Shelli Rosewarne

Hi all,

Hope your week is going well. This isn’t entirely wolfie related, but since Scarlett Legacy is inspired by the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood, then today, we’re talking about fairy tales. I’m sure most of us remember having fairy stories read to us as children, and probably watched the Disney remakes on repeat. But are fairytales just for children? Back in the period when these stories were first starting to be written down, names like the Brother Grimm were collectors rather than storytellers and were surprised when people began reading them to their children and complaining about the content. New ‘child-friendly’ versions were created.

Stories like Cinderella are truly universal, with versions all over the world and new and updated adaptations constantly appearing. So, why are they so appealing to us? As a child fairytales are often one of our first ways of understanding moral situations, of looking at right vs wrong, good vs evil, and how your own actions and decisions can affect what happens to you. More than that, as a child we can identify with the hero or heroine, the small, weak, down-trodden character who prevails over all dangers and defeats the evil villain.

So, as an adult do we still relate to that? Neil Gaiman, discussing his won fairy tale work, Stardust, claims that we are still drawn to fairy tales in part due to their familiarity. They ‘feel right’, the special blend of morality and magic. Perhaps they take us back to simpler time, perahaps they simply remind us to believe, that we can overcome the odds. One of my favourite quotes is this:

Today, our current films, television and books show that we are still in love with fairy tales. Our modern adaptations may reflect the times a little more (princesses are much more likely to kick a bit of ass themselves instead of meekly waiting for a prince to rescue them) and the stories are often more complex, reflecting our knowledge that life is not quite as straightforward as we once thought. However, they still give us that good over evil, that people can reach their dreams and find their happy endings. All let’s face it, we all could do with a bit of belief in that sometimes!

Take care x