Sex and Violence: The Occurring theme in Fairy Tales

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130801-too-grimm-for-children   Stephen Evans, a member of BBC, discussed whether Grimm's versions of fairy tales are too twisted for children. Evans states, "behind the safe titles lie dark stories of sex and violence – tales of murder, mutilation, cannibalism, infanticide and incest, as one academic puts it." Fairy tales are filled with dark elements and themes which are hidden behind innocent titles. Evans argues that these dark themes are because of the time period of the writers. Maria Tatar even writes, "These tales are not politically correct. They are full of sex and violence. In Snow White, the stepmother asks for the lungs and liver of the little girl. She's just seven years old and she's been taken into the woods by the huntsman. That’s pretty scary. "And then the evil stepmother is made to dance to death in red-hot iron shoes. In Cinderella, you’ve got the stepsisters whose heels and toes are cut off....

By Edward Brewtnall "Sleeping Beauty" (Date Unknown) Edward Frederick Brewtnall (English) By Paul Woodroffe  Steedman, Amy. Nursery Tales . Paul Woodroffe, illustrator. London: TC & EC Jack, n.d.   By Henry Maynell Rheam "Sleeping Beauty" (Date Unknown) Henry Maynell Rheam   By Arthur Rackham  Rackham, Arthur, illustrator and compiler. The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book: A Book of Old Favourites  With New Illustrations . Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1933.  http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/sleepingbeauty/index.html   Heiner , Heidi Anne. “Illustrations of Sleeping Beauty .” SurLaLune Fairy Tales: Illustrations of Sleeping  Beauty , SurLaLune, 29 Sept. 2007, www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/sleepingbeauty/index.html. Accessed 8 Apr. 2017.

The story of  "Bluebeard" is another which contains cruelty and violence. His psychopathic behavior and outright gruesome killings has made the character a detestable and mostly unknown character. Most parents steer clear of Bluebeard because of the overt violence displayed in every version. No matter which version you read, Bluebeard is the same psychopathic character. In Charles Perrault's 1697 version, Bluebeard marries and tells her that she is allowed to go in any room except for the one locked in the far side of the house. He leaves for a business trip and she promptly disobeys him. Upon opening the door, the wife is terrified and appalled to see the bodies of Bluebeard's previous lovers. The wife picks up the fallen key from the bloody floor and scrambles to lock the door and leave the sickening room. She goes to clean the bloodied key and fins that the blood will not come off. She panics and chooses to hide the key from her husband. When Bluebeard returns, and...

  By Arthur Rackham Rackham, Arthur, illustrator and compiler. The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book: A Book of Old Favourites With New Illustrations. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1933. By W. Heath Robinson Perrault,Charles. Old-Time Stories . W. Heath Robinson, illustrator. A. E. Johnson, translator. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, [1921]. By Hermann Vogel   http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/bluebeard/index.html Heiner, Heidi Anne. “Illustrations of Bluebeard.” Http://Www.surlalunefairytales.com , SurLaLune, www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/bluebeard/index.html. Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.

http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-40.html   "The Juniper Tree" by the Grimm Brothers is about the cruelty of a stepmother towards her stepson. The husband in the story has a son from the first wife who was "as red as blood and as white as snow." The second wife had a daughter who was not as fair as the stepson and the stepmother grew jealous of the boy. One day as the boy was coming home from school, the stepmother decided to rid herself of the stepson. When he came into the house and went to grab an apple from the chest, the stepmother smashed the chest on him and decapitated him. Afterwards she was so scared of someone finding out what she had done, that she tied his head in place and sat him on a chair by the door. Later, when the daughter complains that the brother won't listen, the mother tells the girl to box him in the ears if he doesn't answer. The boy's head falls off and the mother says that the girl must keep quiet so she doesn'...

F airy tales are common pieces in today's society. They are read by children and adults. However, Maria Tatar suggests that there is a darker message hidden in fairy tales which is commonly overlooked. Tatar suggests that the themes of sex and violence permeate our beloved fairy tales. Tatar states that every fairy tale character is capable of cruelty. In "The Juniper Tree," a woman decapitates her stepson and feeds him to the husband. While, in "Bluebeard," Bluebeard kills his wives for looking into the locked room which holds the dead bodies. In many other tales, we see this cruelty and sick mutilation of loved ones. This violence is the reality of the sunny stories we were heard as children. The main reason we overlook such problematic issues found in fairy tales is because of the watered down translations of Disney. The many translators that modified the tales created versions that better fit their society. The Grimm's versions contained an ample amount ...

O nce upon a time...     A common phrase that distinguishes fairy tales from other stories. This term "Once upon a time" is a favorite for children and adults looking for a happily ever after. However, these favorite stories haven't always been the happy love stories they are today. Originally, fairy tales were taught to teach moral lessons and to advise or warn people of the dangers in society.Specifically, these tales were geared towards teaching young girls how to become lovely, docile, and kind mothers/ housewives. The tales also warned girls of the dangers of "stepping off the path" and growing from childhood to adulthood. The hidden themes of sex and violence have permeated our beloved childhood stories and have tainted them without our knowledge.