Perrault and Grimm Fairy Tales: Women in Agency

Presenter Information

Morgan LesterFollow

Academic Level at Time of Presentation

Senior

Major

German

Minor

French

List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)

Roxane Riegler

Presentation Format

Oral Presentation

Abstract/Description

Perrault and Grimm Fairy Tales: Women in Agency

In this paper, I examine how women in Charles Perrault and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales were portrayed. The fairy tales in German and French in particular that I research are Little Red Riding Hood and Bluebeard. It is important to note when these stories were written because the Perrault versions in the seventeenth century and the Grimm Brothers versions in the nineteenth century. Which means that women did not have the same independence, that is present in some cultures today, in their societies. For example, they could not own land and they were not considered equal to men. In this project, I compare and contrast the way in which the female characters are presented in the Perrault version to the Grimm Brothers version. Additionally, I use a modern interpretation of a present-day reader to give these characters a sense of power and independence rather than their previous labels from the past. It then becomes apparent that the female characters in Perrault and Grimm fairy tales had independence and their own specific power. My research points towards Perrault’s female characters being used as examples in lessons; some of the Grimms’ female characters show that they are meant to be independent insofar as they take matters into their own hands by comparison. I conclude by claiming that women in Grimms’ fairy tales have more direct power and independence as compared to Perrault’s female characters.

Spring Scholars Week 2019 Event

GLT/Modern Languages Senior Colloquium

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Perrault and Grimm Fairy Tales: Women in Agency

Perrault and Grimm Fairy Tales: Women in Agency

In this paper, I examine how women in Charles Perrault and the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales were portrayed. The fairy tales in German and French in particular that I research are Little Red Riding Hood and Bluebeard. It is important to note when these stories were written because the Perrault versions in the seventeenth century and the Grimm Brothers versions in the nineteenth century. Which means that women did not have the same independence, that is present in some cultures today, in their societies. For example, they could not own land and they were not considered equal to men. In this project, I compare and contrast the way in which the female characters are presented in the Perrault version to the Grimm Brothers version. Additionally, I use a modern interpretation of a present-day reader to give these characters a sense of power and independence rather than their previous labels from the past. It then becomes apparent that the female characters in Perrault and Grimm fairy tales had independence and their own specific power. My research points towards Perrault’s female characters being used as examples in lessons; some of the Grimms’ female characters show that they are meant to be independent insofar as they take matters into their own hands by comparison. I conclude by claiming that women in Grimms’ fairy tales have more direct power and independence as compared to Perrault’s female characters.