Genesis Chapter 1: Folk tale, Fairytale, or Both?

At first I questioned why we were assigned to read this chapter of bible. I didn't see the relation to the theme of the class. However, I realized that stories of the Bible were first, spoken; word of mouth before it was written. Therefore I made the connection that the Bible would be considered a folktale. In order for the Bible to be what it is people had to speak of the stories, they had to hear from those who saw and experienced the events mentioned. Maybe others can classify the Bible or this chapter alone as a fairytale. However, to me, this isn't a fairytale. As I described in my previous blog, fairy tales were meant to be dark and reflect society and their current ways of being or status quo. Happy or perfect endings weren't the primary focus nor the prospective gain.

 The first chapter of Genesis is indeed what I believe to have described a perfect world God had intentionally created for humans. It describes how with just the speaking of his words things came to life and those things were without blemish. In order for the author, Moses to have known this story, to have known what happened before he existed he had to either hear stories from others (folktales) or get some divine, supernatural revelation.  It's a world that some people cannot grasp their minds around. Perhaps this gives notion as to why it can be classified as fairytale. It has ideas of enchantments, magic, and things only the imagination can create. For example, every time it says "And God said,  'Let there be...,'" what ever he said was done, in the same way how imagination and dreams work. In the same way fairy tales work.

From an academic perspective, I understand the correlation between the first chapter of Genesis (or entire Bible) and Folk/Fairy tales. It's imaginative, it's "enchanting," only to exist in the human mind and only to be passed from generation to generation as part of a tradition. However, from a spiritual point of view, I find this to be neither a Folk or Fairy tale but true part of history.

 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ²the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

-Genesis 1:1-2

Beware of Fairytale

Bluebeard is the perfect tale showing it's initial intended audience, adults. It captures a good amount of violence that can terrify a child causing nightmares before bed instead of providing them a soothing and enchanting tale. It is definitely a tale that children should be or had to beware of.  The "happily ever after" is not present in this tale, at least not in the way Disney would do it. The woman remained with Bluebeard's riches and estate eventually marrying another man. As the notes on Bluebeard stated "fairy tales start with trouble and end up with martial bliss, while Perrault's fairytale begins with marriage and ends with attempted murder" Not only does it end with attempted murder of his wife but also the killing of Bluebeard. Let's not forget about that.

This picture embodies the art of what fairy tales were intended to be and are supposed to be like. They are dark yet enchanting tales filled with lessons, morals and fantasies. The picture also brings out the darkness of the Bluebeard fairytale. Bluebeard's wife married him believing he it would be a pleasant marriage filled with happiness and wealth, yet hiding within that blue beard was deep dark past. A past that was painted with silver and gold and embroidered furniture.  The woman was deceived, alone in the horror of his past, embraced by the souls of his estranged wives. It's a chilling tale. No wonder it didn't make the Disney cut and if it did, he or they would only distort the tale.

Sad Truth in Hansel & Gretel

I find this tale to be very distressing and relevant to families of this present time. In the tale the wood cutter had a desire to feed his family; to be together with his children without the pull of poverty heckling them. This is true to families today who have children, perhaps more children than planned, that cannot get a financial grip. Though in reality there aren't parents who would send their children off into the abyss in order to be better off themselves, unless there were psychotic, there is a form an abandonment. Parents can verbally, mentally, and emotionally drive away their children by saying remarks of regret; saying things that indicate their existence is indeed a burden.

When this occurs, children often fetch a better life for themselves, getting lost in a world seeking acceptance and fortune. The woods represent that lost living. Living without purpose because of the present financial instability. When they finally find something that looks and feels like paradise it is often times deceiving. It's like a sugar coated misery. Once it is unmasked the journey of dealing with the present situation and finding a strategy to get out might taking longer than expected. Though the ending of the tale results in them living happily ever after, it is not a real aspect of life. Becoming financially stable doesn't fall on the laps of average people. There is a small percentage who are fortunately born into wealthy families, meanwhile the rest need a journey to it if they ever achieve it.

Don't Judge the Wolf

Maria de France's Bisclavret gives a different light to the wolf's evil persona. Bisclavret was a hurting man, who feared the truth would separate him and his wife. Though he tried many times to explain his reasoning to his wife and tried to avoid his fear coming true, her persistence fulfilled what he tried so hard to avoid. She rejected him and made his curse permanent.

The wolf has now become pitied. It is no longer a creature who causes harm to innocent humans. It is a creature who was actually harmed by humans therefore leaving a the plan of revenge to fester. All Bisclavret wanted was to be in love with his wife and enjoy that pleasure. But he was deceived, even though she promised him her love forever.

"My Lord, the lady replied It's true, mor than all the world I love you. You should hide nothing from me nor ever doubt I'm loyal in any affair. That would not seem like true friendship. How have I ever sinned? What slip makes me seem unworthy to you?" (3)

I say, don't judge the wolf. The wolf has undergone some extremities himself; being curse not only physically but emotionally and mentally. It gives reason as to why the wolf is so hostile. People can be wolves themselves. Marked by miseries and tragedies they go around terrorizing others, looking for revenge, and peace or hoping to find a miserable companion.

Oh Grandmother! What if...?

I've noticed that in each version of the fairytale Grandma is always eaten. Grandma never has a chance to defend herself because poor old lady is too sick to do much of anything. Which is why I came to question how Grandmothers are seen or were seen. LRH makes a long trip, to visit and perhaps console her grandmother because after all, she has done much for her. However, I question, why does Grandmother live so far? Why not closer? What if she lived closer would the wolf have gone through the trouble of tricking LRH just to eat her? What if she was visiting a friend, a cousin, an aunt, uncle? Would the wolf still have tried to plan to eat her?

There's something about Grandmothers that makes it so easy to just dismiss them from stories, quick and easy. Perhaps because they're old anyway and soon enough they'll pass. They're fragile so they're not expected to put up much of a fight. i haven't seen any versions of the tale where the grandmother takes on the wolf. Of course we see different versions of how LRH handles the wolf but never do we see Grandmother fight for her life. Hey, she's just as important as LRH. I mean, she's the whole reason why they both die, right?

I also haven't seen much pictures of the Grandmother since, well she's eaten so fast no really cares draw her. Well, I managed to find one thanks to Google, but I quickly realized that this was practically the only one that really depicts Grandmothers demeanor. Poor Grandmother never stood a chance. Alone sick, frightened, but what if she wasn't?

Scopophilia: A Disney Trait?

"The pictures now deprive the audience of visualizing their own characters, roles, and desires. At the same time, Disney offsets the deprivation with the pleasure of scopophilia and inundates the viewer with the delightful images, humorous figures, and erotic signs' (345).

When coming across this passage I was astonished when Zipes associated Disney animations to scopophilia. I would like to ask Zipes in what way did he deprive his audiences with the pleasures of scopophilia. Is this reference to the all aesthetic characters Disney portrays in his movies? I can agree that Disney does inundate audiences with delightful images and humorous figures such as this picture of from the movie Aladdin.

But where does he get erotic from? And scopophilia?

Who are these audiences that would actually feel sexual pleasure from watching these fairy tales? I must admit Princess Jasmine is a very voluptuous female character but if these kinds of fairy tales are geared towards children then they should have little to no knowledge of what is to be sexual or distinguish what is erotic. Hence the picture below:



Perhaps I am misinterpreting Zipes argument. Perhaps he believes the form in which Disney reinvented the fairytale is in a way, scopophilia. He created these fairy tales in a way that enticed a new audience therefore making them want to feel pleased by Disney's magical way of telling a story. Maybe that's why they can no longer resemble themselves or feel a part of Disney's tales because they no longer relate to their identity.

Regardless of what Zipes meant by that passage, I just don't understand what he was trying to convey when using scopophilia to describe Disney's diversion in animation.