jack Zipes explores the journey of the Brother Grimm’s fairy tales, starting with how they gathering the tales from storytellers in early 19th century and ending with the development of new fairy tales post-1945. The book discusses symbols and characteristics of heroes found in their fairy tales, the opinions of others regarding the tales, and the shifts the fairy tales underwent in their themes, coinciding with a shift in targeted audience (i.e. adults to children).