Week 14 - Reading Part A

(Image by Otto Ubbelohde)

This is a strange topic to talk about because although I have read one of these stories before (Hansel and Gretel), the Brothers Grimm do not tell it in the same way I have heard it. Their versions of these tales are far bleaker than what we would share with children today. They have more details of which we consciously dispose of and stories that include other factors such as violence or incest that we refrain from normalizing in our society (incest at least).

I see a lot of elements to work with when I read these stories, particularly the way the characters are presented. You can easily see the motives of each individual character with how they react to the circumstances in play. The author does not want to hide intentions, only plot points. This helped me get into the story a lot better.

Bibliography: Household Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhem Grimm translated by Margaret Hunt can be found at MythFolklore Blog.