Fairy Tales 2010

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Castle of Murder

I must say, that after reading the other Bluebeard stories and discussing them in class, I was disappointed with this story. I do not even know why this is considered a bluebeard story. There are some similarities (forbidden room of death, drop key in blood), but it is still extremely different. The characters are different. The nobleman does not have a blue beard and is not unnatural. The girl is uneasy, but nobody knows why, so we do not know if it is because of the nobleman or something else. It seems very unspecific. Then, the nobleman gives his new wife all the keys to the castle and tells her to explore everything because it is all hers too. He never tells her what is forbidden, and therefore, she is not ruled by curiosity. She just happened to stumble upon a part of the castle that was partially hers anyways, so she had every right to be there. She meets a random old lady who works for the nobleman, knows what he does, but is nice. She is the person that claims that this is forbidden (only after she already entered the room) and she is the one who says that she would have been killed anyway. It did not matter if the girl entered the room or not: she still would have been murdered. There is no sense of punishment here. Then, there is one line in parentheses that adds that the girls two sisters died here as well... that is a bit unsatisfying. It does not give their story, it does not add to anything, and it does not give any explanation. It is as if the writers felt as if they had to mention the two sisters later in the story because they were mentioned in the beginning. And if they had the same fate as this girl, why didn't the old lady help them out as well? Why would the girl go live with this nobleman if he had already been with and killed her other two sisters? It does not make sense. Then, the ending is lame. Nothing happens with the key. The nobleman believes that the girl is dead. He finally gets to hear her tell a tale, and he never really knows it's her. The nobleman is simply stupid and makes it known that the tale she tells is true: she does not need proof. Nothing lived up to my expectations. I do not even know what the main theme would be for this story. For the other stories, it is about curiosity. I feel as if that is a main part of the bluebeard stories, but this story does not really even mention the curiosity of the girl, so I do not know what to make of it.

3 comments:

  1. I thought your response to this story was really interesting. I felt similarly, and I also feel this way regarding other stories we have read. Sometimes stories are classified in a certain way and they really only share one small similar element. The underlying theme may be completely different. Though it is interesting to see different takes on the story, I find it sometimes frustrating when the stories are so completely different as you are describing here.

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  2. I also agree. This version seemed like an odd (and poorly done) mix between Bluebeard and Anatole France's version of the truth. According to Anatole France, the beginning would have been completely true. The part where it diverges would be the inserted bit about the two sisters and also the introduction from the old woman. From there out, the story changes drastically from either the Bluebeard story or from Anatole's understanding about the actual man that the stories are based on. These two just don't match up in my mind either.

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  3. I think your reactions show one of the benefits, as well as one of the weaknesses of classifying fairy tales into types. For one, we run the risk of forcing fairy tales into wholes, impressing on them qualities which make them benefit our system of categorization. On the other hand, it helps to highlight those differences which might benefit from further attention. By establishing groups, those stories which congeal with the group in some ways while diverging in others becomes more interesting (I'm thinking "The Juniper Tree" versus the Brothers Transformed Into Birds tale type). That this story shares features of both France's version as well as some elements of the more traditional Bluebeard stories opens itself to further discussion, whereas if it fit entirely into the familiar mold it would not.

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