Fairy Tales 2010

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Fairy Tale of the King

The Fairy Tale of the King distinguishes itself as a fairy tale for several reasons. The opening, "Once upon a time there was" lets the readers know that all of this is occurring in an unknown realm. The tale will not possess any elements of specificity like who and where. Additionally, the tale clearly polarizes the good and the bad through a quest. By altering his outward appearance, the King is able to cover himself behind a mask to discover the truth behind his power. In fairy tales, the protagonist can self actualize through some sort of transformation (e.g. Beauty and the Beast). Although the King's transformation is not magical, it is merely a disguise, he is able to search for truth and learn an important lesson. This tale also has the classic happy ending where the King is deeply moved by something beautiful in the young woman that results in marriage. Morally, the King understands the implications of his declarations and behavior and correspondingly does something to write his wrong. In the end there is some sense of retribution which is also common in fairy tales. Lastly the King's founding of a new realm, the realm of love where fish were seen to mate in the air brings in some fantastical elements typical of fairy tales.

3 comments:

  1. I think your distinction in your analysis of the king's transformation as a disguise, not as a form of self-actualization is interesting.

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  2. I found your comment about transformation interesting as well. Though this transformation is not magical like Beauty and the Beast but rather a disguise I still find it interesting that he learns a lesson out of it all. This definitely seems to have a lot of elements of the fairy tale. Besides your comment at the end, it seems like this fairy tale is less magical than most fairy tales which is also interesting

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  3. I like the idea of having he king's view of the world via good and bad being polarized by his quest.

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