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Author
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Comment
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scout1282
Registered User
(11/8/04 10:21 am)
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How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
Can anyone help me? I am writing a paper on how greed is portrayed in fairy tales. I already have my children's book references but am having trouble finding some professional references. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, if anyone has suggestion on some things i should write about in this paper, i'd appreciate it. Writing just is not my thing! Thanks
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midori snyder
Registered User
(11/8/04 4:34 pm)
ezSupporter
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
ok...first step is to select your narratives. What stories have you found that have greed as part of the tale? Off hand I can think of the story of the Fisherman who catches the magic fish that agrees to grant a wish if the fisherman lets him go...which he does. But then of course, the wife gets rather greedy and wants him to keep wishing for a bigger house, more wealth...
What else are you looking at?
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scout1282
Registered User
(11/8/04 6:54 pm)
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
Right now, i have three books i am using. Why the sky is far away, retold by mary joan gerson; The bakers dozen retold by heather forest; and the talking eggs retold by Robert D. San Souci. I just dont know what i am supposed to talk about. I wanted to show that the act of greed in fairy tales shows consequences, and it does. My problem is finding professional sources either supporting my thesis, or just to write about in my paper. My paper needs to be at least 6 pages long, and i dont know how to go about starting it! Any help will do. Thanks
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Veronica Schanoes
Registered User
(11/9/04 3:37 am)
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
My professional opinion as a teacher (!) is that you might find it easier to start if you narrowed your thesis a bit. "Greed has consequences" is quite broad. What kind of consequences? Are they proportionate to the "crime?" What role do those consequences play in the story? (Also, are you distinguishing between acts and emotions? Because greed is an emotion, not an action.)
If you get your thesis a bit more specifically focused, you may find it easier to know how and where to begin.
Sorry to go all writing-teacher on you, but it's what I do.
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Helen J Pilinovsky
Registered User
(11/9/04 7:31 am)
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
I think that I agree with Midori and Veronica: after all, consider the consequences of the fisherman's (or his wife's, as the case may be) greed as comapred to that of Jack from "Jack and the Giant-Killer.": the fisherman's semi-deserved wealth evaporates, while Jack's theft is richly rewarded. Yes, the fisherman does more or less hold the fish hostage, but he *catches* it in the first place to earn the reward of a boon ... Jack is more or less merit-free, morals-wise. Also, consider the subtext of the father's gift in stories like "Beauty and the Beast," where the gifts of gems, furs, dresses, etc. demanded by our heroine's sisters are delivered without difficulty, but where the attempt at selflessness - her request for a rose, or, in other stories of the type, for the first branch to knock her father's hat off on his journey, - directly brings about her plight. All of these contradictory messages ... you'll need to narrow the idea of the fairy tale down to at least a chronological or geographical period; it's almost impossible to generalize a single stance on guilt from the myriad diverging tales.
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scout1282
Registered User
(11/9/04 12:07 pm)
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
Thanks everybody for your input, unfortunatly we are not allowed to modify out paper topics, so i have to stick with the broad topic of greed as portrayed in fairy tales. I appreciate the help though! Thanks anyways everyone!
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aka Greensleeves
Registered User
(11/10/04 6:34 pm)
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
Ok, I'll give you a little nudge.
Click Here for a link to a search of these pages for the word "greed." Each result gives a bit of the context of the word. In the annotated tales, the bibliographies are linked directly to the annotations, so it will be easier for you to follow a comment back to its source material.
If you must retain a topic as broad as "How Greed is Portrayed in Fairy Tales," try this: Make a list of the elements you see from each tale that reflect on the consequences of greedy behavior--or perhaps its rewards. Then note how they are different and/or similar. Then try to understand *why.* Are the tales from different cultures/eras? Could there be a universal message here regarding greed (a stretch, with just three stories)? That sort of thing. See if the retellings you're using offer source material you can refer back to. If you can't find specific sources dealing with your tales or your topic, go to the classics: Bettleheim, Campbell, etc. Read about other, more common stories that deal with greed (Rapunzel, the Fisherman, etc). You may find some general commentary that you can apply to your stories.
Good luck!
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scout1282
Registered User
(11/11/04 10:21 am)
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
Thank you very much for your suggestions! I actually did type in greed on this website also, but your other suggestions were fantastic. I do have Rapunzel's Daughter here, by Diane Stanley, my only problem with using it is, doesn't all traditional literature (including fairytales) have no known author? Which would mean that it would have to be retold by someone, not "by" someone?? Obviously i am a confused person when it comes to literture! Ive been working on this thing for weeks, and its due Tuesday the 16th!! I need to get cracking a bit harder, so i thank you for your "nudge".
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Veronica Schanoes
Registered User
(11/11/04 11:35 am)
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
Folklore has no one author, so what you should do is document who collected the versions of the tales that you are using, the editors, along with all the other pertinent publication info.
I'm not familiar with the book you mention, and it doesn't have an entry in Amazon.com or co.uk, so I'm not quite sure what your specific question is in relation to, though.
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Heidi Anne Heiner
ezOP
(11/11/04 12:55 pm)
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Re: How greed is portrayed in fairy tales
I think the book intended was Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter by Diane Stanley, a humorous modern interpretation of the classic tale. Here is it on Amazon.uk:
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obi...lalufair0c
And on Amazon.com for good measure:
www.amazon.com/exec/obido...lalufairyt
Heidi
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scout1282
Registered User
(11/11/04 9:58 pm)
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how greed is portrayed in fairytales
yes Heidi, you are right, i just cuz the title short on accident, the book title previously mentioned was rumpelstiltkins daughter.
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