On Thu, 11 Dec 1997, AnnyMiddon wrote:
(snip)
> Or is this too sweeping a generalization? Are there fairy tales in which the
> queen is good or at least neutral?
In *The Goose Girl* the Queen is a protective and loving figure who gives
her daughter a talking horse and a handkerchief with three drops of her
own blood that aid her in her adventures (in the few versions of this
story that I have read the handkerchief acts as a protective amulet).
Most of the positive mother figures in fairy tales are not royal. In *Snow
White and Rose Red* the mother isn't exactly of noble birth and works to
support herself and her daughters. She is wise and kind hearted and
teaches her daughters good values that help them make decisions that
eventually lead them to a happy ending.
There are a lot of powerful female figures in fairy tales if you go beyond
the usual *Snow White* and *Cinderella* stories. It's sad that the most
popular fairy tales are the ones that feature the most helpless and least
interesting "heroines". *Snow White* is my least favorite character. In
some of the older versions of the story, she is as dumb as a brick. She is
repeatedly warned against danger and walks right into it every time. Ugh!
> Anny
Stacey (ausar@netdoor.com)
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