Essay 1: Analyzing a Fairy Tale in Cultural Context
Please choose ONE version of one of the fairy tales we have studied for class and critically analyze how that specific version of the fairy tale represents its time period. Discuss how its themes, setting, and "moral lessons" are reflective of the cultural situation of the time.
The cultural situation includes anything that was going on in the time period/place the fairy tale was written out of that might be relevant to the story. For example, De Beamont's Beauty and the Beast is very much born out of France in the 1700s when arranged marriage was prevalent. It was intended to encourage women to capitulate to arranged marriages, even to violent men, because that kept the institution of arranged marriage in place.
Angela Carter's The Tiger's Bride, however, wss born out of the feminist movement in the Western world in the 1960s/1970s, where women threw off the shackles of forced marriage and had more choices for work and independence. It also reflects that women wanted more equality in their relationships.
This essay will require you to do your first library-based research. You are expected to find two (or more) critical sources from the library that discuss the time period and context of your fairy tale. You should also find at least one source that critically analyzes the fairy tale itself.
The cultural situation includes anything that was going on in the time period/place the fairy tale was written out of that might be relevant to the story. For example, De Beamont's Beauty and the Beast is very much born out of France in the 1700s when arranged marriage was prevalent. It was intended to encourage women to capitulate to arranged marriages, even to violent men, because that kept the institution of arranged marriage in place.
Angela Carter's The Tiger's Bride, however, wss born out of the feminist movement in the Western world in the 1960s/1970s, where women threw off the shackles of forced marriage and had more choices for work and independence. It also reflects that women wanted more equality in their relationships.
This essay will require you to do your first library-based research. You are expected to find two (or more) critical sources from the library that discuss the time period and context of your fairy tale. You should also find at least one source that critically analyzes the fairy tale itself.
In your essay’s introduction, you should be able to tell your reader which of the five broad eras that your fairy tale falls under, which we discussed in class and are on your Five Broad Eras worksheet. You should be able to directly articulate to your reader 1) the intended audience 2) the intended purpose of the fairy tale or its primary themes, and how those relate to the culture they come out of.
Your thesis should:
1) Articulate the specific topics you will cover, and why they matter. What key aspects of the story reflect the time period the story came out of? Is it the moral lesson, the setting, something else? Don't forget to precisely list the culture (the time and place), and the author and the broad era. HOW do they reflect the time period--in other words, what about it do they reflect?
EX: Walt Disney's Maleficent, an updated version of Walt Disney's 1950 film Sleeping Beauty, is a feminist revisionist tale that demonstrates the current cultural discomfort with women portrayed as either passive heroines and evil villains. Currently, many people wish to see our female heroines and villains as more complex and empowered.
*Note that you may not write about Maleficent, but need to use a fairy tale assigned for class!
EX: Angela Carter's The Tiger's Bride, a feminist revision of Beauty and the Beast, changes self-sacrificial Beauty into a more shrewd character who bargains with the Beast directly. Carter’s heroine fights against her social status as a piece of property or an object through her willful and rebellious actions toward the Beast.
*Do not copy this thesis!
Your essay will require lots of cited examples from your version of the fairy tale to support your thesis.
Don't forget you need three outside library sources (described above). You should check the essays in the back of your Norton book to get an idea of some fairy tale critics you might want to look up.
The paper should be 4-5 full pages in length, double-spaced, MLA style. It should have a strong title and a Works Cited page (which doesn't count toward your 4-5 page count total). We will go over all of these criteria in class and we will work on your paper step-by-step, together.
Don't forget to proofread for grammatical errors throughout your paper. Sloppy papers will receive a substantially lowered grade and may not pass.
Your thesis should:
1) Articulate the specific topics you will cover, and why they matter. What key aspects of the story reflect the time period the story came out of? Is it the moral lesson, the setting, something else? Don't forget to precisely list the culture (the time and place), and the author and the broad era. HOW do they reflect the time period--in other words, what about it do they reflect?
EX: Walt Disney's Maleficent, an updated version of Walt Disney's 1950 film Sleeping Beauty, is a feminist revisionist tale that demonstrates the current cultural discomfort with women portrayed as either passive heroines and evil villains. Currently, many people wish to see our female heroines and villains as more complex and empowered.
*Note that you may not write about Maleficent, but need to use a fairy tale assigned for class!
EX: Angela Carter's The Tiger's Bride, a feminist revision of Beauty and the Beast, changes self-sacrificial Beauty into a more shrewd character who bargains with the Beast directly. Carter’s heroine fights against her social status as a piece of property or an object through her willful and rebellious actions toward the Beast.
*Do not copy this thesis!
Your essay will require lots of cited examples from your version of the fairy tale to support your thesis.
Don't forget you need three outside library sources (described above). You should check the essays in the back of your Norton book to get an idea of some fairy tale critics you might want to look up.
The paper should be 4-5 full pages in length, double-spaced, MLA style. It should have a strong title and a Works Cited page (which doesn't count toward your 4-5 page count total). We will go over all of these criteria in class and we will work on your paper step-by-step, together.
Don't forget to proofread for grammatical errors throughout your paper. Sloppy papers will receive a substantially lowered grade and may not pass.
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