Once upon a time I was a little girl growing up in the world of Disney princesses. I was always enthralled by the bright colors, beautiful dresses, and glass slippers. The idea of my own Prince Charming was more of an expectation rather than a fairy tale.
These characters were formed from the world of the Grimm brothers, who wrote hundreds of fairy tales. They are not fairy tales that necessarily include an air of uber-positive mysticism and kind, talking animals. The Grimm brothers wrote stories of girls without hands and dying farm birds alongside the stories of princesses with beautiful golden hair and heartthrob princes.
Despite the apparent lack of reality that exists in some of their stories, the inherent dilemmas and deeper meanings bring about that human quality. For that reason, everyone feels something when they experience the fairy tales and adapted stories — it's universal.
That universality made the stories appealing for adaptations: Gregory Maguire's "Mirror, Mirror", "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine, "Beastly" by Alex Flinn, among various others. There are television shows and movies: Once Upon a Time, and the recent influx of Snow White based movies.
What makes these written works so powerful and moving for generations upon generations? These stories, and the emotions they stir, are timeless. Once upon a time I was that little girl that watched Disney princess movies more times than I can count. Today, Prince Charming is I'll-know-it-when-it-happens. And while I've grown, these fairy tales will never cease to have a hold on me.
How do you feel about fairy tales? Let me know through email at arabusa@asu.edu or on Twitter @marie_eo.
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