tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post4531291492790980761..comments2024-03-29T02:26:39.005-07:00Comments on ONCE UPON A BLOG: When Fairy Tales Stray Beyond Their "Borders"...Gypsy Thorntonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05376146830985305127noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-7041339465431306462015-09-11T21:06:02.486-07:002015-09-11T21:06:02.486-07:00awesomeawesomeAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430082191262878491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-39959422580156915962014-10-08T12:39:42.431-07:002014-10-08T12:39:42.431-07:00Would the story still sell if instead of "Sno...Would the story still sell if instead of "Snow White" it be called, "Tropical Puerto Rican Brown" ?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-5045871460077793512014-05-25T18:58:43.244-07:002014-05-25T18:58:43.244-07:00Every single one is beautiful.Every single one is beautiful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-21096949525084325912014-05-07T17:22:08.915-07:002014-05-07T17:22:08.915-07:00I think this is awesome that you are really showin...I think this is awesome that you are really showing us that fairy tales belong to the world. But that means they belong to White people too. (Sorry that was blunt) so I think variety means a what you're doing and also the original ones. Too much of the new leaves no room for the old and we're back where we started. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-41147286263814914072014-05-06T22:24:11.793-07:002014-05-06T22:24:11.793-07:00It absolutely IS an Arabic view of Chinese culture...It absolutely IS an Arabic view of Chinese culture. Aladdin is not a Chinese story. It is an Arabian story set in China. The setting was chosen because the African magician (Jafar) looking for the lamp is supposed to have traveled as far as humanly possible. At the time, traveling from Africa to China seemed pretty impressive. Thus, the story takes place in China, though those who told/retold/composed the story likely had little to no knowledge of the country or its culture (much like many a book set abroad by a writer with no personal experience with the country/culture/history involved such as Sherlock Holmes, TinTin, or, well, half of literature really). It's set in China really in name only with Arabic social structures, daily life, culture, etc filling in the fairly large gaps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-50072081895404416902014-05-06T13:56:10.495-07:002014-05-06T13:56:10.495-07:00So cool. Just love those images :)So cool. Just love those images :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-92210268393999097862014-05-05T16:13:41.893-07:002014-05-05T16:13:41.893-07:00Well, you also have to realize that most Disney mo...Well, you also have to realize that most Disney movies aren't meant to just be straight-up representations of cultures or adaptations of old tales (it's the people that think they are that bother me). Aladdin, specifically, was also supposed to be Disney's homage/riff on the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes type cartoons. You can see it in some of the animation and also, well . . . big, blue wisecracking genie who does impressions. Since they're trying to ape something that wacky, you can expect something over-the-top like that to spill over into their representation of the setting/culture.Adam Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129844426168129584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-49059229740200786912014-05-05T13:07:53.410-07:002014-05-05T13:07:53.410-07:00I get what you're saying. The stories travel ...I get what you're saying. The stories travel and change and become new stories. Cinderella stories exist all over the world and all that. Jack tales have migrated from England to the Appalachian region of the Southern United States. And then there's fun modern stuff like The Lunar Chronicles which sets Cinderella and Red Riding Hood-like characters in a post-apocalyptic future. However, I do like there to BE a cultural context and for it to be used appropriately. For example, I don't like it when they trans-literate the names of non-European creatures. Like when they use "ogres" in the tale of "Momotaro" instead of "oni". Ogres are a French monster, so unless you're setting "Momotaro" in France, it should be "oni". The thing is that for me, folk tales are a way for me to travel around the world. I may never travel to France or Germany or China or Japan but I can read and tell tales from France, Germany, China and Japan.<br /><br />And I always thought setting Aladdin in China was weird. I mean, the story has djinn, which are Arabic spirits. It's like some strange Arabic view of Chinese culture. Is there some kind of Chinese creature that's similar or equivalent to a djinni? Might that be what it really is?Adam Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129844426168129584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-64586823466283100942014-05-05T13:07:46.885-07:002014-05-05T13:07:46.885-07:00I think some people just mentally pat the Disney c...I think some people just mentally pat the Disney company on the back for having a token Disney Princess representing each major continent, but how they are presented is a big issue too. Aladdin is often accused of being racist, despite having a supposedly Middle Eastern cast-the heroes are more Americanized (although Jafar is not very Middle Eastern either, he has a British accent), Jasmine's outfits are incredibly historically inaccurate, and of course the whole line about "where they cut of your ear if they don't like your face." <br /><br />Obviously when you look into the history of fairy tales you see no one can claim any of them-we can't really even pin down where any of them originated anyway. I liked the image of Cinderella, I thought it was an intentional reference to Ye ShienKristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524743884416328260.post-57956079872809818932014-05-05T06:46:06.887-07:002014-05-05T06:46:06.887-07:00This is amazing! Just when you think there's n...This is amazing! Just when you think there's nothing new for artists to do to Disney characters, they manage to go even more creative. Simply stunning!Tahliahttp://www.timelesstalesmagazine.comnoreply@blogger.com