Fairytales are often read in one of two diametrically opposed ways: either as a light and unrealistic story of princesses and "true love," or as disturbing Freudian journeys into the dark recesses of human consciousness and behavior. While both contain aspects of the truth, a more accurate reading reveals and understanding neither so superficial nor so disturbed.
Would need to include a brief overview of the major models used by academics to analyze fairy tales: the Proppian model, certainly; the Jungian model of anima/animus/shadow; etc. Also, a very brief history of the evolution from pre-Grimm, collection/printing by the Grimms and others, Disney-specific contributions, modern 'dark' re-tellings. so forth. – Monique9 years ago
There's been a recent release of a set of Grimm fairytales that include all the, well, Grimm-ness and some history that might be beneficial to this? http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/12/grimm-brothers-fairytales-horror-new-translation – Hannah Spencer9 years ago
Want to write about Literature or other art forms?