Start Date
4-20-2017 10:30 AM
End Date
4-20-2017 11:45 AM
Disciplines
Children's and Young Adult Literature | Folklore | History
Subjects
Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), Jacob Grimm (1785-1863), Philologists -- Germany --History, Fairy tales -- Germany -- History and criticism
Abstract
Since a first edition of Children’s and Household Tales was published in 1812, the work of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm has been read, told, watched, and referenced all over the world. When the Grimms initially set out to construct the famous anthology, they intended to objectively uncover a breadth of traditional German folktales, preserving them in their purest possible forms. These stories, the brothers believed, held the essence of the nation’s declining culture and collective identity. However, the assumption that the stories of Children’s and Household Tales holistically represent the genuine German history and dialogue of oral storytelling is inaccurate. This paper explores a variety of factors that influenced what stories were actually published: a reality that may not have aligned with the brothers’ initial ideals.
Rights
© Copyright the author(s)
IN COPYRIGHT:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
DISCLAIMER:
The purpose of this statement is to help the public understand how this Item may be used. When there is a (non-standard) License or contract that governs re-use of the associated Item, this statement only summarizes the effects of some of its terms. It is not a License, and should not be used to license your Work. To license your own Work, use a License offered at https://creativecommons.org/
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19881
Subjective Retelling: The Influence of External and Individual Factors on the Folktales of the Brothers Grimm
Since a first edition of Children’s and Household Tales was published in 1812, the work of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm has been read, told, watched, and referenced all over the world. When the Grimms initially set out to construct the famous anthology, they intended to objectively uncover a breadth of traditional German folktales, preserving them in their purest possible forms. These stories, the brothers believed, held the essence of the nation’s declining culture and collective identity. However, the assumption that the stories of Children’s and Household Tales holistically represent the genuine German history and dialogue of oral storytelling is inaccurate. This paper explores a variety of factors that influenced what stories were actually published: a reality that may not have aligned with the brothers’ initial ideals.
Notes
2nd place winner of the Karen E. Hoppes Young Historians Award for Outstanding Research and Writing.