Fairy Tale Variations and Themes Quiz

Fairy Tale Variations and Themes

• Little Red Riding Hood: Brothers Grimm version has a happy ending, unlike Perrault's.

• Tsélané and the Marimo: The Marimo disguises himself as Tsélané's mother.

• The Story of Grandmother: The protagonist uses her own cleverness to escape danger, rather than being rescued.

• Animal Bride vs. Groom: Animal brides are often victims of abduction/seduction, while grooms seek freedom from their animal state.

• Beauty and the Beast (Madame de Beaumont): Aims to transform the tale into a moral lesson for children.

• Earlier Beauty and the Beast Versions: Often include explicit violence and sexuality, unlike Madame de Beaumont's sanitized version.

• Modern Retellings (Scieszka/Carter): Reflect a shift in culture where nature triumphs over culture.

• Frog King/Tiger's Bride: Subvert traditional narratives, examining themes like nature vs. civilization and agency.

True/False

• Animal Bride Redemption: Animal bride stories commonly portray female characters as passively seeking redemption. False

• Grimm's Frog King Violence: In some versions, the princess uses violence against her suitor. True

• 20th-Century Beauty and the Beast Beast: 20th-century retellings portray the Beast's animality as endearing. True

• Disney's Snow White Blood/Gore: Disney's Snow White omits blood and gore from earlier versions. False

• Absent Father Figure (Snow White): In Snow White, the father figure isn't present physically or symbolically. False

• Snow White Aging Fear: The queen's transformation into an old hag is a commentary on societal aging fears. True

• Anne Sexton's Snow White: Emphasizes Snow White's innocence and purity. False

Theme Analysis

• Snow White Conflicts (Bettelheim): The primary conflict stems from the rivalry between the mother figure and the heroine.

• Snow White Mirror: The mirror symbolizes the patriarchal voice of judgment.

• Basile's The Young Slave: The heroine is persecuted due to sexual jealousy and suspicion.

• Feminist Snow White (Glass Coffin): The glass coffin symbolizes the preservation of innocence and beauty under patriarchal control.

Sleeping Beauty Variations

• Sleeping Beauty & Cannibalism: The princess's children being served as a meal appears in some versions.

• Sleeping Beauty Awakening: Some Sleeping Beauty versions don't involve the princess awakening by a kiss.

• Sleeping Beauty (Garcia Marquez): Avoids detailed beauty descriptions

• Sleeping Beauty Gender Imbalance: Not a unique, prominent theme in the tale. False

• Perrault's Sleeping Beauty Sequel: Perrault adds an elaborate sequel to his story.

• Perrault's Sleeping Beauty Duration: The princess sleeps for 100 years.

• Grimm Version of Sleeping Beauty: Known as Briar Rose.

Other Tales and Analysis

• Bluebeard (Genre): Prefigures Gothic Horror.

• Bluebeard (Common Element Absence): A romantic quest isn't a typical plot element in Bluebeard tales.

• Bluebeard (Heroine Delay): The heroine requests time to pray instead of other demands.

• Fitcher's Bird (Capture Method): The sorcerer captures brides using a magic basket.

• Robber Bridegroom (Exposure Method): The bride exposes the robbers through a story during the wedding.

• Mr. Fox (Gateway Message): The gateway is inscribed with "Be bold, be bold."

• Mast-Truan (Task): The task given to the chief's daughter is shelling and grinding corn.

• Bluebeard's Egg (Ed's Profession): Ed, Sally's husband, is a heart surgeon.

• Juniper Tree/Hansel & Gretel Connection: Though they depict children with maternal figures absent, they share a common theme of children struggling against adversity. True

• Hansel & Gretel (Bettelheim): Bettelheim interprets the story as children projecting desires and fears. True

• Hansel & Gretel Famine: Food shortages are key themes. True

• Hansel & Gretel Trickster Theme: The story highlights creative intelligence for resolving tough issues.

• Hansel & Gretel Stepmother Motivation: Grimm's likely motivation was to remove a biologically nurturing mother figure from the story

• Hansel's Bone Replacement: Hansel fools the witch using a bone instead of a finger.

• Juniper Tree Stepmother's Death: The stepmother dies when crushed by a millstone.

• Hansel & Gretel Famine Connection: The tale connects to famine-related hardship. True.

• Singing Bones Theme: A theme of violence and the children's treatment in this tale.

• Momotaro Need for Food: Momotaro needs millet dumplings for his journey.

• Vasilisa's Revenge: The skull punishes Vasilisa's stepmother and stepsisters through their actions.

• Trickster Traits: Tricksters embody wit, creativity, and boundary-defying behavior.

• Tale-Antagonist Pairing: Matching specific tales to the antagonists that appear in them.

• Andersen's Tales Resolution: Andersen's tales don't always end in triumphant resolutions. False.

• Girl on Loaf Escape Method: The bread helps Inger escape rather than the Marsh Woman.

• Andersen's Writing Style: Andersen combines beauty with emotional depth.

• Andersen's Character Punishment: Andersen's characters often suffer to evoke compassion. True

• Andersen's Beauty Depiction: Beauty is seen as linked to potential dangers and consequences

• Little Match Girl's Candles: The Christmas candles turn into shining stars.

• The Little Mermaid Decorations: The castle features luxurious silk curtains and tapestries.

• Red Shoes Old Woman's Action: The old woman adopts Karen out of compassion.

• Emperor's New Clothes Motive: The Emperor is driven by vanity and the desire to show off stylish attire.

• Emperor's New Clothes Titles: The swindlers are called Imperial Weavers.

• Nightingale Maid's Interpretation: The maid equates the nightingale's song with her mother's kiss.

• Nightingale's Reward: The nightingale views the Emperor's tears as its greatest reward.

• Snow Queen's Impact on Kay: Kay's eyes/heart are affected by the Snow Queen's coldness leading to emotional detachment.

• Snow Queen Nature Symbolism: Nature reflects the characters' emotional states and plays a supporting role in Gerda's quest.

• Snow Queen Nature Aid: Nature guides Gerda through hints and messages.

• Snow Queen Critique: The mirror represents the danger of excessive rationality and lack of emotional understanding.

• Sandman and Nathaniel's Connection: Nathaniel associates Coppelius with the Sandman figure due to Coppelius's mysterious activities.

• Sandman and Clara's Interpretation: Clara views Nathaniel's fixation on Coppelius as a psyche projection

• Sandman Coppola's Glasses Metaphor: Coppola's glasses metaphorically represent the blurred boundaries between perception and reality.

• Sandman's Olympia Revelation Reaction: Nathaniel's discovery that Olympia is an automaton leads to despair.

• Sandman's Olympia Interpretation: Olympia's relationships mirrors Nathaniel's obsession and idealized views.