Snow White & Rose Red by Chris Beatrice (& a note on the importance of illustration)

Snow White & Rose Red by Chris Beatrice

I've posted on this artist before and no doubt will again because not only is he a beautiful artist, I love that he shares his process: both regarding technique and the thoughts behind constructing the image. For this particular one he has a wonderful blog post HERE in which he takes you through step by step in making the painting. He thinks about the characters, what they do in their lives and the important aspects of the story they're in.

For example, in the tutorial he gives us close-ups of both girls and explains a little of his thoughts on each and how he imbued the painting, not only with aspects of their personalities but also of their parts in the story, foreshadowing what's to come.

Here's a few comments on the room and the girls in particular:

Everything in the picture has to contribute to what you're trying to do, or it will undoubtedly work against it. You need to think about it all - color, value, lighting, mood, viewpoint, content, facial expression, body language, costumes, things, stuff - everything! For "stuff", I like to think about what these folks do when I'm not looking at them. How do they scurry up that ladder when they go to bed at night? What is just slightly "off camera" that we may not be seeing? What's in that jug on the shelf? What kinds of visitors come and hang their coats on that coat rack by the door? Who winds that clock? What do the girls do during the day - I know, they pick cherries - there's a basket of them under the ladder...

Here's a detail shot of the mantle. Red is more active and wild - she likes to catch butterflies, so there's a jar of butterflies above her. Snow likes to read, so there's a stack of books above her.

On Snow White:

At one point in the story the girls are rescuing a dwarf whose beard has gotten stick in the split of a log. Snow whips out a little pair of scissors and cuts the beard, freeing him. There they are... 

And a close-up of Rose Red (he takes you through the painting process/build-up via this close-up):

I like that he put Rose closer to Bear's teeth - it quietly shows us she's more daring than Snow, who is gently stroking the soft side of Bear's head. I love the curious goat behind Bear too.

You can find many more of Chris Beatrice's illustrations at his website HERE and see lots of art, art-in-progress and fantastic tutorials, like this one, on his blog HERE.

Do go show your appreciation and support. There's this nutty idea going about that there's a dearth of good illustrators these days (and apparently of strong narrative stories too!) and that just isn't true. Just look at the stunning illustrations for the new editions of the Lang Color Fairy Books being produced by the Folio Society HERE (to see the Green, Brown, Red etc books, scroll down the Folio page for links).

I will say one thing in regard to fairy tale collections though: one of the things I dearly loved (and love!) about the Andrew Lang, Joseph Jacobs and the Grimms Household Tales collections is that these text-heavy works have unforgettable illustrations throughout. I don't think these "anthologies" would have been as popular, or impacted as many generations as they have, without them. Fairy tale "memory" (I speak collectively here) is strongly linked to illustration. In this digital age of internet and access to almost anyone who logs into the world wide web we have an incredible resource that simply wasn't available - at least not to the common man - even just twenty years ago. Now we have collections and translations of all kinds, more than we could ever really read in a lifetime, yet I worry that many of these will fade out of public circulation in future and exist only in elite libraries - libraries which may not be able to access them in the future as they thought. (Note that there is a rising concern of the degradation of digital data for filmmakers and artists of all kinds who rely on digitization of any form. Why? Because the "decay" beings almost instantly and nothing much is being done about it. See link for details.)

Donkeyskin by Chris Beatrice

 It's the paintings of the Pre-Raphelites that brought myth and legend (and fairy tales too, to some extent) back into the public eye (I'm speaking very generally here - historically it's more complicated than that) and it was illustrators like Arthur Rackham who worked extensively (though not exclusively) on large collections of fairy tales that captured the public's imagination and possibility of owning a piece of that "magic" for themselves. Fortunately many of the tales came with that "magic" and they lived on - the tales informed the illustrations and the illustrations kept the tales in peoples memories. A large reason Walt Disney had such success with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is that it was designed to be a "storybook come to life". One of the failings of the Company as it tries to work with fairy tales now, is that they don't truly aim to give life to beloved tales and then take them to a new and different place. Instead they're now focused on "branding" above all else.

The White Bear by Chris Beatrice

We have such a wonderful variety of illustrators working now and no matter where they are in the world, we're able to see and benefit from their work. Fairy tale collections used to be one of the first places people, usually as children, were introduced to excellent art. While children's books still have a lot of beautiful art today, there's something truly unique and almost magical about what happens when you tell a child a fairy or folk tale in conjunction with showing them a beautiful illustration. More than ever, we live in a visual society where we are bombarded by images from every angle (even our phones are visual these days). Our writing (and I cringe, even as I acknowledge this) is even becoming ever more "visual" with the constant use of texting and emoticon shorthands. As much as we may resist this idea that the representation of language is changing, we must face that it is and not let our precious tales be lost in the flood. It's important we keep them in sight. Art is (largely) timeless and it's no coincidence that as faster and more digital our age gets, the more people look back to the past for stability and understanding. While people are busy searching ancestry.com and picking up Classics (with a capital 'C') in ebook form, it's the images that are sweeping the web. A huge boon of worldwide web sharing is that vintage photos have made a tremendous comeback and it's these that are prompting people to go back and discover the stories of their ancestors and even of complete strangers. When we finally unearth something like a photo of Dickens shaking hands with Dostoevsky (yes, they did meet! but there are no photos that I'm aware of) suddenly the world clicks a little more into place and you begin to understand people's stories and foci at the time. Tale illustrations do the same thing, only they have the ability of their art form to transcend boundaries of time and culture and directly appeal to the heart.

Jack the Giant Killer by Chris Beatrice

So yay! for illustrators like Chris Beatrice, who not only have the skill and talent for making beautiful art, but also for helping keep the stories alive, even as they breathe life into them through new works. All we need is for these wonderful people to try their hand at more tales than just the "classic canon" and for us to help make sure they're seen.

Illustration for the Italian fairy tale Porziella (by Giambattista Basile) by Chris Beatrice

Once again, you can find Chris Beatrice HERE and HERE.

Influential Fairy Tale People Board Up On Pinterest

I've snatched minutes here and there over the past week to continue building boards at Pinterest and my latest one is for Influential Fairy Tale People.

I'd like to know the faces behind names so familiar to me so I've put them all together into a single board. Some of the images took a little hunting! (Apparently our much loved Heidi Anne Heiner of SurLaLune only ever appears as a gorgeous illustration or sweet silhouette... ;)

As with all the other boards, it's a work in progress so there's a good chance I'm missing some important people, but it includes: Writers, researchers, filmmakers, artists, advocates, collectors, recorders & preservers - past and present. There are currently 39 people there but I know there should be more.


I'm open to suggestions but please know I'm not aiming to put EVERY writer who has ever written on fairy tales here - just those who have had (and have) a wide-reaching influence. 

The link is HERE.

Enjoy, and if you ever bump into one, thank them for us all, will you?


Note: I haven't included illustrators in general because that list is so huge they could have their own board (or two or three!). I'll tackle that another day...

Spineless Classics

Spineless Classics have one of those unique products and services that, once you've seen, you have to wonder: why hasn't anyone done that before? I'd seen a few of these posters but didn't realize they also made puzzles and postcards.

Created by Carl Pappenheim, the aptly named Spineless Classics take the full texts of classic novels and arranges them into "single paper designs". Beautiful at a distance, the designs are also legible close up. 

Here is the postcard set, which I would happily receive as a gift... ;)

The brainchild of Carl Pappenheim, the idea came to him by accident one year when he was too broke to splash out on expensive Christmas gifts. Despite his financial constraints, he wanted to give his mother a present with meaning.  

Detail from Peter Pan poster

Having watched "architectural drawings roll off the presses at a friend's printing company", he figured that he could fit 100,000 words (and his mother's favorite novel) on each poster-size sheet. The reaction to the resultant poster led to the creation of the company, and posters are now available as far a field as New Zealand.  

 He explains some of the process in an interview with ejunkie HERE. Here's an excerpt: 

Would you like to describe the creative work process involved in creating these posters?
I mostly have a large team of magic elves working around the clock with very tiny movable type. However, when they're on holiday I use computer software. Often the worst part is first, cleaning and preparing digital versions of books, before importing them onto a blank page to see roughly how much space we have to play with. Then I'll try a few rough ideas, maybe do some Internet searches to get the creative juices flowing before sketching in detail. I've only recently started hiring people to do the illustrations; in the past it's all been my work. Finally comes the hardest part, making sure that I don't have hyphenated words split across white spaces, and trying to positing chapter headings in places that make sense. The power of the designs, I think, is in the fact that they stand up to close scrutiny. I don't just bang them out after hours with no regard for the details. 

(Sources HERE & HERE)

These posters aren't cheap (they run about $80 to over $300 and I'm not sure about commissions) but you must admit they are beautiful! I love the postcard tales set, though they would be doubly perfect if they came with a special magnifying glass. What book would you have made into wall art?

Disney's "Order of the Seven" Gathering Momentum

It's been on the development roundabout for about a decade now but it appears Order of the Seven is finally heading in a more solid direction now and that Disney is banking on the public being able to handle another Snow White story, albeit of a very different kind.

Order of the Seven is an action-adventure variation on Snow White but set in China, complete with a large dose of kung fu and other fighting styles (no word yet on if the fairy tale elements original director Francis Lawrence planned to use, will stay in play). The big news this week, is that Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Atonement, The Lovely Bones) is in early negotiations to play the lead.


Here's a current synopsis from The Hollywood Reporter combined with details from BeyondHollywood:

In this iteration, the seven are a 19th century-set disparate band of international warriors belonging to a centuries-old order who have lost their way. They meet with an English ex-pat Olivia Sinclair, (Ronan) who is being chased by an ancient evil. She seeks the protection of a centureis old group of warriors, now jaded outlaws and proves to be the catalyst for their redemption. After the reemergence of an ancient evil empress, Sinclair helps the warriors reclaim their destiny and noble roots.

While the project is set in China, the warriors will be from locales near (the U.S.) and far (Russia), and each warrior will have a unique fighting style.

While it's natural to compare the idea to Seven Samuri and/or Magnificent Seven, we're told to expect it to be very different.

Commercials director and visual effects wizard Michael Graceyis directing the epic, which has a long development history — it was originally conceived as a revisionist East-meets-West Snow White tale.

So,in case you've been keeping this film on your radar, Natalie Portman and Jet Li are no longer attached but that may be a good thing. Ms. Ronan has proved she's tough enough to take on anything to do with a story like this. I wonder just where they will go with it? There are many, many variations to be inspired from!


Additional source: io9

Twyla Tharp's "The Princess & the Goblin" (Pics & Video)

You may remember my post HERE about Twlya Tharp's new ballet The Princess and the Goblin, based on the fairy tale of the same name by George MacDonald. The show has since debuted and is being very well received. Performances of this premiere run end this weekend. Now, that there are some available, I thought I'd share some images and a brief video montage of the performance.

There's also a lengthy and balanced New York Times review HERE which discusses the fairy tale and the changes made by Ms. Tharp. Overall it seems people are happily surprised by Ms. Tharp's narrative ballet (usually she's far more abstract) as well as her use of children. I do find it interesting that the reviewer thinks that while venerating children in the ballet, she also underestimated them by her choice of plot changes. The review makes a good point about this fairy tale having a lot more to it than first meets the eye - just as many do.

Re-Enchantment Study Guide Coming Soon

This is very exciting news!

If you don't know what Re-Enchantment: The Hidden Meaning of Fairy Tales is, you can read my super-excited blog announcement of the DVD and interactive website HERE. Let me tell you: the DVD didn't disappoint!

Now I just need an iPad... or something... ;)

Here's the copy from the announcement HERE:

The Re-enchantment Study Guide goes interactive! Produced in association with the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM), the study guide will enable teachers and students to explore Re-enchantment via a series of worksheets with links to clips, recorded fairy tales, image collections and artworks. Designed to augment the extensive content currently available on-line and in the DVD. 

ATOM study guides offer innovative teaching strategies and tailored learning outcomes, and are highly regarded by educators across the globe. Re-enchantment will be one of the first of many ATOM study guides to be produced in this format, and will be available for iPad from the iTunes App Store. 

ATOM study guide apps for Android are currently in development.Launch date in April 2012.

Vestal Review: Fairy Tales Redux

by Zoe Gilbert

I first read about this on the Twice Told Tales LJ but haven't seen mention of it anywhere so thought I would highlight it here.

Vestal Review is both an online and print magazine that is "the longest-running flash fiction magazine in the world".  The latest issue is free to read (though you can donate) and, happily for us, is all about fairy tales.

Vestal Review

Web Issue 41  Fairy Tales Redux

Winter 2012

Here's the editorial (reprinted with permission), describing what the issue is about, by Ania Vesenny:

According to Italo Calvino, fairy tales are a great example of quickness in literature. It is no surprise, then, that Vestal Review’s newest issue is devoted to fairy tales.  

When I was a child, I spent hours a day reading Charles Perrault and Hans Christian Andersen. Despite the often overwhelming sadness and tragedy that infused Andersen’s fairy tales, I re-read them, year after year, with the same delight.  

As I read fairy tales to my children, instead of the joy, I often experience annoyance. How cloying these old stories have become! Disney’s “Little Mermaid” is not the same tragic, but hauntingly beautiful and gentle story written by H. C. Andersen almost two hundred years ago. Though I cried when I read the original, I was enriched by those tears. Do centuries-old fairy tales have to be rewritten to have neatly-wrapped happy endings? I search for old editions and avoid anything abridged. 

I have to remind myself, though, that the storytellers of the past routinely altered the endings so that the tales remained relevant to their listeners. The modern versions, with their syrupy simplifications, do reflect significant themes in our society. When it comes to literature, we tend to guard young children from strong emotions.   

This issue of Vestal Review, however, returns to the tradition of fairy tales being told mostly for the benefit of adults. In addition to alternate endings, you will witness your favorite characters in modern context of obsession and celebrity adulation: characters previously silent are given voices, and details or experiences formerly obscured are brought to the forefront.  

It was a particular pleasure to read for this issue. I love fairy tales, after all. I hope that you, too, will enjoy these stories.

There's a chance you'll see a familiar name or two among the authors as well.

The contents are:

• Birds by Aimee Bender
• Cinderella's Two Minute Tell-All by Jason Nemec
• Mermaid by A. A> Balaskovits
• Growth Rings by Maia Harrison
• Surface Tension by Maia Harrison
• Talking to Srangers by Cynthia Larsen
• And the Rain Kept Falling by Steven Nordhauser
• All the Hansels and All the Gretels by Stephen Ornes

You can read the current Winter 2012 Fairy Tales Redux issue HERE.

Syfy Premieres Two New Fairy Tale Movies February 25

February 25th is Syfy fairy tale marathon day.

Two new movies are premiering, Black Forest and Witchslayer: Gretl, and Red: Werewolf Hunter (which is now available on DVD) is heading up the marathon.

They're all billed as fantasy/action/horror so expect mixed amounts of each. I've been impressed with Syfy's recent original offerings so I have hopes the new movies will continue that trend (despite the B-movie title for Gretl).

Black Forest is based partly on the famous Black Forest containing the German Fairy Tale Route you can visit and travel on, so I'm curious to see if they use much, if any of the locations or fairy tale aspects you can visit in real life.

Classic fairy tales get a little more grim. Syfy's Original Movie Black Forest premieres Saturday Feb. 25 at 7/6c. 

A group of naive tourists take a sightseeing tour into a supposed enchanted forest, where they encounter evil creatures from the world of fantasy. Trapped in the Black Forest, their only hope of survival is fighting their way out. 

Cast includes Ben Cross, Tinsel Korey, Claire Foster, Dhafer L'Abadine, Oliver James, Andy Clemence, Howerd Charles, Sarah Brown, Velizar Binev, Mike Straub, Sapphire Elia, Jesse Steele and Tobias Hewitt.

Here's a "two new movies back-to-back" trailer showing scenes from both Black Forest and Witchslayer Gretl:

And a sneak peek with Snow White and some hungry dwarves:

You can see more excerpts/videos from both premieres for a limited time HERE.

Sometimes there is no fairy tale ending. Syfy's Original Movie 'Witchslayer Gretl' starring Shannon Doherty premieres Saturday Feb. 25 at 9/8c. 

[NOTE: This movie was originally titled as Gretl: Witch Hunter] 

Twenty years after his encounter with the witch, a grown-up Hansel (Paul McGillion) returns to the haunted forest, seeking revenge. But there's a surprise waiting - his sister Gretel (Shannen Doherty) (who he thought had been killed) is the witch's protégé. 

Cast includes Shannen Doherty, Stargate Atlantis' Paul McGillion,Sanctuary's Emilie Ullerup, John Boylan, Sarain Boylan, Jefferson Brown, Erica Cox and Marianthi Evans.  

Here's a trailer:

Syfy's Original Movie Red: Werewolf Hunter airs again, right before the premiere of Black Forest, on Saturday Feb. 25 at 5/4c. 

Felicia Day stars as Virginia Sullivan, a modern day descendant of Little Red Riding Hood. Things go awry when her fiancé is bitten by a werewolf and she must protect him from her werewolf hunting family. 

Here's a trailer (it appears to have been "taped off TV" so the quality isn't great):

It was also released on DVD on January 3, 2012.

The Syfy schedule shows Enchanted being aired at 9/8c in the morning of the 25th as well, though I can't verify if this is the Disney live action/animation movie (would Disney allow Syfy to air it?) or something entirely different. 

Either way, it seems fairy tales are the flavor of the day at Syfy on February 25th. :)

"Dorothy and the Witches of Oz"

Opening this Friday, February 17, we have a new Oz story opening in select theaters. It's not a proper retelling of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz but more of a reverse-Oz story. This time, Dorothy Gale is a descendant of the "Oz books author" (I didn't see any mention of Baum's name but I presume that's who they mean) and a children's author herself.

From Big Hollywood:

“Dorothy and the Witches of Oz,” opening in select theaters Friday Feb. 17, asks what would happen if some of the magical, mystical creatures from Oz ended up in our own dimension? 

The answer, in “glorious 2d” says the trailer, looks like the kind of fantasy young and old alike might enjoy given its PG rating.

The film stars Paulie Rojas (“The Last Resort”) as Dorothy, plus Christopher Lloyd, Billy Boyd, Mia Sara (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) and Lance Henriksen (“Aliens”). The new “Oz” follows children’s storyteller Dorothy Gale who learns that some of her most colorful tales are actually based on real, suppressed memories.

"Grimm" Episode "Organ Grinders" Sparks Controversy

NOTE: This post was updated on 2-18-12 for clarity and correctness on some important facts after I received a reader letter. (Thank you!) I have changed the text to red to highlight my edits and additions.


You ready for a controversial post? I have one for you. 

I only ask that you read it carefully before reacting. One of the problems I see is that communication can get very muddled on sensitive subjects and offense is taken where none was intended.


Warning: if you haven't seen the episode Organ Grinder yet, here there be spoilers!

I thought Organ Grinders was one of the best episodes yet for NBC's Grimm and it did catch a lot of attention around the web. While most of the reviews of the episode where good-to-excellent, there was one reviewer who got extremely concerned about the approach to the Hansel and Gretel story.

The "Andrew Breitbart Presents Big Hollywood" blog tends to post the controversial side of a story and, while I don't agree with sensationalist reporting, they do a good job of generating discussion in the comments. At writing, the comments for his "Organ Grinder" post currently number 105. The title of the post is:

NBC’s ‘Grimm’ Recycles Vile Antisemitic Stereotypes

That got your attention, didn't it?

Do I agree with this review? I don't, BUT it does bring up some very interesting points - both about the need for thorough research/sensitivity when writing for the public and also about the public's OWN sensitivity/bias when it comes to subjects like racism.

What I mean by the second comment is that when people are sensitive to being discriminated against IN GENERAL (for example: Blacks in reference to slavery, Jews in reference to the Holocaust), depending on how sensitive the individual is, they can make connections of racism and discrimination where none where intended. Frankly, no matter what you say or how pure your intentions, it's easy to put your foot in your mouth. What happens as a result is that people instead tend to choose the middle of the road with the aim of offending no one, but it also means they don't say much of any meaning either. Not offending everyone is virtually impossible.

(The above paragraph is a perfect example of this. I feel like I have to explain and re-explain where I'm coming from in order to be clear that I don't intend to offend. Although we all/many of us, speak "English" we're all saying different things though we use the same words. SO we end up with humungous posts, or long conversations hastily clarifying and back-pedaling, hoping to be heard and not misunderstood.)

Back to the article.

This is how it starts:

NBC’s Friday night series “Grimm” is a fantasy show, but for reasons I cannot fathom the program’s writers chose to mine that most heinous relic of Mittel-Europa: the story of the seemingly good and kind Jew who is really a demonic creature underneath for last week’s episode “Organ Grinders.” 

...This is the gist of the blood libel: the belief that Jews kidnap children to drain them of their blood. It didn’t die with the Nazis. It is still in currency today. You have only to turn on Syrian or Egyptian television to see. But American TV?

I feel the need to put up my hand in a stop sign here and remind people of one important thing: Hansel and Gretel is ALREADY a gory, bloody, horror-like fairy tale with child abuse and a cannibal witch. The version we're most familiar with is one of many similar horrific European tales, only this one was recorded (and revised and "nice-ified" multiple times) by the Grimm brothers* (please see note at end of post to see why this is important), who were German academics, hence the use of Germanic words by the NBC Grimm writers. It's all about eating bits of people and traps for children, not to mention child abuse by multiple characters! (And that doesn't begin to tap all that's wrong in this story).

I'll pause a minute while you go read the post HERE before I continue discussing the objections. It's well presented (it even has some pictures) and makes a good argument, but in this age (and considering the writers) I don't see it holding a lot of water. If, however, this variation were written fifty years ago or more, he might actually have a very valid point, which is another reason it's a point worth making. 50 years is not that long ago. Go on and read. I'll wait... :)

... You're back? Great. Let's get a little gritty, shall we?

Let me say right now that, despite my skepticism on the validity of the anti-Semitism accusation, I'm really glad this post was written. Why? Because it educated me. I didn't grow up in America with the unique sensitivity and racist issues surrounding Jews and Blacks here (among many others). It's very easy to say the "wrong" thing. In my experience, though, tiptoeing around a subject doesn't help at all. It's better to say what you mean and clarify if you need to. The tough part there is that often people stop listening once they hear the dreaded "thing" and assume all kinds of bad from then on, instead of trying to keep communication open. But I digress.

The "Anonymous" writer of the Big Hollywood post takes great objection to the name Geier, used for the vulture-like creature in this episode. Unfortunately I have to admit I would probably have made this "mistake" myself as well. Imagine being in the writers' room, you're working on the episode which contains people using people-parts (especially children's) in a horrific way: what compatible scavenger-like creature might you associate removing organs with? A vulture would come to mind fairly quickly for me (since wolves are out and hyenas are more African in "flavor"). Since all the Grimm creatures have a Germanic name, we'd use the German word for vulture, which is, you guessed it, "geier". Maybe I have a gap in my education (but then if I do you can be sure there are millions like me). I do not associate this word with avarice, greed or anything to do with money-lending Jews.

And making a connection between blood and money? Isn't this what almost every procedural tends to point out? And this goes double for the criminal underworld. Generally, if you follow the money you find the bad guys. 

And cannibalism/capitalism? I think it worked perfectly in context. That scene with Sgt. Wu's comment was all about entrepreneurship gone to a bad extreme. I'm not saying capitalism is bad and I don't think the Grimm writers are either. It just IS. Put any power in the hands of an unscrupulous person and you have big-time bad.

If I sound like I'm defending the Grimm writers it's because I guess I am. Having researched many aspects of Hansel and Gretel for years now, most of the plot points and details (including those objected to) seem like a natural variation on the story. It's pretty horrific to start with. If you take away all those points we've talked about, all we really have left is the name Levine.

My point (and yes, I do have one) is that the whole point of storytelling is to say something. Taking a middle-of-the-road approach (eg by making sure every detail isn't going to offend someone, somewhere) takes the power out of a story. In Hansel and Gretel we have extremes of type: the parents are selfish, the witch is evil and there are piles of people-bones sitting in the corner. Does that make all parents selfish, all witches evil and all children destined to give in to temptation or, if they don't, starve? Obviously the answer is no. And - dare I say it - what if somewhere, sometime there was an evil, money-hungry Jew? (Did you faint with shock yet?) Is anyone brave enough to tell that story? Right now, in this era, I'm going to say no. It seems pretty clear in this political climate that any writer or executive to attempt such a story would effectively be committing career suicide. That's not anything I see any of the Grimm team ready to do. To be clear: I don't think Organ Grinders has anything to do with anti-Semitism at all. If you have a good story with a very bad person taking advantage of someone, no matter how you tell it, it's going to offend somebody. While that doesn't mean you might as well stomp away into your stories with no sensitivity at all, it does mean you should be prepared to talk about it when offense is taken (and it will be).

I'm in favor of stories with bite - stories with things to say, even if they touch a nerve of my own (and yes, I have a few..). Why? Because then I can do something about it. Maybe I can even change it. At worst I can start a dialogue and do my best to keep communication open. If we all stay in our boxes (or on our boxes) it doesn't help anyone.

So a sincere thank you, Anonymous, for a very interesting article, for adding to my education and for speaking your mind in a forum (of sorts) that allows people to talk about this (see the comments). As long as we keep telling our stories and listening to each other, we have a chance of changing things - perhaps everything - for the better.

ADDED 2-18-12: 
*The Brothers Grimm were born in Hessen - which, in relation to Germany and being German I suggest you look up some German history books because it's not quite the same. The Grimms are considered Hessian, not German, but they were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers and folklore collectors. One of the brothers also worked in German law and they both worked on the first German dictionary, so it's easy to see why we might accidentally call them "German". Why do we care? Because it's important to know that the tale of Hansel and Gretel doesn't just belong to Germany and isn't a once-told tale. Versions of it were widely known throughout Europe at the time, which further illustrates just how widespread these types of social problems were. What's scary is that this is still relevant today - more than most realize. You may be surprised to know that the USA now has THE HIGHEST RATE OF CHILD ABUSE IN THE WORLD. That's very scary.