My current Russian fairytale reading is starting to significantly piss me off, largely because of heroines and their descriptions. The reason these girls are ‘likeable’ (i.e. why their evil stepmothers/sisters hate them) is because they’re prettier and more skilful and kinder and more obedient etc. etc. etc. And… no. Because the best and most likeable things about these girls (who do some pretty awesome sh*t) is that they are brave, determined and loyal to a f***ing fault.
There’s a reason that East of the Sun is my favourite, because however stockholm syndrome-y, however much it blames her lack of obedience and however much she wins by… cleaning, I will never not love the recurring motif. “Are you afraid?” “No.” Of course she afraid, she’s being taken to the castle of a polar bear in the arctic or is about to ride the North wind, but she’s not about to tell anyone that or let it stop her. Courage is what I took away from Baba Yaga, East of the Sun, Jack Frost and The Little Scarlet Flower, not being submissive (though that was definitely an aspect).
Which is why fairytales are better when you look at what their characters do and not what we’re told about them. (Emphasis by InkGypsy)
Having been largely absent online the past year I'm out of the loop with regard to how Tumblr accounts really work so the best I can do with credit is to send you to the page I found HERE. Clicking on atticus-finches sends you to an eclectic blog in which, if you like art and art history, you should find some fun little posts
The beautiful art dolls and sculpture are by the amazing Forest Rogers whose blog and gallery have me in complete awe. Find yourself a few free minutes to go browse HERE - you can thank me later after you pick your jaw up off the ground. :)
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