Do fairy tales and social class have much to do with one another, beyond the obvious connection, which is that marriage and money provide destitute but very special people with a shot at upward mobility?Yes, they do. Social class is at the heart of fairy tales, but not, perhaps for the reasons we are taught to think about fairy tales and their origins. The commonly accepted wisdom on fairy tales is that they emerged from the bubbling stew of the peasantry, when, after a long day slogging in the fields, they huddled around the hearth, telling tales as old as time, with universal appeal to the hearts and minds of the young at heart all around the globe.
This version of the origin of fairy tales is enchanting not just because we all want to believe that human society has universal longings (and it probably does), but because, I think, the notion that fairy tales bubbled forth from the earthy masses allows middle-class 21st century types to enjoy the violence and cruelty in fairy tales and blame the origins of them on penniless dead people who didn't know better. The accepted truths on the origin of fairy tales allow educated,"civilized" people to enjoy them while still distancing themselves from responsibility for fairy tales.
Scholars have never fully swallowed the notion that fairy tales banged around in peasant versions for the last 2,000 years. Indeed, Ruth Bottigheimer, a fairy tale scholar at Stony Brook, created quite a stir last year with Fairy Tales: A New History, which questions the notion that the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault ( among others) more or less plopped fairy tales down on paper after gathering them from peasants. The Grimms clearly edited many stories. Charles Perrault, who wrote "Cinderella" and "Puss in Boots," and a host of other "ancient" fairy tales, was an educated man and a careful writer who lived in the 17th century. That's a long time ago -- but not that long.
I've summed the argument up far too quickly, and I urge reading the book, but based on what I've read in the last few years, the origin of fairy tales remains murky. In academic circles, the argument on fairy tales and their history remains lively, with Bottigheimer and many others dubious about the stories and their peasant origins.
It seems to me that many fairy tales celebrate values that remain enshrined in the middle classes, the most vital of which is that wealth should be derived from "merit," i.e., beauty, capitalistic risk taking, and more hard work than we usually acknowledge. After all, Jack does have to climb the bean stalk three times, he has to steal from the ogre and he's got to make it back alive. Cinderella serves a sort of apprenticeship before having to dress up, dance and risk the roof over her head to win her man. Beauty, from "Beauty and the Beast" also has to win her man, this time through patience and self knowledge. These are virtues that hearken back to the beginning of the European mass middle class. The aristocracy believed in inherited privilege, no matter how stupid and ugly their progeny might be, and the very poor probably didn't go much beyond wishing for unlimited food.
You can easily prove my assertions wrong. That's what makes fairy tales so interesting. But I would assert that in a lot of fairy tales, the heroines and heroines are people who have fallen on hard times, and are merely working to regain their past riches, with a whole lot of interest. The violence and terror are the price to be paid by anyone who is foolish enough to have parents who have fallen out of the middle class.
Image by Arthur Rackham.
16 comments:
I never really thought about it, but your absolutely right! Many of the fairy tales offer a promise of, "be a good person, do what's right, and things will get better," especially to the downtrodden. Maybe that's why we love those stories so much, they offer hope.
Interesting thoughts as always, Kate. I think it's beyond question that we do have gentrified versions of the fairytale in Messrs. Grimm, Grimm, Perrault & Co. But I'm not sure whether I agree that they are consciously teaching 'Victorian values' (if you will) through the inherent element of striving in the fairytales. If, as I believe, fairytales as a genre speak to 'ancient human desires,' then that fact alone makes a simple economic reading of the fairytales questionable.
I don't think Jack and the Beanstalk is about capital, or Cinderella is about production and consumption. I certainly don't seem them as de facto endorsements of capitalism. It would be just as easy to read Jack as a sort of suffering proletariat (swindled by the merchant classes), the giant as a bourgeois oppressor (grind your bones to make my bread), the three climbs up the beanstalk and the eventual death of the giant a sort of systemic revolution and reeducation.
This is probably all part of the 'easily.' I'm just reluctant to assume that risk taking must be equated with capitalism. I don't doubt that Grimm and Co. were comfortable, middle-class people, and their stories should be read as such. But I think the tales themselves transcend the constrictions of time and economy. 'Patience and self-knowledge' are far older impulses than market capitalism.
Thanks for an inspiring post! :)
What the peasantry have mostly left us are the sprites and bogies that one needed to avoid, trick or befriend in order to avoid the thousands of maladies that might occur to a poor person who only had their wits and superstitions with which to defend themselves. There were certainly developed tales of when mortals would cross fairy paths - and come out either winner or loser, but those also hinged on superstition and cunning. The big change does seem to be the transition to merit, hard work, and virtue (even if the virtue was enduring the loss of past wealth) to overcome the tests put in front of them.
See, these are things you just HAVE to wonder. A part of me doubts both stories and believes both stories. Its very complex.
Very interesting perspective, never looked at fairy tales from that angle. It's too bad we'll never really know for sure where all those stories originated, but it's fun to try and figure it out ;)
The notion that the poor don't value work is curious. I especially question this: "the very poor probably didn't go much beyond wishing for unlimited food." The poor have always known what the rich have taken.
To expand on Mr. Pond's argument: Jack doesn't go to work for the giant. In some versions of the story, he probably had sex with the giant's wife. In every version I know, he steals what the giant has, then kills him. His victory comes from daring and luck, not middle-class "hard work"--though he works hard going up and down that bean stalk. A legitimate interpretation of that conventional tale: "When you see an opportunity to stick it to the man, take it!"
My name is BrittaniH I must admit I have not read or heard many fairy tales outside of Disney , so please bear with me, I may be off a little here. I have always thought that fairy tales help people through hard times in life, and a moral to the story. It seems like the main character always has to go through hardships whether it be being a servant, poor, abused etc. The part that I love is after they have persevered, and keep their heart they eventually end up with their happy ending! On the other hand the evil character always meets their demise at the end. When I was younger I remember being told a version of Little Red Riding Hood. At the end of the story I was as obedient as ever! If I didn’t listen to my parents I was scared of being chased by a bad wolf or something evil. So, I think that fairy tales are applicable to all types of people in all walks of life. Plus, they are fun to read!
Where did fairy tales originate? Why do fairy tales play a major part in our childhood? These are just some questions that as grown-ups we keep in mind as we get older. I think it is interesting that fairy tales define the true meaning of life is such cruel and evil ways. We become astonish towards the end of the story when we find out that the evil women/men died in such unexpected ways. This seems to draws us more attention to fairy tales because it encourages us to stay out of trouble.
I believe social classes were a major issue during this era because it described if people had control or power in their society. Of course, the old fairy tales and the Disney’s version of fairy tale are completely different types of genres. However, the both versions transcend the morals of life that are learned throughout youth. I believe the classics of fairy tales are to teach young children that true meanings of life.
In the article it mentions, “the most vital of which is that wealth should be derived from "merit," i.e., beauty, capitalistic risk taking, and more hard work than we usually acknowledge.” I liked the way the author analyzed the fairy tales from this perspective because in many cases, this does happen in the real world.
Mary Cruz A.
I think you have a great point; however the middle class is something very generic these days. I’m not sure if it really exists as a valid point of reference. Today it is a popular belief (especially in America) that if you belong to the middle class you must be hard-working and diligent. Yet this is not always the case. It just typifies having a foot in both arenas- the rich and poor. Therefore since the middle class belongs to neither, it is essentially both without the extreme poverty or greed that is intrinsically linked to lower and upper classes.
In regards to fairy tales this can be generally true; if the frame of reference presumes that the middle class is a struggling group. In my own mind, this is not true. The middle class, while not making a ton of money, is comfortable. Was Cinderella or Snow White comfortable? To a degree I suppose- yes, but their happiness places them more in line with the middle class than by occupation. In other words the middle class today is represented as a complacent group of people with the occasional hardship, of which they must overcome either by skills acquired or the patience they undoubtedly (largely fabricated by society) possess.
The notion of classes and the division thereof, is a subject fascinating to me. After having taken a sociology class where the idea is studied intensively, the notion of the blatant delineation between the classes has sparked my interest. Which is exactly why, I instantly noticed this blog on the very subject matter I have studied. The correlation between classes and fairy tales is pretty obvious. I almost want to retouch on this topic after having a better grasp of fairy tales. Perhaps I will after finishing this class.
Initially I thought the relationship between the idea of class system and fairy tales was primarily the subject matter, not the origin of the fairy tale itself. I honestly didn’t think about the fact that peasants were presumed to be the creators of the fairy tales, and passed the stories down to generations. The other side of the idea is that the classes within the fairy tales are separated with the poor heroine getting saved by the upper class hero.
Vanessa R.
Your take on the introduction of the Middle class stigma is an interesting point of view and it is nice to know that there are people in this world that still analyze the who, how and why of their existence. Something I would like to add is that it seems as if fairytales were one of the first appearances of adult fiction and then they were later on altered to become moral compasses for children. One of my problems with fairytales as you pointed out was that they have to go through a hardship to become “Middle to Upper class” but it isn’t by their own work. It is provided by a form of divine intervention. Could this then lead our children into believing that hard work is for “commoners” and that magic or fairy godmothers will always swoop in to solve their problems? Where does that then place us as adults in teaching them the value of hard work and the betterment of self by their own moral values? As I thought about the stories more this was just one of the directions in which my mind wondered…
Erin D
Fairy tales started out through the poor class so I would have to say no. They have certainly evolved though many different social classes along with many different generations. They are a combination of all different types of people. Those who were poor told and retold them to one another. In my class we discussed how certain facts about fairy have changed over time and some in part to who they were told to. An example would be Hansel and Gretel. The original witch’s house was made of bread but later evolved into gingerbread. This was more exciting to a middle or upper class family that could image the house of gingerbread. Lower classes would still be sustained by a simple bread house, especially if they were starving. I think the author of this piece makes a valid point about everyone being interested in the horror of the tales, but the upper classes were able to distance themselves from them being they were originally told by a large segment of the poor population. The Brothers Grimm took many tales and edited them to be more popular to a wider audience. The first versions were meant to scare the daylights out of children who would consider to misbehave or to be entertainment to adults. The toned down versions by the Brothers Grimm allowed families with other interests to share these stories with their families, no matter what social class they may be. Charles Perrault also wrote down these tales and therefore they were able to be distributed to many, many people. Kristy K.
The way that I think of the modern “fairy tales” is the new version of entertaining many people after a long day with something like reality TV shows. Fairy tales are raw, and have a lot of cannibalism. TV reality shows have a lot of raw material, much sexual content. This is also a part of middle class. Just like reality shows now make people feel better about their lives this is the same effect that fairy tales had. I agree with not knowing about the origins of fairy tales and perhaps we will never know. What we do know is that they are around because people can relate to them and so therefore keep passing them on. An additional item that I agree with is that in fairy tales the heroines work hard in order to achieve happiness. Just like heroines work hard average people work hard to achieve happiness and to maintain. Fairy tales have a lot of truth to them and this is why they are still around and will be. Guadalupe G.
I agree that fairy tales to honor the need to regular people to work hard in order to gain a foothold in society. However, I find that the middle class is nowhere to be seen in fairy tales. The majority of stories that we’ve read focuses on the most destitute of families; those close to starvation and completely deprived, or those on the opposite end of the spectrum; those who live in castles, who are vain and contemptuous of those who stand to get in their way. The only transitions that I’ve noticed in fairy tales are those who went from having nothing to having it all, or vice versa. To my knowledge the middle class was still in its infancy at the time of these tales emergence. Although the middle class may have enjoyed these stories, I would think that the only people who got a true joy out of these stories were the really rich or the really poor. However, everyone loves an underdog story, and perhaps that’s why there are so many of them in fairy tales. Kyle Lubelski
I completely agree that fairy tales are largely middle class. In “Jack and the Beanstalk” Jack learns that his father used to control the land before the ogre killed him. This is what caused Jack and his mother to fall on hard times. They once were well off and then became destitute. A similar situation happens in “Beauty and the Beast”. Beauty’s father was once a wealthy merchant and then loses his riches. This is what sets the whole story in motion for Beauty. Many fairy tales do not revolve around the poor. Many of the characters were wealthy at one time. Fairy tales can almost be taken as a lesson not to lose your wealth or horrible things can happen to your family. I really don’t think that peasants in our early history would have come up with some of these stories. To me they sound more like they were invented by middle and upper class people. Peasants would not be able to relate well with stories that have people lose all of their wealth and then go through terrible hardships in order to regain it. However, I can imagine peasants coming up with the story of “Hansel and Gretel” because they were terribly poor to begin with and the children’s suffering allowed for them to become wealthy. Brandon H.
I believe that fairy tales did indeed stem from the lower pheasant class. Many fairy tales start out with poor or pheasant people. The ones who are wealthy are punished somehow. I think that this is a way for the pheasants to pass along stories to their children of hope. All the characters have to work hard for their rewards. Nothing is given to them without a price to pay. The only connections the middle class have to fairy tales is that they had the proper education and they were able to write them down. In many cases the fairy tales seem like they were created by pheasants because the characters are always striving for something more. They are striving for things that are out of their reach. I don’t believe that many middle class people would create stories like this because they live a comfortable life. AA
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