Fairy Tales Around the World
IntroductionFairy tales are stories
either created or strongly influenced by oral traditions. Their plots feature
stark conflicts between good and evil, with magic and luck determining the usually
happy endings. While each culture and geographic region of the world has its own
body of folk tales and fairy tales that it considers "its own," certain themes
and motifs tend to be repeated across many cultures and time periods. Universal
human emotions such as love, hate, courage, kindness, and cruelty appear in bold,
broad strokes on the canvas of fairy tales. Because of the worldwide ubiquity
of fairy tales, their imagery and tropes have had a vast impact on many different
forms of literature. The elements and echoes of fairy tales are alive in plays,
movies, and books for all ages. Students should read and learn to understand fairy
tales so that they can better comprehend the structures of literature as well
as for the sake of the wonder, pleasure, and human understanding these stories
can provide in their own right. Guiding Questions: What is a fairy
tale? What are some special characteristics of fairy tales? What kinds of plots,
characters, and settings do we expect to find in these stories? What makes each
fairy tale unique? Why are fairy tales so prevalent as a form of storytelling
throughout the world? How have illustrations been used to make fairy tales more
enjoyable? Learning ObjectivesAfter completing the lessons in this
unit, students will be able to: - Give a simple definition of a fairy
tale.
- Identify some typical characteristics of a fairy tale using literary
terms such as character, setting, and plot.
- Sort fairy
tales into common "tale types"or "versions" and become familiar with multiple
versions of several tale types.
- Re-tell, in their own words, a few favorite
fairy tales.
- Use illustrations to "tell" a familiar fairy tale.
- Recognize
feelings and emotions within fairy tales that are common to universal humanity.
Preparing
to Teach This LessonA Note and a Warning about "Original Versions" of
Fairy Tales: They don't exist. As you are selecting fairy tales to share
with the students, be wary of getting caught up in a search for an "original version."
Most of the European fairy tales in publication today for children are based on the stories
collected by the Germans Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century. Their collection,
Kinder und Hausmarchen, contains 277 stories that they transcribed from
oral storytellers and re-wrote for publication. Because theirs is the best known
and one of the earliest collections of stories taken from oral storytellers, it
has the reputation as being the source of the "original version" of the stories
most often retold in illustrated books and films. In fact, Jacob and Wilhelm
Grimm collected their stories not from peasants living in the countryside, but
from urban middle class women who had heard them from their servants or nurse
maids. The Grimm brothers published five editions of the Kinder und Hausmarchen,
revising each new edition to create more polished literary stories. Besides adding
colorful detail, dialogue, and transitions, the Grimms eliminated sexual material
and added moral observations to many of the stories in order to make them (as
they deemed) more suitable for family reading. An additional complication
relating to origins of fairy tales is the phenomenon of the literary fairy tale-a
story based on magical elements and characters written by a single identifiable
author. The literary fairy tale came into popularity in France and Italy during
the 17th century, where it was a kind of sophisticated parlor game for adults
in aristocratic society. Many of the literary tales were influenced by, and in
turn, influenced the oral tales. For example, the version of Beauty and the
Beast that is best known today was created as a literary tale by Mme. Leprince
De Beaumont in 1757. Suggested Activities1:
Defining the Fairy Tale 2: Identifying Fairy Tale
Characteristics 3: Understanding the Concept of Tale
Types or Versions 4: Re-telling Fairy Tales 5:
Understanding How Illustrations Can "Tell" the Story 6:
Recognizing the Commonality of Emotions Expressed in Fairy Tales Throughout the
World 1: Defining the
Fairy Tale Teacher preparation: Choose a wide variety of fairy
tales to read aloud and share with the students. Look in your school library's
fairy tale section and browse through Dr. D. L. Ashliman's Folklore
and Mythology Electronic Texts website, available through Internet Public Library. Plan to include stories that exemplify
a variety of tale types, such as "Cinderella," "The Fisherman and His Wife," and
"Jack and the Beanstalk." (See below for specific suggestions.) Read The
European Folk Tale by Max Luthi (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University
Press, 1982) in order to gain an understanding of the special characteristics
of folk and fairy tales. Activity: Introducing and Defining the Fairy
Tale Begin by simply reading some of the above fairy tales to the students
so that they can start to develop an intuitive awareness of this type of literature.
For the young child, it is probably enough to understand that a fairy tale is
an old story that was passed down by word of mouth for many years before finally
being written down, and for which an original author is usually unknown. Ask
the students to sing a popular jump rope rhyme or counting out rhyme such as "Eeeny
meeny miney moe." Ask them how they know it-did someone read it to them from a
book? Of course not! They learned it from someone who sang it to them. Where did
THAT person learn it? From someone ELSE. Does anyone know who the original author
of "Eeny meeny miney moe" is? It's the same with most of the fairy tales we know.
They were passed along and shared by people just telling them to each other for
many, many years and sometimes centuries. Finally, some people began to write
them down and make them into books. Show the students the word "Retold"
on the front cover of a fairy tale. Why does it say retold" instead of just "by"?
Was Richard Walker the person who originally made up the story of Jack and
the Beanstalk? No, he just put it in his own words and wrote it down and made
illustrations for it. Some fairy tale books "cheat" by NOT including the word
"retold." Have students repeat the definition of a fairy tale at the beginning
of each lesson: "Folk tales and fairy tales are old, old stores, passed down by
word of mouth for hundreds of years, and nobody knows who the original author
was." Help the students to chant this definition in a rhythmic way so it's fun
for them! Every time you read or share a fairy tale with the students, have
a child place a pin on a large wall map. Keep a list of each country from where each
story comes. By the end of this series of activities, you should have a wall map
of the world covered with pins and a long list of countries on a poster. Ask the
students what conclusions they would draw from these visual aids. Elicit from
the students a recognition that fairy tales are told by many different cultures
and countries throughout the world. RESOURCES: Examples
of "Cinderella" Tale Type on the Web: From the website Dr. D. L. Ashliman's
Folklore and Mythology Electronic
Texts web site, click on the link to "Cinderella"
tale types. From there, you have many choices of full text versions of "Cinderella"
tale types from throughout the world. Some good choices might include: Baba
Yaga (Russia) The Cinder Maid (reconstructed from various European
sources by Joseph Jacobs) Rashin Coatie (Scotland) Conkiajgharuna,
the Little Rag Girl (Georgia) Examples of "Cinderella" Tale Type
in Book Form: Knight, Hilary. Cinderella. New York: Random House,
1978, 2001. Pollock, Penny. The Turkey Girl. Boston: Little, Brown,
c1996. Steptoe, John, 1950. Mufaro'sBeautiful Daughters. New York:
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, c1987. Climo, Shirley. The Korean Cinderella.
New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. Examples of "Fisherman
and His Wife" Tale Type on the Web: From the website Dr. D. L. Ashliman's_Folklore
and Mythology Electronic Texts web site, click on the link to "Fisherman
and His Wife" tale types. From there, you have several choices of full text
versions of "Fisherman and His Wife" versions. Some good choices might include: The
Stonecutter (Japan) Hanns Dudeldee (Germany) Examples
of "Fisherman and His Wife" Tale Type in Book Form: Wells, Rosemary.
The Fisherman and His Wife. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, c1998. Polacco,
Patricia. Luba and the Wren. New York: Philomel Books, c1999. Examples
of "Jack and the Beanstalk" Tale Type on the Web: From the website Dr.
D. L. Ashliman's_Folklore and
Mythology Electronic Texts web site, click on the link "Jack
and the Beanstalk" tale types. From there, you have several choices of full
text versions of "Jack and the Beanstalk" versions: One good choices might include: Jack
and the Beanstalk as told by Joseph Jacobs Examples of "Jack and
the Beanstalk" Tale Type in Book Form: Beneduce, Ann. Jack and the
Beanstalk. New York: Philomel Books, c1999. Walker, Richard. Jack
and the Beanstalk, New York: Barefoot Books, c1999. 2:
Identifying Fairy Tale Characteristics: Character, Setting, and Plot Teacher
Preparation: Fairy tales usually feature one-dimensional iconic characters
and settings such as peasants, witches, royalty, villages, forests, and castles.
While fairy tales often pit good characters against evil ones, moral teaching
is not necessarily inherent in the stories. Peasants, abandoned children, and
simpletons attain wealth and happy marriages as often through sheer luck and the
fortuitous intervention of magic as through cleverness or good actions. Activity: Characters: Brainstorm
a list of characters that occur in fairy tales. Make a large chart to keep posted
in the classroom. On the left, list each story by title and along the top list
the various character types such as king, princess, peasant, youngest sister,
cruel older sisters, simpleton, cruel stepmother, giant, and witch. Let students
take turns putting checkmarks in the appropriate boxes with each new story you
read to them. Make another similar chart for settings and keep track of the settings
in each story. Settings: Show students pictures from books
and magazines of a variety of settings including those that are typical of fairy
tales (castles, cottages, mountains, rivers, and forests) and those that are not
typical of fairy tales (apartment buildings and city streets). Invite students
to make a wand-waving motion when they see pictures typical of fairy tales and
a truck-driving motion when they see pictures that are not typical. Plot:
Make a set of cards with magnetic strips on the backs. On the cards,
write brief phrases, some describing typical plot elements of fairy tales and
others describing plot elements that are not typical. Fairy tale
plot elements might include: Hero (or heroine) heroine has bad luck Hero
(or heroine) must perform impossible tasks Hero (or heroine) must fight
a villain Hero (or heroine) meets magical helpers Hero (or heroine)
is treated badly Hero (or heroine) is in danger Magic spells Villain
is punished Hero (or heroine) is rewarded with wealth Hero (or heroine)
is rewarded with a happy marriage Things happen in threes (three battles,
three tasks) Non-fairy tale plot elements might include: Hero
(or heroine) always has good luck Hero (or heroine) is always treated nicely Hero
(or heroine) solves problems without any help Story is realistic-no magic No
one is punished in the story Hero (or heroine) is never in danger Hero
(or heroine) does everyday ordinary things As a class, have students
take turns placing cards on magnetic board under headings "Fairy Tale" and "Non-Fairy
Tale." Small group work: Divide students in small groups and distribute
easy-to-read fairy tales to each group. Have students work as a team to record
the characters, setting, and typical plot elements that they find in their fairy
tales. You may wish to do this activity several times, with groups focussing only
on character one day, only on setting another day, and only on plot on a third
day. 3: Understanding the Concept
of Tale Types or Versions Teacher Preparation: One of the most
fascinating aspects of the fairy tale is the way in which recognizable plots and
story elements reappear in slightly different guises in many different cultures
and time periods. For example, the motif of the abused youngest sister achieving
wealth and happiness-best known as the "Cinderella" tale type-appears in hundreds
of versions from African, Asian, American, and European countries and as far back
in written sources as 850 A.D. Browse through Dr. D. L. Ashliman's Folklore
and Mythology Electronic Texts web site to get a sense of the variety of tale
types and motifs to be found in fairy tales. Browse through The Great
Fairy Tale Tradition edited by Jack Zipes (New York: Norton c2001). This anthology
organizes fairy tales by a variety of tale types and motifs. Activity: After
the students are familiar with the typical characters and settings of the fairy
tale, introduce the concept of tale type. Re-read some the "Cinderella"
stories listed above and ask the students what is the same in each story. Use
the Cinderella-Type Tale Venn Diagram, provided in pdf format, and as a
group fill out similarities and differences between two different versions of
the Cinderella tale type. See the web site Cinderella
Stories, which may be reached from the Children's Literature Web Guide, available
from the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Internet Public
Library. Help the students to understand that a fairy tale that tells of a
good and beautiful younger sister finding wealth and happiness after being treated
cruelly by mother or stepmother and older sisters is the "Cinderella" tale type.
This tale type has many different versions set in various countries. Help the
students to notice that many of these versions feature a shoe, a doll, or a beautiful
dress. Then read a different tale type, such as Beauty and the Beast, The
Foolish Friend, or Eat Me When I'm Fatter (see Folklore and Mythology Electronic
Texts, available from Dr. Ashliman's
homepage. Dr. Ashliman's page is a link on the Children's Literature Web
Guide, available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Internet
Public Library Expose students to at least three different tale types
with at least two versions of each type. Add another large wall chart to the classroom
with several tale types and space for recording stories under each type. Have
students draw small illustrations on the chart to go along with each tale type.
As students become comfortable with tale types, allow them to work in small groups
with two stories per group. Have each group fill out the Two Tale Types Venn
Diagram, provided in pdf format, showing similarities and differences between
fairy tales of two contrasting tale types, such as Red Riding Hood and Jack and
the Beanstalk. Be sure to first model this as a whole group activity first. Divide
students into small groups and provide each group with a new version of one of
the familiar tale types. Dr. D. L. Ashliman's Folklore
and Mythology Electronic Texts web site provides multiple examples for most
of the tale types listed. Ask students to read the story and identify the tale
type. Have them record plot and character elements that identify the story as
a certain tale type. Use a T-chart to do this. (See example.)
EXAMPLE: |
Story Title (teacher provides): | Tale
Type, Plot, and Character Elements: (students write): |
4: Re-telling Fairy
Tales Activity Number 1-Using Graphic Organizers to Re-Tell Plots:
Read "Lambikin," which is one of the "Eat
Me When I'm Fatter" fairy tales (accessible from Dr. D. L. Ashliman's Folklore
and Mythology Electronic Texts)web site, available through the EDSITEment-reviewed
resource Internet Public Library. Lead the whole
class in filling out the Retelling the Plot of "Lambikin" graphic organizer,
provided in pdf format, as they re-tell the story from memory. (See example).
Note that the organizer provides labeled boxes for each step of the plot where
students can fill in the appropriate details. Retelling the Plot of "Lambikin"
EXAMPLE: Box 1: Once upon a time: (students fill in the rest) Box
2: Lambikin meets first animal: Box 3: Lambikin meets second
animal: Box 4: Lambikin meets third animal: Box 5: Lambikin
arrives: Box 6: Lambikin starts home: Box 7: Lambikin
meets first animal: Box 8: Lambikin meets second animal: Box
9: Lambikin meets third animal: Box 10: Lambikin arrives: Read
aloud a version of "The
Three Billy Goats Gruff"(accessible from Dr. Ashliman's web site. Divide
students into small groups and have them fill out the Retelling the Plot of
"The Three Billy Goats Gruff" graphic organizer, provided in pdf format. Retelling
the Plot of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" Box 1: Once upon a time...
(students fill in the rest) Box 2: The first billy goat... Box 3:
The second billy goat... Box 4: The third billy goat... Box 5: And
the three billy goats lived... Activity Number Two-Using illustrations
to re-tell fairy tales: After reading and discussing a variety of fairy
tales, have the students explore some web sites that feature illustrations of
well-known fairy tales, such as Sur La Lune Fairy Tales, available through the EDSITEment-reviewed Internet Public Library (to reach the illustrations, choose a specific tale from the main page, and then click on the "Illustrations" link on the left hand side). Be sure to read aloud at least one version of each fairy tale
before taking the students to the web site. As a group, view the illustrations, then have the students decide which of
two different illustrators' work they prefer. The final step is to have the students
select three illustrations that represent the three significant parts of the story,
print them out, and re-tell the entire story using the selected illustrations
as focal points. Having completed the whole-group activity, you can then
move on to giving the students an opportunity to do the same task as pairs or
as individuals. Have the students use a different fairy tale, such as Red Riding Hood. Have students pick three-four key
illustrations, copy them to a disk or folder, then retell the story in their own
words using their selected illustrations as focal points. 5:
Understanding How Illustrations Can "Tell" the Story Web sites that
provide access to many different illustrations can also be used to help students
to see how illustrations can help to "tell" the story. Read aloud a version of
Jack and the Beanstalk without showing the students any pictures. Then
have the students choose three scenes to illustrate by hand. After the students
have completed their illustrations, show them pictures from Sur La Lune's Jack and the Beanstalk page. ***Ask students to identify the illustrations within several different
versions that most closely match their own illustration. For example, if a child
chooses the moment when Jack is cutting down the beanstalk as the subject of his
or her own hand-drawn illustration, have the child find the same scene in the
illustrated versions on the web site. Invite the students to list details of clothing,
color, setting, and expression that differentiate one web site illustration from
another. 6:
Recognizing the Commonality of Emotions Expressed in Fairy Tales Throughout the
World
Activity: Write down a list of emotions and ask
students to share memories of experiences they have had with these feelings:
- love
- hate
- fear
- loneliness
- sadness
- joy
- surprise
Distribute paper to the
students with a grid of 12 squares on the paper. (Four rows of 3 squares). The
words from the above list should be written in the squares, one per square. This
leaves some empty squares for the students to add more words if they wish. Ask
the students to make a small drawing illustrating each word. They may add more
words and drawings to the empty squares if they wish.
In small groups, have
the students re-read some of the fairy tales already read aloud as a large group
or, for more able students, read some new fairy tales. Ask each child to place
a check mark inside a "feeling" box whenever they encounter that feeling in the
story. Have the students gather as a whole group and report back to the larger
group some of the feelings they found in their stories.
Selected EDSITEment
Web Sites
Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org/)
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
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