Exploring Adolescent Reality: How Fairy Tales Explain Uncomfortable Truths (original) (raw)

Abstract

Classic fairy tales, such as the ones told by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, were stories that shed light on the uncomfortable truths of the world. Their horrific origins often involved scenes of rape, incest, torture, cannibalism, and other revolting occurrences that are teeming with brutal moralities. These tales were meant to emulate truth, and as children would grow older the idea was that they could subconsciously recall the messages from these tales as they cope with the injustices and contradictions of life... That is the opening lines of this essay which seeks to explore how modern young adult literature utilizes fairy tales to reclaim a genre that has long since been "disnyfied." That is to say, fairy tales have become censored in such as way that many of the original morals have been all but stripped away. However, by exploring modern literature that sheds light on how horrible the world can be, we may actually be preparing our students with a better understanding of how the world works. In this world, there may not always be a happily ever after. It is our job to prepare students for hardships so that they can, not only endure, but feel free in the classroom to come to us and be open out their problems. This paper demonstrates just that as it looks at Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls, Ransom Riggs Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, and Christine Heppermann's Poisoned Apples.

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