Fairy tales have been an essential ingredient in children's literature. Canonical fairy tales passed down from generation to generation not only enrich children's imagination but connote significant values typical of the community. However, as time passes, contemporary writers often challenge these traditional values when they work on the same…

This article presents an approach to fiction devoted to detailing, visually presenting, and analyzing structural patterns in the literary text. This enhanced formalism will be illustrated with elementary examples ranging from the world of music to the world of the Brothers Grimm. Employing this "architectonic" approach would complement…

Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale's graphic novel set "Rapunzel's Revenge" (2008) and "Calamity Jack" (2010) features fractured fairy tales that take up the issue of 'the damsel in distress,' questioning and complicating traditional gender roles in fairy tales. Throughout both graphic novels Rapunzel's character…

This article explores the relevance of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" to environmental education and contemporary concerns about social and environmental injustices. It presents an account of the relationship between Tolkien's environmental biography and those aspects of the story that highlight the connection between his personal…

This article explores how Sandra Cisneros alludes to and recasts popular fairy tales in "The House on Mango Street" to reveal their troubled legacy in the lives of many women in the novel. Drawing upon Latina feminist theory and Cisneros's autobiographical writing, this article posits that the main character Esperanza's alternative "happily ever…

Discusses the development of a modern fairy tale with respect to J.R.R. Tolkien's mapping of its features, terrain, and emotional geography. Discusses Robin McKinley's "Beauty," an example of a modern fantasy. (PRA)

The Appalachian "Tale of Red Emmy" presented in the novel "Oral History" by Lee Smith (1983), reveals both an Irish origin and an American transformation. Granny Younger, one of Smith's narrators, tells of a curse visited on four generations of the Cantrell family after Almarine Cantrell chanced upon the witch Red Emmy in the…

Describes a psychologist's encounter with a classroom teacher as he attempts to explain how children remember fairy tales. (MKM)

Discusses "Little Daylight," an original fairy tale that lies within George MacDonald's children's book "At the Back of the North Wind." Shows how the tale encapsulates some of MacDonald's key philosophical concepts, and subverts numerous expectations a reader may bring to the fairy-tale genre. (SR)

Discusses the image of the abandoned child in literature, with special attention to "Hansel and Gretel." Reviews critical commentary on this tale. Compares and evaluates four contemporary illustrated versions of the tale, especially considering the illustrations as text. (HB)

In this article, it is shown how authors of fairy tale retellings have incorporated ideas of feminist literary criticism into a fictional form. As such, these retellings display the tension between the pedagogic and aesthetic aspects of all children's literature. Jane Yolen's "Sleeping Ugly" is chosen as a case study: although it can be argued…

Discusses the lack of consistent accuracy about historical figures in Chaucer's "Monk's Tale." The story of Nero fishing in the Tiber with golden nets is corroborated by many other ancient and medieval authors; however, the reference to Julius Caesar as being of lowly birth is peculiar only to Chaucer and a few medieval English authors.…

Discusses the biographical aspects of James Thurber's classic humorous fairy tale, "Many Moons." (HOD)

Explores the ways that Andrew Carnegie used the famous folk tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk," to shape his own autobiography. (HOD)

Discusses how Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" uses the motif of storytelling to describe the journey taken by the heroine Gerda. Identifies a story as that which is alive and active and which causes catharsis for those who participate in it. (MG)