The Grimm Brothers: Reading between the lines of Childhood Fairy Tales!!

"It was in fairy-stories that I first divined the potency of the words, and the wonder of things, such as stone, and wood, and iron; tree and grass; house and fire; bread and wine."

-       JRR Tolkien in his essay “ On Fairy Stories”

The grand master of Fantasy Literature says it & I believe it.

I can say hands down, Fairytales were our first introduction to the world of Books. Can we honestly claim our childhood to be complete without “Cinderella”, or “Sleeping Beauty” or “Beauty & the Beast”? Haven’t we all read the fairytale version of the biblical story of David vs. Goliath in “Jack & the Beanstalk”? Haven’t we marvelled over the story of “Princess & the Frog”? Haven’t we been scared reading “Hansel & Gretel” & “Little Red Riding Hood” in our childhood?

These stories shaped our minds into imagination, mystique & a world “far, far away” that was full of fairies, goblins, dwarves, witches, wicked stepmothers and a Prince Charming & his beautiful princess whom he has to rescue!! What a world!! But did you know the origins of these fairy tales that formed an integral part of our childhood, and through ages have inspired so many authors & their works, whether classical, neo-classical or modern contemporary literature? Or did you ever think that there was actually much more to these simple looking stories; some deeper meaning behind each re-telling. This post is about exploring the writers behind our lovely fairy tales & their intent in creating those.

Origins: How did fairy tales come by? Well actually no one knows. After poring over numerous essays, Wikipedia & Britannica records, I found that nobody can actually claim exactly how they started. So, this is the obvious inference. Fairy Tales are modern renditions of age old folk tales prevalent locally in many countries. Stories that were probably cooked up by grandmothers for their little grandchildren; stories that were a figment of imagination in a life that had little or nothing to offer in terms of passive, ready-to-use entertainment, and when, imagination was actually put to good use. They were passed down generation to generation, crossed geographical limits & hence added from various cultures & got a new holistic identity.

The earliest organised works of fantasy or fairy tales as they were called then, were Panchtantra (India, 3^rd century BC), Aesop’s fables (Greece, 6^th century BC), The Golden Ass (Rome, 100-200 AD) and The Arabian Nights (Middle East, 1500 AD). Apart from this some other famed folklores were Bikram aur Betaal (King & the Vampire), which was the earliest example of mystique & vampire lore. These stories were further passed down till in the late 17^th century they were compiled & re-written by The Grimm Brothers, amongst many authors, who were the most successful re-tellers of the popular European fairytales that we know & identify today.

The Grimm Brothers: A small introduction to the brothers as per Wikipedia –

The Brothers Grimm (German: Brüder Grimm or Die Gebrüder Grimm), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, lexicographers and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the most well-known storytellers of German folk tales, popularizing stories such as "Cinderella" (Aschenputtel), "The Frog Prince" (Der Froschkönig), "Hansel and Gretel" (Hänsel und Gretel), "Rapunzel", "Rumpelstiltskin" (Rumpelstilzchen), and "Snow White" (Schneewittchen). Their first collection of folk tales, Children's and Household Tales (Kinder- und Hausmärchen), was published in 1812.

The brothers spent their formative years first in the German town of Hanau and then in Steinau. Their father's death in 1796, when Jacob was eleven and Wilhelm ten, caused great poverty for the family and affected the brothers for many years. They both attended the University of Marburg where historian and jurist Friedrich von Savigny spurred their interest in philology and Germanic studies—a field in which they are now considered pioneers—and at the same time developed a curiosity for folklore, which grew into a lifelong dedication to collecting German folk tales.

The thought behind the works of The Grimm Brothers: Weren’t you scared of the story of Rumplestiltskin – the goblin who grants you any wish, except that if your wish is fulfilled, he will come back to take away your first born boy on the 3^rd day.

Wasn’t Hansel & Gretel more of a warning for children to not walk around in a stranger’s land out of greed? You never know what or who you might encounter. I, for one, was scared to bits when the wicked witch hatches the plan of baking Hansel & Gretel in the fire (a reference to cannibals actually in the guise of a witch), and gets pushed inside herself; also did you know this story created a multi franchisee starrer iconic figure Freddy Krueger in Nightmare at Elm Street films?

You should never accept any food or drinks from strangers, remember what happened to Snow White who took a bite from the apple that the Witch gave her.

A lustre of golden stairs made of lovely hair cannot guarantee divine joy, & can result in you falling from the tallest tower. Beauty is more than what it appears – remember Rapunzel!!

And the wolf behind Little Red Riding Hood? Behind an innocent child lurks a hungry, evil wolf…isn’t that actually true. The wolf cleverly represented a paedophile in reality (to my understanding), or a kidnapper. It was cleverly given the guise of a wolf, and was a warning to little girls.

So many stories & many hidden meanings in them. The Brothers Grimm re-told these age old stories with lots of hidden meaning in them. They were warnings to children of what could be lurking for them out there, without killing the innocence in their mind a bit too soon. Hence these stories were given a fantasy story format & were considered educational too.

Needless to say these tales have inspired the imagination of authors, film makers, and artists since time immemorial. Those who can read between the lines have created magnificent works based on these stories. Tolkein, Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) – mathematician & a fantasy author!! , C.S. Lewis – the Chronicles of Narnia, L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz) to our very own J.K.Rowling have all been inspired by The Grimm Brothers. The creators of Shrek are visible with their inspiration too!!

IMPACT on readers today: While researching this post, I interviewed some mothers, especially those who have grown up reading & admiring the Grimm Brothers & their tales. Surprisingly, most of them are not in the favour of introducing their kids to these stories at all. Reason? Well, the first opinion was that these stories were too clichéd & formed a stereotype on the young, impressionable minds, that is no longer considered healthy. Example: People with deformities are often vile, e.g, Dwarves, giants, witches. Stepmothers are necessarily evil (Cinderella & so many more). If good looking & fair, then good by heart; if not drop dead gorgeous, then “ugly” and with an evil heart!!  If fair then good, if not so fair then bad. We cannot deny, we have imbibed these stereotypes in us, even if in subconscious.

Mothers today do not want their kids to grow with such warped age old European notions. Hence even schools today do not prescribe these age old tales. They can be changed & altered with changing sensibilities, but I still cannot imagine a childhood without them.

To sum up you can say these stories are stereotypical today, but you cannot deny their time & age transcending charm & how they have & still continue to be a major influence on the best of works – whether literature, films, art, crafts, fashion or even blogs.

 

COMING UP: Inside the mind of Grimm Brothers!!

The Two Classic Coming of Age Adventures of Two little Heroes: Tom Sawyer vs. Oliver Twist

 

While learning to read Classics, in my childhood, I came upon these two lovely books that are probably one of the earliest examples of “coming-of-age” stories – The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (English Author) & The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (American Author).

What struck me particularly was the similarity in the INTENT of writing these books by their respective authors, yet glaring difference in CONTENT as well.

Both Oliver Twist & Tom Sawyer are iconic characters from the pages of World Literature. Like I said, their authors gave them same INTENT;

·        Both boys are almost the same age, one or two years here & there, when the stories pick up. Oliver is a boy of 9, & though Tom’s age is not specified, it is surmised that he could have been 11 or so.

 

·        Both boys are orphans. Of course in completely different circumstances. An orphaned Oliver lives in a poor orphanage from his infancy & is shunned to a miserable warehouse as a child labourer thereafter. Whereas, Tom lives in the American countryside (fictional town of St. Petersburg modelled on Missouri) with his Aunt Polly, a good hearted, kind woman who is often torn between reprimanding him for his mischief & her love for him.

·        Both novels allude to a similar time period with some years passing between them. Oliver Twist was published in 1838 & refers to that age itself. Tom Sawyer was published in 1876, but refers to an era before the Civil War, which can roughly be between1850-1860 AD. Hence the social fabric of the two books remains somewhat similar.

However, here comes the big difference in CONTENT.

You might be thinking why I am comparing two starkly opposite books like these. It’s not the books that I am comparing over here; it’s these two central characters. Conceptualised at a similar time period & the icons that they became, these characters hold a mirror to their respective societies. True, the genre here is different, but like I pointed above, the basic INTENT was not that different. It is fantastical to study these two boys & their social fabric & how it diverges further as their respective stories progress.

I, for one think, that the reason their respective stories shape up Oliver & Tom is a factor of their authors & their surroundings too. British Society & American Society was dealing with different issues that could have influenced these two great works majorly.

·        Oliver Twist is a dark, grim tale of penury in England in that era. The whole book is thus dark, grim, layered with poverty & cleverly explores the dark crime underbelly of London slums. An orphan’s life, when you read Oliver Twist, seems so harsh & dark that you almost see no light at the end of the tunnel, at least in the beginning. Tom Sawyer, on the other hand, is all about open fields, sunshine countryside and laughter amidst a state of humble surroundings. England at that time was dealing with an extreme class conscious society, where hierarchy was the order of the day since many years. This hierarchal living had thus created an oppressive regime of the rich & high class, who thought it was their primary right to look down upon those born in lower castes & orphans & criminals were often put in the same category, as were the poor. America, was also dealing its class system, what with slavery being a norm in those days, when the book is set. Yet American society was far less judgemental, since the earliest Americans were essentially migrants & had come to America with the HOPE of creating a new & better world. This hope is reflective in Tom Sawyer too, which gives the book its lighter treatment. Also, when the book was actually published, i.e, 1876, America had already seen Civil War & whatever class system was prevalent was on its way of abolishment. Hence the social mood in general was upbeat & full of hope. 

·        Now, if we compare the two characters, it is a wonder how their paths almost meet & yet do not (as far as their personality sketch is concerned). Oliver is born & brought up amongst criminals, low class warehouse workers; all around him the atmosphere is grim & negative. Even when he escapes to London, he falls in the hands of the criminals of London, who propel him to pickpocket & rob. Despite that he maintains a righteous soul within him all through. In fact it is almost unrealistic to see that he is almost a saint despite his surroundings. Tom on the other hand is surrounded by love, compassion & care (despite being orphan), but all he can think of is mischief. True, his mischievous streak is but noble at heart, yet he is careless about his elders’ advice & loves playing pranks & creating mischief. In a way it is paradoxical, Oliver has no love in his life, still all he wants is to escape this life & live in a normal home, with normal set of benefactors & lead a righteous life. Tom has all these things, yet all he wants is to break free of his normal life, embark on an adventure & become a renowned robber!! 

·        Yes, a robber!! Again it is but a delicious paradox between the two boys. Oliver is in the gang of hardened criminals of the London slums, yet all he wants is to stay away from this life. In fact he implores to his group’s leader Fagin to let him “go away & die in a field” but do this. When Oliver is propelled to commit robbery in a house, he prefers waking up the inmates & warning them of danger & in process gets grievously hurt. Tom on the other hand, wants anything but is vanilla life. He wants to escape with his best friend Huck Finn & aims to be World’s best robber. Of course, his intentions are noble as he is inspired by tales of Robin Hood. Tom’s understanding of robbery & life of an outlaw is full of adventure & heroism, which is something Oliver is actually living & he knows it is not so.

Both boys essentially have great hearts, both fall in the hands of criminals, both deal with it in their own way – one with simplicity of his heart, the other with his craftiness & clever. One is driving away attention from him & the other is but attention-seeking.

Similarities or differences apart, both books are great coming-of-age tales from two great authors. To not read them, is missing SOMETHING in life. Read both, & make your comparisons or not. Both characters are extremely lovable in their own lives & you feel for both of them!! In short the world of “coming-of-age” tales would not be same, if it was not for these two books.