User:Chen Junyu/graduation/theise/project proposal/EMO

Fairy Tale (same as fairytale)

History

Fairy tales can be found in oral and in literary form. The history of the fairy tale is particularly difficult to trace because only the literary forms can survive. Still, the evidence of literary works at least indicates that fairy tales have existed for thousands of years, although not perhaps recognized as a genre; the name "fairy tale" was first ascribed to them by Madame d'Aulnoy in the late 17th century. When she termed her works contes de fées (fairy tales), she originated the term that is now generally used for the genre. The earliest Fairy tale which was recorded in literature can be traced to BC 1300, in Ancient Egypt.

Many of today's fairy tales have evolved from centuries-old stories that have appeared, with variations, in multiple cultures around the world. Fairy tales, and works derived from fairy tales, are still written today.

There are many ways to classified fairy tales by folklorists.Among them there are two systems are the most notable. One is the Aarne-Thompson classification system, the other one is the morphological analysis of Vladimir Propp.

Definition

Although the fairy tale is a distinct genre within the larger category of folktale, the definition that marks a work as a fairy tale always comes with dispute. Common parlance conflates fairy tales with beast fables and other folktales, and scholars differ on the degree to which the presence of fairies and/or similarly mythical beings (e.g., elves, goblins, trolls, giants huge monsters) should be taken as a differentiator. And there are different definition made by scholars, for example, Vladimir Propp, in his Morphology of the Folktale, criticized the common distinction between "fairy tales" and "animal tales" on the grounds that many tales contained both fantastic elements and animals.Nevertheless, to select works for his analysis, Propp used all Russian folktales classified as a folk lore Aarne-Thompson 300-749 – in a cataloguing system that made such a distinction – to gain a clear set of tales. His own analysis identified fairy tales by their plot elements, but that in itself has been criticized, as the analysis does not lend itself easily to tales that do not involve a quest, and furthermore, the same plot elements are found in non-fairy tale works. And Stith Thompson points out, talking animals and the presence of magic seem to be more common to the fairy tale than fairies themselves. Or, Davdson and Chaudri identify "transformation" as the key feature of the genre.

Variantion

According to German scholar Max Lüthi "'Fairytales'(Volksmärchen), told for hundreds of years to gatherings of adult listeners, were not created by 'folk'".It is possible to demonstrate influences on them from written literature. Nonetheless, they are properly called 'folktales' because they have been modified by popular tellers, at times becoming shredded in the telling, spoiled, but at times being told better, polished, and further developed--by layman and for laymen. " Over a long period of time, transmitted orally was the most significant feature, and most of the fairy tales are not original, normally they are the variants of those ancient stories which are impossible to retrace. At the time of oral transmition，listeners have played a role in the retention and shaping of stories, narrators have always taken into consideration their needs and wishes, the inclinations and dislkes of their public. When fairy tales went into literature, the feedback came more slowly but still worked on the changing of stories. For instance, the famous brothers Grimm has published seven version of Grimms' Fairy Tales, except the increase of stories，the original storied also went through great revision because of the content or wording were unfriendly to children. According to Max Luthi "Fairytales were--and partially still are--at home among the people, earlier among grownups, today among children, the latter still exercising a sort of correcting influence, which the adult teller does and must take into consideration."

Association with adults and children

The older fairy tales were intended for an audience of adults, as well as children, but they were associated with children as early as the writings of the précieuses; the Brothers Grimm titled their collection Children's and Household Tales, and the link with children has only grown stronger with time Literary fairy tales appeared in works intended for adults, but in the 19th and 20th centuries the fairy tale became associated with children's literature. (incompleted)

Magic

Fairy tale is a word with magic. We can experience all the fantastics and also the darkest side of humanity.

References

01.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale_(disambiguation)

02.http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AB%A5%E8%A9%B1

03.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_d%27Aulnoy

04.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Propp

05.Max Lüthi The Fairytale as Art Form and Portrait of Man

06.陳正治 童話寫作研究

07.Roman Jakobson and Petr Bogatyrev FOLKLORE AS A SPECIAL FORM OF CREATION