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Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales
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Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales

A special issue of Humanities (ISSN 2076-0787).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 8466

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Katherine Elkins

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Comparative World Literature Program, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA
Interests: shapes of stories; comparative literature; computational humanities; philosophy and literature

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

How can we reconcile different theorizations of good and evil in fairy tales? Do new approaches, for example recent work on how tales travel, afford novel ways of understanding these depictions? This Special Issue of Humanities seeks to address questions like these. Other questions may include how different cultures and time periods shape the portrayal of good and evil. Can we see changing attitudes towards gender, race, and sexuality across time and places, especially in contemporary adaptations? And in what ways do fairy tales challenge traditional cultural norms of good and evil?

Prof. Dr. Katherine Elkins
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • shapes of stories
  • comparative literature
  • computational humanities
  • philosophy and literature

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 271 KiB  
Article
Restoring Realism to the Fairytale, or, the Banal Optimism of Tahar Ben Jelloun’s Mes Contes de Perrault
by Ian Williams Curtis
Humanities 2025, 14(3), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/h14030039 - 20 Feb 2025
Viewed by 398
Abstract
This article examines Tahar Ben Jelloun’s Mes Contes de Perrault (2014) as a multilayered instance of literary appropriation. Ben Jelloun’s stories, which relocate Charles Perrault’s classic French fairytales to the Arab world, represent not only a subversive challenge to French cultural hegemony (as [...] Read more.
This article examines Tahar Ben Jelloun’s Mes Contes de Perrault (2014) as a multilayered instance of literary appropriation. Ben Jelloun’s stories, which relocate Charles Perrault’s classic French fairytales to the Arab world, represent not only a subversive challenge to French cultural hegemony (as has been argued) but can also be read as a complex engagement with the history of French folktales and their literary adaptations. This study posits that Ben Jelloun’s project restores elements of realism to Perrault’s tales that were lost when the author adapted folk stories for the French court. By reintroducing themes of bodily suffering, desire, and quotidian struggles, Ben Jelloun reconnects these tales with their folk origins. Examining Ben Jelloun’s “appropriation”—his word—in the context of Perrault’s own adaptations, this study offers new insights into the circulation and transformation of folktales across cultures and literary traditions. It contributes to ongoing discussions about literary and cultural appropriation and the place of the fairytale genre in today’s world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales)
14 pages, 260 KiB  
Article
Tales of Their Times
by Rósa Þorsteinsdóttir
Humanities 2025, 14(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/h14010018 - 20 Jan 2025
Viewed by 604
Abstract
The aim of the article is to examine how the fairytales of storytellers from different times agree with the idea that their attitudes towards life appear in the fairytales that they tell and to consider whether they construct their fairytales so that they [...] Read more.
The aim of the article is to examine how the fairytales of storytellers from different times agree with the idea that their attitudes towards life appear in the fairytales that they tell and to consider whether they construct their fairytales so that they reflect the tensions and conflicts in their own times. This is achieved by looking into the tales of a woman storyteller in the nineteenth century when organized collecting began in Iceland, and three storytellers‘ repertoires from the twentieth century, when fairytales still belonged to the living oral tradition were tape-recorded. The survey is concluded by examining three recent plays involving fairytales which the author herself attended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales)
14 pages, 278 KiB  
Article
Revisiting Charles Perrault’s Iconic “Bluebeard” Serial Killer in Modern French Variants
by Christa Catherine Jones
Humanities 2024, 13(6), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/h13060160 - 19 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1081
Abstract
“Bluebeard” (ATU 321: Maiden-Killer), a fairy tale about a wealthy noble man and serial killer, is the most gruesome of Charles Perrault’s fairy tales. Bluebeard epitomizes evil and horror. In Perrault’s tale, Bluebeard’s evilness is linked to patriarchy and power, as symbolized [...] Read more.
“Bluebeard” (ATU 321: Maiden-Killer), a fairy tale about a wealthy noble man and serial killer, is the most gruesome of Charles Perrault’s fairy tales. Bluebeard epitomizes evil and horror. In Perrault’s tale, Bluebeard’s evilness is linked to patriarchy and power, as symbolized by the villain’s iconic blue beard. Historically linked to Henry VIII (1491–1547), King of England, Bluebeard has also been associated with Breton commander Gilles de Rais who was hanged for sorcery and satanic abuse. This article examines how contemporary francophone “Bluebeard” variants refashion and redefine evil and whether they contain any new morals linked to evilness. Do they depict Bluebeard as a satanic, intrinsic force of evil or do they portray him in a less Manichean manner, as contemporary tales tend to do with monsters? Starting with Perrault’s famous tale, this article reveals how Bluebeard, the evil mass murderer figure and polygamist, is recast in a variety of contemporary francophone texts from Morocco, Belgium and France, with retellings by Michel Tournier (1981), Marie Darrieussecq (2002), La Barbe Bleue (Bluebeard) (2009), Amélie Nothomb (2012), Tahar Ben Jelloun (2014), Jacqueline Kelen (2014), and Cécile Coulon (2015). These modern variants illustrate Elliott Oring’s ideas about comparison and cultural context (see Oring 1986). A discussion of various French contemporary versions with a special emphasis of Ben Jelloun’s Moroccan retelling of “Bluebeard” open avenues for cross-cultural dialogue, highlighting how this tale evolves to fit different cultural contexts and continues to resonate today. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales)
15 pages, 279 KiB  
Article
Slanting the Holocaust in the Fairy Tale Form: Jean-Claude Grumberg’s The Most Precious of Cargoes
by Kristin Rozzell Murray
Humanities 2024, 13(6), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/h13060146 - 28 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1310
Abstract
This article analyzes Jean-Claude Grumberg’s 2019 Holocaust fairy tale, The Most Precious of Cargoes, translated from French. This fairy tale adds to Grumberg’s oeuvre of Holocaust fiction, including plays and children’s stories. His fairy tale may be his most personal attempt to [...] Read more.
This article analyzes Jean-Claude Grumberg’s 2019 Holocaust fairy tale, The Most Precious of Cargoes, translated from French. This fairy tale adds to Grumberg’s oeuvre of Holocaust fiction, including plays and children’s stories. His fairy tale may be his most personal attempt to process his own Holocaust experience, as he includes an appendix with facts about his father and grandfather who died in Auschwitz. Specifically, the fairy tale is approached through an analysis of the fairy tale genre’s pairing with the subject of the Holocaust. The article also examines possible readings of such a pairing through a close reading of the tale that analyzes the role of good vs. evil. Published interviews with Grumberg, theory on the fairy tale, and other Holocaust fairy tales establish a view that The Most Precious of Cargoes is unique in Holocaust fiction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales)
25 pages, 18967 KiB  
Article
Good People Do Not Eat Others?! Moral Ambiguity in Japanese Fairytales from the Late Nineteenth Century
by Tian Gao
Humanities 2024, 13(5), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/h13050127 - 1 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1452
Abstract
In 2015, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired an educational series that re-examined traditional fairy tales by putting their characters on trial for their immoral behavior, such as revenge, violence, and dishonesty. These tales, rooted in premodern Japanese folklore, were widely available in [...] Read more.
In 2015, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired an educational series that re-examined traditional fairy tales by putting their characters on trial for their immoral behavior, such as revenge, violence, and dishonesty. These tales, rooted in premodern Japanese folklore, were widely available in various book formats by the late nineteenth century and, unlike modern adaptations, they did not sanitize violence or evil. This study analyzes four miniature picture books from the late nineteenth century that recount the story, Kachikachi yama (The Crackling Mountain). This analysis focuses on both verbal and visual representations of good and evil, with attention to themes of loyalty, filial piety, and virtuous revenge. The findings reveal that these picture books presented young readers with complex moral lessons, where the boundaries between good and evil were blurred. Additionally, they illuminate the prevailing image of children during that era, depicting them as “little adults” expected to be educated and prepared for the practical realities of the adult world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales)
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17 pages, 2035 KiB  
Article
From Folklore to Proust: A Quest across Symbolic Universes
by Francisco Vaz da Silva
Humanities 2024, 13(5), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/h13050118 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1768
Abstract
This study explores the intersection of folklore and literature, specifically examining how a methodology developed for interpreting wondertales can be applied to a complex literary corpus, such as Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time). [...] Read more.
This study explores the intersection of folklore and literature, specifically examining how a methodology developed for interpreting wondertales can be applied to a complex literary corpus, such as Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time). The discussion proposes a case study for the use of allomotifs, or interchangeable motifs, to understand symbolic patterns in Proust’s literary work. The paper lays bare a widespread metaphorical field in wondertales, then follows its complications in the Proustian corpus. It suggests that Proust’s œuvre, much like folklore, operates within a symbolic universe where binary oppositions, such as good and evil or male and female, are fluid and dynamic. The discussion shows that Proust’s literary imagination aligns surprisingly well with the workings of folklore. This hybrid space of the imagination challenges conventional distinctions between folklore and literature, and brings to mind Lévi-Strauss’ erstwhile ruminations on the pensée sauvage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales)
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