Fairy Stories

Most of the children grow up reading fairy stories, and it certainly becomes a great part of childhood. Fairy stories influence children’s view of the world since most of the children grow up reading fairy stories, however, they are too young to distinguish the real world with fairy world because sometimes they may assume the fairy world is similar as the real world so that many fairy stories are written for kids. Therefore, many people think that fairy stories are mainly associated with children because by the time goes by, the books people read changes from fairy stories to non-fictional or fictional novels. There is this idea that adults do not read fairy stories as much as children do. However, fairy stories are not only written for children, but also for adults. Fairy stories contain wide range of stories that often contain deeper meanings in the stories, which requires critical thinking and will be difficult for children to understand the stories fully.

Fairy stories range from ancient folk tales to modern fairy stories, and all the main fairy stories’s characters are fairies, Gods, elf, and monsters. Fantasy and magical elements are the main factors to define a story as fairy story. As a child, I grew up reading all different fairy tales, and because I grew up in China, I read many ancient Chinese folk tales, which the stories are used to explain proverbs. At the same time, I not only read ancient Chinese folk stories but also read many different other fairy stories from all around the world. Most the characters in Fairy stories for children are the royals, fairy god mother, talking animals and one evil villain, which are appealing to children. Like many other children, I grew up in “Disney Childhood.” (Sturtevant,79) Disney as one of the largest studios in the world, it creates many its own versions of fairy stories, like the “the four listed ‘traditional old’ films (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast).” (Sturtevant,85) “Disney popular culture” really has a strong influence on children, and even some adults. According to Paul Sturtevant’s article, one of the member from the focus group raises the point that Walt Disney “have taken the nice bits of the Grimm Brothers tales… and kinda had all the nasty bits taken out.”(Sturtevant,81) It is reasonable for Disney Studio to create an appropriate version of fairy stories because of its main audience are children. In On Fairy Stories by J.R.R.Tolkien, he points out that “the common opinion seems to be that there is a natural connexion between the minds of children and fairy stories, of the same order as the connexion between children’s bodies and milk.” (Tolkien,, 4) Fairy stories often related to “nursery” in the modern letter world, but adults often does not want to associate with it. For this reason, many publisher publish the version of fairy stories that exclude the cruel and inappropriate parts for kids, and people will naturally relate fairy stories to children.

Besides from Disney’s version of Cinderella, I also read Charles Perrault’s Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper, which is the first version of the story of Cinderella ,and it is also the most commonly known version of Cinderella, when I was a kid. I find that this version is similar to the Disney version’s Cinderella because both stories end with Cinderella’s happy ending. In Perrault’s version, Cinderella lives with her stepmother and stepsisters, and she is forced to work for them. Later, with the help of fairy godmother, Cinderella is able to go to the royal ball and falls in love with the prince. They end up getting marry. Disney’s Cinderella does not mention what happen to the stepsisters but in Perrault’s Cinderella, the two stepsisters also get a happy ending. Cinderella “gave her two sisters lodgings in the palace, and that very same day matched them with two great lords of the court.” (Perrault, Cinderella) Even thou Cinderella’s stepsisters treated her badly, Cinderella still treats them all these benefits. According to this Cinderella’s story, she is the true definition of the phrase “beautiful inside and out.” It also taught children that graciousness is the greater value to have in life. In my opinion, happy endings in fairy stories give children hopes of the world, which make them believe that they will end up with happy endings and bring them positive energy. As Lewis suggests that “it is true that in recent times fairy stories have usually been written or ‘adapted’ for children” (Tolkien, On Fairy Stories,5) because they have to fit in with “nursery and schoolroom” (5) which are many fairy stories make their characters childish so it can be relatable to children. But Lewis also believes that fairy stories “have been so banished” which they are “cut off from a full adult art,” therefore, “they have