Missing Fathers In Fairy Tales

My fairy tale students are currently wrestling with a paper about male characters in fairy tales. It can be a fun topic, especially since we explore why male characters who are pretty bad generally get a pass, while the women villains get to dance in red-hot iron shoes ("Snow White").
Yet, if bad male characters -- even the worst of the worst ("Donkey Skin") -- often get a pass in fairy tales, they also tend to get far less attention in the field of fairy tale studies.

Really, is Prince Charming that great? He's at best a handsome, rather dull fellow, and at worst, he's the kind of guy who wants to take a dead girl in a coffin to his place so he can look at her all the time -- again, "Snow White." What's to say about him? Even feminist takes like Don't Bet on the Prince don't really seem to focus that much on the poor dull fellow.

We do have the trickster and noodle head characters in fairy tales: "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Puss in Boots" leap to mind. Robert Darnton has a wonderful section on the trickster in his book The Great Cat Massacre. And please don't miss the JoMA article on tricksters.

Yet, perhaps the most notable aspect of men in fairy tales in the absence of fathers and the havoc they wreak upon families when they skive off to the glories of war or treasure hunting or kingdom building rather than face the dreary everyday traumas of family life. They just drift away from home on some trip and all hell breaks loose. They are the ultimate abdicators. The worst kind of slackers. What can be said about them is all in the empty spots they leave in their homes, making ever more room for the battles between mothers and children to expand into jealousy, flight and murder. In Terri Windling's article on the orphaned hero in fairy tales, we get some examination of fathers and absent parents in general (and not just through death). Yet, it is a fundamental fact that fairy tale fathers are absent in many kinds of ways.

Perhaps my choice of images are a perfect example of the marginalization of men in fairy tales. They are by Adrienne Segur. As you can see, no evil fathers are apparent in this picture from "Donkey Skin," although the handsome Puss in Boots does seem to have a lazy male peasant in the background. I rest my case.

Feasting and Fairy Tales

Food and fairy tales. It's amazing we don't spend more time talking and writing about the centrality of food in fairy tales. Certainly, Maria Tatar, fairy-tale uber scholar does investigate it, but most other fairy tale fans don't.

Of course, in fairy tales,, the peasants who wish for food are people who may well be living a subsistence life. In the US, on the other hand, too much food is like a curse. But stepping back from the obesity and health issues, it's fun to consider what I would wish for, were I in a fairy tale. Let's just pretend that the Fairy Godmother of Food is standing before me with a wooden spoon for a wand.

First, I would see if I could receive real skill and passion for cooking. I lack both. Barring that, I would want a giant bowl of freshly boiled peanuts, salted to perfection. With it, I'd have endless glasses of Dr. Pepper -- plenty of ice. Then, I'd like freshly boiled corn on the cob. The corn could be picked right here in Northern Indiana, where it is OUTSTANDING! But this would need to be just off the stalk, dripping with butter.

Next, I'd wish to clear my palate with some fresh, delectable baby carrots. A nice big bowl full of them. Cold, sweet and crunchy.

The main course? Well, first, I'd want to make sure I was supplied with the right wine. I wouldn't be forced to make a choice and thus embarrass myself and the Fairy Godmother. Then, I'd wish for the most perfectly roasted chicken, with herbs and lemon and pepper. The potatoes that went with it would be mashed just the way I love them: a little lumpy, not too smooth and gluey. I'd have fresh-picked sweet peas. The kind you can eat raw, but which are even better just slightly cooked.

I'd top it off with a perfect cup of tea and a plate of delectably delicious and lovely petit fours, white cake with almond icing.

I can easily make (I'm not that bad in the kitchen) or buy all of the above, but it's the perfection and wish fulfillment that would make the experience magical. That, and the right company, which would include my family and friends, all gathered around the table, eating, drinking and laughing. We would all toast the Fairy Godmother -- who, to be honest, happens to be my very own mother.

The picture is of "Beauty and the Beast" dining, by Anne Anderson. It has nothing to do with my own enchanted feast, but I do so love the image, I couldn't resist.

Which Tale Would You Live?

My apologies for the lack of posting. This week as been very, very busy.

But I think I have a a good question to stimulate your imaginations:

Which fairy tale would you want to be in? I know the sensible answer is, "None of them! They are so violent and horrible!"

But one of the many charms of fairy tales is the ability to put oneself in the shoes of characters and live their stories in your imagination.

So who would it be? Which story? Why? What would scare you? What would enchant you?

Have you ever felt you were in a fairy tale? Why? When?

Me? I'd be the fairy godmother in "Cinderella." First, because I'd like to wave a glittery wand and make things happen. Second, because I am so used to hovering anxiously in the wings, wanting everything to work out for young people. So it would be familiar, but new.

Image: Midsummer's Eve, by R.E. Hughes

'Beauty and the Beast' Gets Smacked Around

The world of fairy tale bloggers is greatly enriched by the work of Gypsy Thornton. In 'Beauty vs Beast?' she comments on another blogger's take on the tale.

I won't expound. Just read Gypsy's ideas and follow the link to the original post by another blogger. It's worth the effort.

Image by Eleanore Vere Boyle.

Yet Another Intriguing Post By Another Blogger

A blog called Bringing Up Adie has a cute and enjoyable post about the awfulness of parents in fairy tales -- a subject of which I never tire.
I like to post links from other bloggers when I can. Blogging is all about sharing and spreading the word; plus it's a true Golden Rule situation in the blogging world. Or, as I always think of it: You gotta give blog love to get blog love!

The image of Rapunzel (a victim of good hair and bad parenting) is by Emma Florence Harrison