The fairy tale is a textual genre that consists of a short story, where imaginary elements are mixed with real elements.
Check the selection that the All Matter prepared with 10 examples from classic fairy tales.
1. Beauty and the Beast (1740)
The short story is of French origin and was originally written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot.
The version of the tale that became popular is an adaptation made by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont in 1756, and it talks about the relationship between a creature (the beast) who falls in love with a young girl (the beauty).
Upon having his love returned, the creature is freed from a spell that turned it into a monster and finally returns to its human form.
2. Sleeping Beauty (1634)
The first written record of the short story is authored by Giambattista Basile and was published in 1634. The work was adapted by Charles Perrault (in 1697), and then by the Grimm brothers (in 1812).
The version of the tale that became popular was that of the Grimm brothers. The adaptation tells the story of a princess who, as a baby, is cursed.
According to the spell, at 16 the young woman would pierce her finger, fall into a deep sleep and only wake up with a kiss of love.
The spell broke as soon as the princess was kissed by a prince.
3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1634)
It is a 19th-century German tale, the first written record of which is by Giambattista Basile. The most popular version was an adaptation published by Grimm brothers, in 1812.
The tale tells the story of a beautiful young woman whose beauty is envied by a stepmother who tries to kill her. The young Snow White hides in the forest, in the house of 7 dwarfs, but is discovered and ends up eating a bewitched apple that she receives from her stepmother. The fruit makes her choke and faint.
Thought to be dead, she was placed in a coffin. As she was being transported, she had a jolt and the piece of apple came off her throat. So she started breathing again.
The most popular version of the tale is a 1617 adaptation made into an animated cartoon. In this story, the apple poisons the young girl and makes her fall asleep in a deep sleep. The spell only ends when the girl is kissed by a prince.
4. Cinderella (1634)
Also known as The Cinderella Cat, the first literary version of the tale was published by Giambattista Basile in 1634. The most popular written versions are that of Charles Perrault, published in 1697, and that of the Brothers Grimm, of 1812.
Cinderella was prevented from attending a ball held by a prince, as her stepmother wanted the boy to notice her daughters, and feared that the young woman's beauty would attract more attention.
He was able to attend thanks to a fairy godmother, but he had to get out of there in a hurry and left one of his shoes behind.
Upon finding it, the prince toured the entire region until he finally found the girl. They got married and lived happily ever after.
5. Little Red Riding Hood (1697)
The first printed version of the short story was published by Charles Perrault in 1697. However, the most popular version is an adaptation by the Brothers Grimm in 1857.
The work tells the story of a girl who wears a red hooded cloak and walks through the forest on her way to her grandmother's house.
During the journey, she is intercepted by a wolf. He finds out where the girl's grandmother lives and goes straight there to devour her.
When Little Hood arrives at the place, she is also devoured by the wolf. Both are saved by a hunter who notices the wolf's presence in the house and cuts the animal's belly, thus freeing the two victims.
6. John and Mary (1812)
The tale is of oral German origin and was published by the Grimm brothers in 1812.
It is the story of two brothers who were abandoned in a forest. As they tried to return home, Hansel and Gretel decided that they would follow the bread crumbs they had scattered to mark the way. However, such crumbs had been eaten by birds.
The brothers got lost and ended up finding a house made of candy and cookies. As they had been walking for a long time without eating anything, they devoured a piece of that house. There, they were welcomed by an apparently kind lady, who initially treated them well.
After some time, they discovered that the lady was, in fact, a witch who had taken them in with the intention of devouring them. In a moment of the witch's distraction, they pushed her into a burning oven. After getting rid of her, the brothers fled and finally found their way back home.
7. The Ugly Duckling (1843)
The story, of Danish origin, was written by Hans Christian Andersen and first published in 1843.
The work tells the story of a baby swan that was hatched in a ducks nest. As he was different from the rest, he was mocked and persecuted by everyone.
Tired of so much humiliation, he decided to leave. During his journey, he was abused wherever he went. Once, he was taken in by peasants, but the family cat did not react well to his presence and he had to leave.
One day, he saw a group of swans and was dazzled by their beauty. As he approached the water, he saw his reflection and realized that he had become a beautiful bird and that, after all, he was not a different duck, but a swan. Since then, he has gained respect and has become more beautiful than ever.
8. The cat in boots (1500)
The story had oral origins and was first published by the Italian Giovanni Francesco Straparola, in 1500. Over the years, the work has undergone adaptations. The most famous were written by Giambattista Basile (1634), Charles Perrault (1697) and the brothers Grimm.
The tale tells the story of a talking cat that was received by a young boy as part of an inheritance. When questioning what he would do with the animal, he was surprised to find that the cat itself was answering his question.
The cat said that if he were given a pair of boots, a hat, and a sword, he would make his owner a rich man.
Due to some tricks, the king ends up being convinced to grant his daughter's hand to the owner of the cat in boots.
9. Rapunzel (1698)
The tale was originally written by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force and published in 1698. In 1815, it was adapted by the Grimm brothers.
In the play, Rapunzel's father steals radishes from a neighboring witch's plantation to satisfy his wife's pregnancy cravings. The witch catches him in the act and decides that she will only forgive him for the theft if the child is offered to her after birth.
Rapunzel is then raised by the witch and lives for years isolated in a tower. The only access to the place is when the young woman throws her long hair through a window, so that it can be used as a rope.
While passing through the place, a prince who usually hears Rapunzel's voice discovers how to reach her. The two fall in love and after a series of obstacles, they manage to be together. In the original story, Rapunzel gives birth to a pair of twins. In the adaptations made for cartoons and movies, this part of the tale was not included.
10. The Little Mermaid (1837)
The short story was written by the Dane Hans Christian Andersen and published in 1837.
The little mermaid is so named for being the youngest of the daughters of Triton, the king of the seas. The tale tells the story of a mermaid who, when she turns 15, has her father's permission to rise to the surface. Upon arriving there, she spots a prince on a boat and falls in love with him.
Upon returning to the bottom of the sea, he looks for the Witch of the Seas, who casts a spell to give the mermaid a pair of legs. In return, she asks for the young woman's voice.
In the original tale, the prince marries someone else and the mermaid turns to foam at sea. However, in the most popular version of the tale (an adaptation made for a cartoon), the mermaid and the young man get together.
11. The Three Little Pigs (1886)
“The Three Little Pigs” is an anonymously authored short story whose first printed versions were published in 1886 by James Orchard Halliwell. The original work tells the story of three little brothers who had to leave their mother's house to gain the world. Soon, the three had to build their own houses. Each brother chose a material: the first used straw; the second used pieces of wood, and the third, bricks.
Upon realizing the presence of the little pigs, the wolf asked to enter the straw house. As he didn't get his wish, he blew, blew until the house fell apart and then devoured the piglet. The same happened with the wooden house and the second pig was also devoured.
As he couldn't tear down the brick house, the wolf decided to go down the chimney. On the way down, he ended up falling into a cauldron that was just below the exit and died in the extremely hot water. The surviving pig took the opportunity and made soup with what was left of the wolf.
Over time, the story took on different versions. In what became more popular, the pig from the straw house flees to his brother's wooden house and then they both flee to their older brother's brick house after they have their houses destroyed. So, everyone managed to save themselves.
12. Little Thumb (1697)
Of unknown origin, the work was first published by Charles Perrault in 1697. Little Thumb is the youngest of seven children of a couple of lumberjacks, and he got this nickname because he was about the size of a thumb.
In the story, little Polegar's parents were going through financial difficulties and decided to abandon their children in a forest. Polegar and his brothers came across the house of an Ogre that devoured children and, with no alternative, spent the night there. Although the creature tried to devour them, thanks to the cunning little Thumb, they managed to save themselves and fled as soon as day dawned. Not satisfied, the Ogre put on his magical boots, the seven-league boots, and went after the brothers. Very tired, he stopped to rest and ended up falling asleep. At that point, the brothers managed to escape and Little Thumb took off the Ogre's shoes and put the magic boots on his own feet.
Free from the Ogre, little Thumb worked for a time as the King's courier. The magical boots helped him move from one location to another more quickly. With that, he made a lot of money and can help his family to recover financially.
The Grimm brothers made an adaptation of the tale that became as popular as the original story. Watch the video below to meet her.
Fairy Tale Features
Some of the main features of fairy tales are:
- For the most part it is narrative text, but it may contain descriptive snippets.
- The plot revolves around fantastic characters.
- The narration includes imaginary elements.
- The main character seeks personal fulfillment.
- The story is usually told in the third person.
- Generally, the background of a fairy tale is a forest, a wood, a palace and/or a small village.
- Most fairy tales today are children's stories.
Fun facts about fairy tales
- Most of the classic fairy tales that we know today had a very different original story, which has undergone adjustments due to morals and ethics.
- Despite the nomenclature, fairies are not always characters in this type of text.
- When the concept emerged in Brazil, at the end of the 19th century, fairy tales were called old wives' tales.
Check out the contents below and enrich your knowledge:
- Tale: what is it, structure and types
- 10 brazilian tales you have to know
- Fantastic tale: features, authors and examples
- african tales
- Fable: what it is, characteristics and authors
