Creative Writing Unit
TWISTED FAIRY TALES
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FAIRY TALE THAT YOU REMEMBER FROM
CHILDHOOD (DESCRIBE THE STORY)? WHY DO YOU THINK YOU
LIKED THAT ONE SO MUCH?
German brothers who published folklore (also cultural researchers)
Tales such as. . . Rapunzel Hansel and Gretel Little Snow White The Elves and the Shoemaker Sleeping Beauty
They were some screwed up people. . . Cinderella Little Red Riding Hood Snow White
BACKGROUND ON GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES
In the Grimm version, the step sisters hack off parts of their toes and heels, cram their mutilated pods into the slipper, and then straight-facedly confront the prince and say "Hey. You said you'd marry however can fit into the shoe. Sally up." You have to hand it to their dedication to loopholes.
Unfortunately for the sisters, some talking birds notice the blood dripping out of their slippers, alert the prince, and in some cases, proceed to peck their eyeballs out.
CINDERELLA: MUTILATION
In the Grimm version, the wolf eats Granny and Little Red, then the Woodsman comes along and slices the wolf open to free the partially digested by still alive duo. Little Red and the Woodsman then fi ll the wolf with rocks and sew him back up to die a slower, more painful death.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH
The step-mother is tortured by being forced to wear red-hot iron shoes, and made to dance until she falls down dead
The issue of Snow's actual age is a point of contention as well. The Grimm's explicitly refer to her as being seven years old when the story starts, and while there's no fi rm indication of how much time has passed, it's no more than a couple of years.
The biggest change, and the bloodiest, is step-mom's ... unusual eating habits. Namely, when she asks her man to bring back the heart of Snow White, she isn't just after proof the girl is dead. She wants to eat it. Depending on the version of the story, the Queen asks for Snow's liver, lungs, intestines and pretty much every other major internal organ, up to and including one gruesome version where she asks for a bottle of Snow's blood stoppered with her toe.
SNOW WHITE: TORTURE AND CANNIBALISM
A new version of a story; an adaptation that may include a lot or very little of the original story.
We see them all the time!
Examples: The Three Little Pigs The True Story of the Three
Little Pigs By Jon Scieszka
The Gingerbread Man The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka
WHAT IS A RETELLING?
Shrek is another example of a story that incorporates but also changes a lot of fairy tale/traditional story characters and plot events.
SHREK
Take a traditional story and re-tell the story from a different perspective ( a different characters perspective, a different setting, etc…)
These can be very creative and interesting because they tell us a side of the story that we may have never considered.
You can change whatever aspects you want!!!
TWISTED FAIRY TALES
ANALYZING EXAMPLES: SNOW WHITE
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney, 1937)
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Mirror, Mirror (2012)
TWISTED FAIRY TALES: SNOW WHITE
Red Riding Hood (1989): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lq36VFZIQE
Red Riding Hood (2011): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM8V3cHdSC4
TWISTED FAIRY TALES: LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
Sleeping Beauty(1959)
Maleficent (2014)
TWISTED FAIRY TALES: SLEEPING BEAUTY
Cinderella (1950): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qzj4jjC2gw
Ella Enchanted (2004): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhCEo_kOmkw
TWISTED FAIRY TALES: CINDERELLA
The Wizard of Oz is another example of a story that has been told and re-told in very different ways.
TWISTED FAIRY TALES: THE WIZARD OF OZ
The Wizard of Oz (1937)
Wicked (2003)
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
WIZARD OF OZ: ALTERNATE PERSPECTIVES
Together, we will be reading The Stinky Cheese Man and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Compare and contrast the original story with the twisted fairy tale
We will be working as a class to analyze aspects of each!
TWISTED FAIRYTALES ACTIVITY
Questions to consider as you begin writing
Whose perspective are you going to be writing from?
Where is this taking placeWhat is staying the sameWhat is changing?How can you make it better than the original?
AS YOU WRITE…