The Warped Memories Interesting Facts

Introduction

Remember Sleeping Beauty? Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel? Most of the world's nostalgic memories of these childhood-favorites are lies. Everyone knows that one's memory can fail them sometimes. Humans are a forgetful species, constantly not remembering what they walked into the room for, or bickering with their friends over an event that happened not even a day ago because they swear it happened differently than how they're being told. Well, if everyone knew the true background behind many innocent fairy tales, they wouldn't forget. Fairy tales have been around for thousands of years, no one knowing when exactly they started, being passed on both through verbal communication and by being written down. However, this classic literature tradition wasn't always intended for youth; it was actually a way for adults to document the hardships they have experienced or seen. Fairy tales have almost made a full circle in terms of the gore and horror that's included in these popular fables.

Fairy tales have been around for as long as one remembers, right? In fact, no one knows exactly when they started, even with all of the knowledge we've gathered about this captivating, extensive topic. Until about 4,000 bce all literature was oral, but, beginning in the years between 4,000 and 3,000 bce, writing developed both in Egypt and in the Mesopotamian civilization (folk literature). Although humans initiated writing things down and documenting some important baggage around 4,000 bce, the study of fairy tales didn't begin until the early 19th century (folklore). However, historians discovered that people would write down their stories when they're going through rough times. ...fairy tales originated in an age marked by wars, plague, and famine (Smith 105).

The origin of fairy tales, just like human language, is probably impossible to find out (folk literature). The start of fairy tales still have people all over the world scratching their head. Because every culture has experienced fairy tales in their own way, miscommunication is common when trying to gather accurate information about a time frame from when and where these classic fables originated. Although humans may not know how fairy tales started, they do know how the popular stories were passed along.

Using the knowledge already obtained through studies, analysts can conclude that fairy tales were passed along verbally for many, many years before the thought of writing a fable down ever came into anyone's mind. It is often difficult to distinguish between tales of literary and oral origin, because folktales have received literary treatment from early times, and, conversely, literary tales have found their way back into the oral origin (fairy tales). As stated earlier, there are many ways to communicate stories to others. Simply speaking to each other and writing notes are fantastic examples of this.

Although people know that fairy tales have been around long, long before their parents and grandparents, it still comes as a shock to some children when they find out their favorite stories weren't made and intended for their eyes.

Many people are baffled and surprised when they hear that fairy tales weren't initially for children. Of course different authors try and appeal to different audiences, but originally, they were limited to adults. Fairy tales joined the canon of children's literature...only in the last two to three centuries (Dewan 27). Children have been overhearing their parents talk for probably their entire life; not always on purpose.
They began as oral tales for all listeners, though mostly adults, passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Giovanni Francesco Straparola, Giambattista Basile, and Charles Perrault published some of the first collections of fairy tales in the Western tradition. During the nineteenth century, famous fairy tales authors such as Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Joseph Jacobs continued writing down oral tales (Dewan 27).

Though most fairy tales are now intended for children, that wasn't always the case. Trying to get back to their roots (within limits), some fairy tale authors are including more havoc and crime like they used to in the early times. Kids are more attracted to this aspect than they are to the soft-sides of things.

Fairy tales relate to people of all ages now. Different authors aim at different ages, but the majority have an underlying theme that connects all families. Some fairy-tale adaptations minimize the fear, evil, and violence, forgetting that many children enjoy dangerous situations, particularly in the safe environment of fiction (Dewan 28). It's becoming well known that kids don't want the happy-go-lucky stories they're used to being told. Fractured fairy tales...delight young readers because they violate the fairy tale conventions that children have learned to recognize (Dewan 30). By moving away from the safe side of tales, it exposes people to a new mindset. Children become adults in these tales by moving away from home and entering the wide world-a place filled with danger, challenges, and exciting adventures (Dewan 28). Although the children in the stories may not literally become adults, they grow up mentally and are more mature.

Many fairy tales begin with a domestic problem, one that propels children into the larger word. This movement away from home stimulates personal growth as characters face new challenges (Dewan 28). Fairy tales have changed a lot throughout the years. Some of the most famous, original fairy tale authors wrote in lots of gory details, not leaving out any carnage. People thought that was too aggressive, so some authors switched and became too soft, losing touch with their fanbase in the process.

All of the fairy tales we are told as kids are watered-down versions of the original. The original tales might be too gruesome for today's people; their horrific origins, which often involve rape, incest, torture, cannibalism and other hideous occurrences, are brimming with sophisticated and brutal morality (Ogden). Now, there is going to be an example of one of our favorite story origins, but be warned: it's cruel.
The tale of Hansel and Gretel could have been told to keep children from wandering off. But during the great famine of 1315-1317 A. D. that crushed most of continental Europe and England, disease, mass death, infanticide and cannibalism increased exponentially. Seeking relief, some desperate parents deserted their children and slaughtered their draft animals.

Or Hansel and Gretel might have stumbled upon the home of the successful baker, Katharina Schraderin. In the 1600s, she concocted such a scrumptious gingerbread cookie that a jealous male baker accused her of being a witch. After being driven from town, a posse of angry neighbors hunted her down, brought her back to her home, and burned her to death in her own oven.

This is just one case where a cute story was formed from a cold-blooded past.
To sum up, fairy tales have been around for a very long time. They've been passed down through generations, starting from when adults told their troubles and hardships to each other over a meal. They've come a long way from the intense, gruesome dramas that weren't intended for children and found a nice balance between being too intense and too soft. Fairy tales have existed for many millennium, battling the inevitable test of time and winning again and again. Although fairy tales weren't initially intended for children, the tales have almost made a full-circle and started including the gore and horror aspect that was there when the adults were the majority of the audience. Overall, it might be said these child-favorite fantasies have been around for basically forever. They're a wide and extensive topic, spanning all the way from before 4,000 bce, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

To sum up, fairy tales have been around for a very long time. They've been passed down through generations, starting from when adults told their troubles and hardships to each other over a meal. They've come a long way from the intense, gruesome dramas that weren't intended for children and found a nice balance between being too intense and too soft. Fairy tales have existed for many millennium, battling the inevitable test of time and winning again and again.

Conclusion

Although fairy tales weren't initially intended for children, the tales have almost made a full-circle and started including the gore and horror aspect that was there when the adults were the majority of the audience. Overall, it might be said these child-favorite fantasies have been around for basically forever. They're a wide and extensive topic, spanning all the way from before 4,000 bce, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. To sum up, fairy tales have been around for a very long time. They've been passed down through generations, starting from when adults told their troubles and hardships to each other over a meal. They've come a long way from the intense, gruesome dramas that weren't intended for children and found a nice balance between being too intense and too soft. Fairy tales have existed for many millennium, battling the inevitable test of time and winning again and again. Although fairy tales weren't initially intended for children, the tales have almost made a full-circle and started including the gore and horror aspect that was there when the adults were the majority of the audience. Overall, it might be said these child-favorite fantasies have been around for basically forever. They're a wide and extensive topic, spanning all the way from before 4,000 bce, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

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