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The Origin and Development of the Fairy Tale

There is a certain quality in fairy tales that enthralls us as children, and inspires us as adults. Although fairy tales do not necessarily contain fairies, they all weave a tapestry of a magical world where fairies, and other supernatural beings, are possible. The term ìfairy taleî was coined in 17th century France. The French saying, conte de fÈe was translated into the English ìfairy taleî. To define what fairy tale itself is, is not easy, for often the line between fairy tale, myth, folk tale, and legend blurs. Many have tried, but the task of setting the parameters for genres is as messy and subjective as the science of taxonomy. However, it is generally accepted that most fairy tales have an undefined setting, ìonce upon a timeî and ìin a land far awayî, as well as characters with archetypical, static personalities. There also is an element of transformation in every fairy tale, whether it is from hideousness to beauty or from animal to man. Of course, the most important element of a fairy tale is itís other-worldliness ñ the ability to inspire wonder and give us a sense of the surreal. However, fairy tales existed before they were named, and as hard as it is to explain the essence of a fairy tale, it is an equal challenge to trace the origin of this vaguely defined genre. This is mainly because the literary fairy tale descended from an oral tradition, and tracing a story back to a particular source becomes a trial, as there is little written record. Also, some familiar, seemingly European tales may not be purely European, having been transposed from other cultures and edited to fit particular culture and class sensibilities. The development of the fairy tale genre was gradual and can be attributed to many sources, but there are certain people and places that have heavily contributed to the progression of fairy tales from their dark, common roots to the universal popularity they have achieved today. 
The study of fairy tales is, nowadays, usually associated with study of childrenís literature, and given the ìfluffyî nature of present-day tales, it is understandable. However, for the first thousand years or more of their existence, fairy tales were part of an oral tradition that was told by adults, to adults. Stories descended through generations by being told and passed from one person to another, as part of a communal bonding process. This made a tale subject to change, dependent on the tellerís culture, values, and the desired moral lesson to be taken away by the listener. However, it was only when oral folklore was transcribed on paper that fairy tales solidified into a genre. The first instance of this be traced back to Ancient Egypt, during 1300 BC. In 200 AD, a European tale, Cupid and Psyche, of Greek/Roman origin, bearing similarity to Beauty and the Beast, was written by Apuleius. Across other cultures, literary tales emerged, such as the tale of Yeh-hsien, similar in storyline to Cinderella. Yeh-Shen was written in China between 850 and 860AD, and it chronicles the story of an orphaned girl that is mistreated by her fatherís co-wife and is helped by a fish who gifts her with finery and shoes of gold. Shen flees, leaving her shoe behind, and it is found by a merchant. Marveling at the smallness of her foot, the merchant takes Shen for his wife. By examining the elements of this Chinese tale, versus that of the European tale, one can see how a fairy tale is directly affected by the society the teller is from. We see the fish, symbolic of wisdom in Chinese culture, replaced with animals, or a fairy god mother. Shen is prized for the daintiness of her foot, while the standards of European beauty dwell little on feet. However, it was not until much later ñ the 15th century, that literary fairy tales began to flourish. Part of the cause was the invention of printing press, that fueled the rapid spread of ideas. Also a shift from of the emphasis of latin as the main language, to increased usage of the more common tongues, such as French, German and Dutch occurred. Because of this, the oral traditions of the common people were observed more frequently by those of the higher, more literate classes. 
In England, the fairy tale genre was emerging, and elements of fairy tales can be seen in Shakespeareís Midsummer Nightís Eve and Chaucerís The Canterbury Tales. However, under the hand of the Puritan rule, such stories of fancy and amusement were discouraged, and so this stemmed the growth of folklore for many years. From 1690 ñ 1714 though, fairy tales enjoyed an unprecedented success in France, which had become a powerful and culturally dominant country. New ideas flourished. The most well-known figure in this period, in relation to fairy tales, was Charles Perrault, the author of favourites such as ìLittle Red Riding Hoodî, ìCinderellaî and ìBlue Beard.î His goal was to ìestablish the literary fairy tale as an innovate genre that exemplified a modern sensibility that was coming into its ownÖ equated with greatness of [the] French.î (p. 13) Perrault wanted to, through his fairy tales, glorify the ancient regime of France. However, the contributions made by women to the fairy tale genre, cannot be overlooked. Countess Catherine DíAulnoy was important in bringing the fairy tale in contact to French literary circles, thereby increasing itís acceptance has a genre. However, these fairy tales were usually written for adults, with sexuality, violence and complicated plots, with the purpose of either glorifying, criticizing, entertaining, or serving as satire. The idea of fairy tales as didactic literature surfaced in 1690, when FÈnelon, the Princeís tutor, wrote fairy tales for his pupil in the hopes of livening the dauphinís lessons. In 1756, Mme Le Prince Beaumont published ìMagasin de Enfantsî, a book of literary tales for the purpose of education, which she read to young girls. This played an important role in shaping the perception of fairy tales as childrenís literature, particular for the upper classes. 
Three other male figures that played important roles in the development of fairy tales were the German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and a Dane by the name of Hans Christian Andersen. The Grimm brothers, renowned scholars of the German language, had oset out to preserve the oral tradition of their German culture. This was done by listening to and recording the oral tellings of tales, and it must be noted that most of the German folktales collected by the Grimms were told by women. Sisters, wives, sister-in-laws and friends recited tales that had been told by nursemaids, governesses, and servants. Eventually, a sizeable collection grew, with tales that were sometimes as dark as the surnames of their collectors- stories with overtones of sex, brutality and immorality. Although originally an effort to preserve the German culture, the Grimms soon realized that their tales appealed greatly to children. However, the content in many of the stories was deemed as objectionable. For example, the original version of Rapunzel had suggestions of pre-marital sex, seen when Rapunzel asked her mother ìwhy do you think my clothes have become too tight for me?î To make these tales acceptable to a young audience, the brothers set out to edit and add to their stories, making them less harsh, less cruel and more moral in nature. This censoring of stories represents another great leap of fairy tales away from the adult realm, and toward the confines of a childís storybook.