Formula for Fairytales

Quite possibly the most recognizable genre of folklore in today’s society, fairytales played an important role in my childhood, particularly animated retellings of ‘classic’ tales. Though a recognizable folklore genre, defining exactly what a fairy tale is can be difficult. Is it the stereotypical fairytale opening line “Once upon a time…” that brings to my mind castles, dragons, princesses and witches? Or perhaps a defining factor is the ‘happily ever after’ that awaits the aforementioned princess?

(Spoiler alert: it’s not, most fairytales in their original form did not provide the happy ending that we’ve come to expect from popular fairytale films today.)
 
These elements are seen throughout the genre though, “How many other stories do you know that have characters like a beautiful girl, an evil female villain (usually a stepmother, queen, fairy, or witch), and a handsome prince, and how often does the villain try to harm the girl before the prince rescues her?” (Sims & Stephens, 2011, p. 185). Though indeed identifiable thematic elements of fairytales; what role do they play in defining a fairy tale? Sims & Stephens tell us these are aspects of a genre structure. Folklorists utilize structural similarities throughout folklore to classify them into appropriate genre(s). With such identifiable thematic elements and structure it appears as though it should be simple for folklorists define a fairytale. Following are a three folklorists definitions for fairy tale collected by Jeana Jorgensen for her research.


Jones and Schacker assert that “the fairy tale genre for centuries has been malleable and dynamic” (2013:487; emphasis in original), encompassing both print and oral transmission, characterized by alternatively compact or complex plots, but unified by a (content-based) defiance of “the constraints of realist fiction” (488). (Jorgensen, 2019).


In his entry on the fairy tale in Folktales and Fairy Tales: Traditions and Texts from around the World, Donald Haase lists three definitive elements: “(1) the structure is episodic and constructed primarily on motifs; (2) the genre is unabashedly fictional, the setting indefinite . . .; and (3) protagonists overcome obstacles to advance to rewards and a new level of existence (achieving wealth, power, marriage, and/or social status)” (Jorgensen, 2019).


Kay Turner and Pauline Greenhill propose that fairy tales, [are] “oral or literary in derivation, feature human and non-human principal characters in developed fictional narratives, along with elements of wonder and the supernatural” (2012:3) (Jorgensen, 2019).

In an effort to simplify the definition of a fairytale for ease of understanding, I have taken 3 main points from these definitions. Fairytales are not rooted in reality and thus often include, magical, supernatural, or nonhuman characters and imaginary settings. Fairytales tend toward specific motifs and thematic elements across the genre, but content can vary. Fairytales can be transmitted in written or spoken form, and to this I add visual media as the fairy tale has evolved with technology.