What is it about fairy tales, anyway?

Fairy tales have been around for many thousands of years. The more popular stories have been reincarnated time and time again in various forms, all across the globe. Most of us know them, or at least a version of them, by heart. So why is that they still fascinate and delight us?

The stories, though not originally intended for children, have come to be known as children’s fare. Why, then, does the mere mention of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty incite such passion in grown women? Certainly Disney’s versions of the tales have played a role in this in recent years. But so many other memories of childhood have fallen by the wayside and elicit no more emotion than a memory of something that happened last week. So why is it that fairy tales endure?

My personal theory is that they give us hope. In fairy tales, there is almost always a happy ending. The antagonist is defeated or turned to good. The prince is brave and heroic. The kingdom lives on and the damsel in distress is saved. We all wish, at one time in our lives, that we could find the magical healing flower or save the kingdom from ruin.

Fairy tales teach us that no matter how bleak the world may seem there is always hope for the future. It’s possible for the third son of a miller to become the hero and marry the princess. The wicked witch can be vanquished. The spoiled prince can learn the error of his ways.

We connect with the protagonists. We relate their struggles to our own and their triumphs to our hope for the future. When life becomes overwhelming, we turn to fairy tales for comfort and guidance. They provide a form of escapism which is rarely found anywhere else. They teach us the difference between good and evil and give us the courage to fight for what is right.

Once upon a time....

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved fairy tales. When she was very little, her mother read them to her. Then, as she grew older, she began reading them to herself. She watched the Disney versions, read the original versions, and eventually discovered the retold versions. The first one she ever encountered was Gail Carson Levine's classic, Ella Enchanted.

Books such as Jane Yolen's Briar Rose and Orson Scott Card's Enchantment became instant favorites. Others, like Robin McKinley's Beauty and Rose Daughter and Donna Jo Napoli's Beast, also intrigued her.

As the little girl grew even older, she started to move away from the fairy tales, growing more and more interested in books that portrayed the real world. But something about the fairy tales kept drawing her back. Eventually, she discovered more re-tellings, like Adeline Yen Mah's Chinese Cinderella, Robin McKinley's Spindle's End and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Just Ella.

Then, for a time, she forgot about them completely. This was largely due to the fact that she decided to major in English and was required to read all sorts of dreary things which related to the dark, cold world in which she lived (though there were some readings which she enjoyed).

After she graduated from college, the little girl realized that she was not so little anymore and began to focus on the world outside of her books. This was often frustrating, as the real world has very few heroes and princes. In fact, it turned out that the real world was absolutely teeming with villains! This was very disappointing to the little girl, so she decided to start a blog where she could pursue her passion for fairy tales.

This is that blog.