Fairyland revisited: A gynocentric reading of selected English, French, and German folk and fairy tales

The dissertation analyzes and compares the relationship between women in French, English and German fairy/folk tales of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Three famous collections of tales were used: Joseph Jacob's English Fairy Tales and More English Fairy Tales, the Brothers Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales as well as the tales of Mme d'Aulnoy, Mme de Murat and Mme Leprince de Beaumont from the Cabinet des fees. Twenty tales have been selected from each collection. Preference was given to tales with a female cast in order to evaluate the relationship between women. This gynocentric study draws from Propp's structural analysis the concept of villain and helper in order to identify the heroine's antagonist and ally.; Since feminist critics have condemned the negative representation of women in fairy tales, the dissertation questions such systematic denunciation. On the one hand, our findings indicate that effectively women (and especially older women and stepmothers) are portrayed as evil figures. On the other hand, we have discovered many inspiring and dynamic heroines who are not as helpless as commercialized heroines such as "Cinderella," "Snow White," or "Sleeping Beauty," heavily criticized by gynocentric critics for acculturating women into traditional social roles.; Our study also reveals that French and English heroines are in better control of their destinies than the German heroine who is never permitted to transgress the social order in which she lives. While the French fairy tale heroine benefits from fairies and mothers' interventions against evil forces to secure her happy destiny, the English folktale heroine resorts on her wits and good fortune. In rare instances, the German heroine gets help from wise women such as Mother Holle.; In conclusion, many unknown folk and fairy tales portray clever, insightful heroines and such tales need to be rediscovered and popularized.