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The Realization of what Really Makes a Fairytale
Naomi Ritchey, GER 231 • Dr. Todd Cesaratto
Das Fenster
Recently I had the honor of both attending Dr. Zipes’s second night presentation as well as meeting
with him for lunch earlier the same day. It became clear within moments of meeting Dr. Jack Zipes that he
is an amazingly intelligent man with incredible knowledge in his field. The speech I attended was heavily
focused on the fairy tale classic, Little Red Riding Hood. He brought up many points about this story that I had
never considered for myself and gave great examples of how stories can evolve. He also proposed the idea of
Disneyfication, Walt Disney’s monopoly over fairytales, and went on to explain how he feels the Disney name has
affected the genre.
When reading the title, Little Red Riding Hood, the average American instantly pictures a young girl,
skipping through the woods to take soup for her sick grandmother. This girl is wearing a bright red hood, and
has no clue that she is being followed by a wolf. We all know the story to go on to reveal that the wolf has eaten
Grandma and makes an attempt to eat Little Red as well,
until everyone is saved by a nearby lumberjack. This is
where most stop looking into the story for more; up until
Dr. Zipes explains the underlying tone of the story. The
most shocking thing he points out, in my opinion, was
explaining how the wolf finally catching the girl is symbolic
for rape. After making this point, it becomes clear, but
as a child on my own I would have never considered this
idea. His point takes me back to a discussion we had in
class about whether or not fairy tales should be “child safe”.
For me, this realization just solidifies my stance that they
should not be. Fairytales are used to teach lessons to young
children. For example, with this story the reader quickly
learns as a child to not talk to strangers, or walk through
a secluded place alone. As that reader gets older, deeper
Dr. Zipes, Expert in Fairy Tales
meaning can be applied to the story – don’t talk to strangers or walk alone because it’s possible that you be
killed or raped – that directly correlates with the reader’s current life. Through Dr. Zipes lecture I realized that
each individual fairy tale story can evolve on its own as the reader him/herself evolves. This is what has makes
fairytales so great and withstand the test of time.
Another reason the fairytale genre has lasted for generations is because of the stories’ ability to be
adapted by other writers. Walt Disney has rapidly become the most well known provider of these stories in
recent times. Some, such as Dr. Zipes do not appreciate what Disney has done for the genre. Critics believe that
Disney has taken away and watered down the meaning of each story, and it can be understand why they feel this
way as Disney has certainly monopolized the field even more than the originals such as the Grimm Brothers,
Perrault, and Basile. Yet, Disney has made the fairy tale genre known, he has single handedly made each of these
classic stories common household conversations. While it is true that Disney has changed the stories in many
different ways – whether he modernized the story, added to it, or made it more child friendly – the underlying
theme remains and there is still a lesson to be learned. In my eyes, Disney is no different than any of the original
authors themselves. Perrault, Basile and the Grimm Brothers each took orally relayed stories and preserved
them in a format that was appropriate for their time, exactly as Disney has taken their versions of the stories and
turned them into films. Disney’s interpretations on these stories just follow with fairy tale tradition. What makes
a fairytale what it is, is its ability to be told repeatedly and adapted to any situation.
I had a wonderful time learning from Dr. Zipes and truly enjoyed listening to his ideas and viewpoints.
While I do not agree with everything Dr. Zipes offered, such as the idea of Disneyfication, I really appreciated the
insight he gave that led me to realize what it is that makes fairy tales so special. His visit to Miami University was
a wonderful opportunity and I am so glad that I could partake in such a knowledgeable endeavor.