Introduction
Before we write anything in the class, it does help to know the idea surrounding a fairy tale. While I do not pretend to be an absolute expert on the genre, I will quote someone who is:
“I will state clearly that fairy tales do not have to be stories about fairies. Also, fairy tales are part of folklore, but folk tales are not necessarily fairy tales. The simplest way to explain this is to think of fairy tales as a subgenre of folklore along with myths and legends. If that is enough to answer your questions, stop here. It is as simple as this exercise is going to get.” – Heidi Anne Heiner, "What is a Fairy Tale?"
The term “fairy tale” itself was coined by Madame d’Aulnoy, a French author who enjoyed collecting, creating, and telling these overly-fantasized stories in her salon events. After entertaining various prominent guests, the popular contes de fée (“fairy tales”) became a widely used term for this particular set of folkloric tales.
Keeping this in mind, we shall now delve into the first part of fairy tale writing that I wanted to discuss: the setting.
“I will state clearly that fairy tales do not have to be stories about fairies. Also, fairy tales are part of folklore, but folk tales are not necessarily fairy tales. The simplest way to explain this is to think of fairy tales as a subgenre of folklore along with myths and legends. If that is enough to answer your questions, stop here. It is as simple as this exercise is going to get.” – Heidi Anne Heiner, "What is a Fairy Tale?"
The term “fairy tale” itself was coined by Madame d’Aulnoy, a French author who enjoyed collecting, creating, and telling these overly-fantasized stories in her salon events. After entertaining various prominent guests, the popular contes de fée (“fairy tales”) became a widely used term for this particular set of folkloric tales.
Keeping this in mind, we shall now delve into the first part of fairy tale writing that I wanted to discuss: the setting.
Wonderful Worlds
Faylinn stood tall, gleaming ethereally amidst the kingdom of Silvermist. Those who wandered upon the area always found its sight comforting and awe-inspiring at the same time. Faylinn was a story passed on throughout Silvermist and its neighboring countries. Yet for all the tales woven about the castle, there was no mention of the family that resided within Faylinn’s walls. Not even the village knew anything about the castle’s workers; nor did anyone care to inquire. The castle itself was the only story worth noting about Faylinn anyway.
But what exactly is the mystery beneath Faylinn’s grand exterior? And why is the castle so enticing?
Crafting a fairy tale doesn’t necessarily begin with a location. In fact, if you’ve seen the original versions of a few stories, you’ll find that most actually start with the characters of the story. So why start with discussing fairy tale worlds as a first lesson?
Certain places can be very important for the plot to progress in the fairy tale. Rapunzel was stuck in the middle of the woods, in a tower with no doors and one lone window. Sleeping Beauty was placed in her bedroom with her household asleep in the castle, while the castle itself was enchanted to sprout almost impenetrable thickets for a certain prince to overcome and save the day. If it weren’t for Little Red’s grandmother living deep in the forest, the poor girl would never have gotten sidetracked with flower-picking, nor would she have met the villainous wolf. Hansel and Gretel found themselves lost in a forest, a house made of gingerbread their only sanctuary--or so they thought.
In other words, one cannot underestimate the beauty of setting. Sure, it can be argued that setting is not everything in a fairy tale, however if done right, it adds to the allure of the story.
“Then they went all the way down, and when they were at the bottom, they were standing in a wonderfully pretty avenue of trees, all the leaves of which were of silver, and shone and glistened...After that they came into an avenue where all the leaves were of gold, and lastly into a third where they were of bright diamonds...” (Brothers Grimm, “Twelve Dancing Princesses”)
The trees progressed from silver to gold to diamond, an indication of grander things to come—in fact, after the trees gave way to a clearing, a castle could be seen in the distance. Again, the story of the princesses themselves does not dwell on scenery (there are much more important things at stake). But when you examine the meaning behind those three different trees, you’ll find that there is more to them than meets the eye.
At the beginning of the lesson, I gave you a little excerpt about a castle: Faylinn. There is a great mystery of who lives in the castle and why the castle itself seems more talked of than the unknown residents. Perhaps the residents are hiding a deep, dark secret (sort of like Bluebeard, who hides his dead wives in a forbidden room). Perhaps the castle, while glorified for its beauty on the outside, has a curse that hides the identities of those who live in it. And has anyone actually even stepped inside that castle? That question in itself can start a fairy tale.
Certain places can be very important for the plot to progress in the fairy tale. Rapunzel was stuck in the middle of the woods, in a tower with no doors and one lone window. Sleeping Beauty was placed in her bedroom with her household asleep in the castle, while the castle itself was enchanted to sprout almost impenetrable thickets for a certain prince to overcome and save the day. If it weren’t for Little Red’s grandmother living deep in the forest, the poor girl would never have gotten sidetracked with flower-picking, nor would she have met the villainous wolf. Hansel and Gretel found themselves lost in a forest, a house made of gingerbread their only sanctuary--or so they thought.
In other words, one cannot underestimate the beauty of setting. Sure, it can be argued that setting is not everything in a fairy tale, however if done right, it adds to the allure of the story.
“Then they went all the way down, and when they were at the bottom, they were standing in a wonderfully pretty avenue of trees, all the leaves of which were of silver, and shone and glistened...After that they came into an avenue where all the leaves were of gold, and lastly into a third where they were of bright diamonds...” (Brothers Grimm, “Twelve Dancing Princesses”)
The trees progressed from silver to gold to diamond, an indication of grander things to come—in fact, after the trees gave way to a clearing, a castle could be seen in the distance. Again, the story of the princesses themselves does not dwell on scenery (there are much more important things at stake). But when you examine the meaning behind those three different trees, you’ll find that there is more to them than meets the eye.
At the beginning of the lesson, I gave you a little excerpt about a castle: Faylinn. There is a great mystery of who lives in the castle and why the castle itself seems more talked of than the unknown residents. Perhaps the residents are hiding a deep, dark secret (sort of like Bluebeard, who hides his dead wives in a forbidden room). Perhaps the castle, while glorified for its beauty on the outside, has a curse that hides the identities of those who live in it. And has anyone actually even stepped inside that castle? That question in itself can start a fairy tale.
Now onto Assignment 1!