Article: Fairy Tales Or Scary Tales?

Mystic Tales (Sehirli Naghillar) published by Tutu Publishing House

From The Globe and Mail: Fairy tales or scary tales: Should we sanitize stories for our kids?

I'm getting pretty tired of these types of articles. This one only addresses children being read and exposed to fairy tales rather than all the various ways society has used them through history so I'll stick with the kid angle in this post too.

This one appears to have done some research but although it's well written, really the writer is just regurgitating quotes used elsewhere to support a point of view, which is fine and valid except that it isn't really presented as a single writer's point of view. It's presented more as an issue brought about by research. While it quotes Professor Zipes a number of times the aim is always to get back to the sensational rather than consider what he was actually saying. And that's a large part of the problem. It's not about the fairy tales at all really. Nor is it about the children, despite what people think they're discussing. It's about making people feel like "responsible parents" if they can apparently think more intelligently than their predecessors and band such horrible things from scarring their children. Like they apparently were.

I have to honestly wonder if the writers of these articles (there are a rash of them at the moment) remember what it was like to be a child. I wouldn't have survived without fairy tales but even if I was unique in that regard (which I know I'm not but let's just say for the sake of argument I was an anomaly among the children of the world), I'd rather my kid pick up a book of fairy tales with all the gore intact than watch or hear the nightly news. That's far more frightening and has nothing to offer but fear, encouraging you to worry about things you have no control over and are largely being speculated about at best (break down any local news and you'll find the factual content is actually quite light). One thing fairy tales do for children is take away uncertainty. They're pretty clear about what happens to whom and why. To have these "definites", these boundaries, is actually very comforting for a child. Uncertainty makes for instability and adults cause enough of that even without meaning to.

You should be familiar with the article in case anyone holds it up to you and starts using quotes. Just be aware of what's really being said.

You can read the two pages HERE. It comes with bonus summaries of the original classic gory stories of Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and the not-included-in-the-Grimm's-collection tale of How Some Children Played At Butchering. Classic.

To give you something positive to read to balance this out, the illustrations in the post are from a fairy tale book published in Azerbaijan in 2004 with illustrations by Nusrat Hajiyev.



From the article on Azerbaijan International, about the book:

Fairy tale books have always been very popular in Azerbaijan. Even during Soviet times when thousands of books were published each year, such books, even those of lowest quality were in high demand, according to Tarlan. Even when other books remained on the shelves, fairy tales sold quite easily since folklore is an integral part of life. Every child grows up listening to fairy tales told by their mothers and grandmothers. 

"Our aim was to publish the most monumental book ever produced about Azerbaijani fairy tales," said Tarlan, when describing his vision for the book. "That's why we decided not to rush this job." Indeed, it ended up taking one year to select, rewrite and edit the 12 tales, and two more years to create the art work and design the book. 

"Since there are so many fairy tales in Azerbaijan, we knew we couldn't publish all of them," said Tarlan. "That's why we decided to concentrate on 'mystic tales', which are full of supernatural elements, including divs (monsters). 

That's when they consulted Maharram Gasimli, Director of the Literature and Folklore Department at the Academy of Sciences, along with Ilham Rahimli and Zeynal Mammadli. Most of these Azerbaijani fairy tales had been collected during the 1920s and 1930s. Unfortunately, during that period, personal tape recorders did not exist that would have guaranteed the authenticity of the tales. Folklorists were sent off on expeditions to remote areas to collect the tales. However, their methodology was dubious. They knew that they would be paid according to the quantity of pages they produced so there's no wonder that they lent a hand to enhance and expand the stories themselves. On other occasions, some of the tales were modified or censored because they did not fit the strict guidelines of Soviet ideology, in terms of Socialist Realism where contentment was supposed to have spread throughout the land.Of course, the original version of such stories can rarely be traced, and it's only natural that each storyteller always injects his or her own vision of reality and world experience into the telling of these tales. These are natural processes that take place in any oral medium any place in the world.  

Mystic Tales is based upon TUTU staff's own literary tastes. The twelve folk tales that were selected are: Bakhtiyar, Divbecha, Pari khanim (Mrs. Pari), Malikmammad, Dash uzuk (Stone ring), Shahzade Bandali (Prince Bandali), Tapdig, Ayghir Hasan (Stalion Hasan), Nar Giz (Pomegranate Girl), Guru Khala, Ibrahim, and Goychak Fatma (Pretty Fatma; an Azerbaijani version of the well-known fairy tale, Cinderella).

You can read the whole article on this special collection (and why it's so special) HERE.

Mirror Mirror's Social Queen

How to make a very fantastical fairy tale movie relevant to people today? Use social media. Or, should I say, watch this Queen use social media and get this incredibly familiar feeling you've seen her somewhere before...

First seen on Maria Tatar's Breezes From Wonderland blog, I was so tickled to see this use of advertising and had to share and make a few comments.

But first, if you haven't seen it yet, take a look:

Do we know this Queen? I think we do.

I really like that this clearly shows the archetype is not only (eerily) familiar and (sadly) relevant today but puts yet another modern spin on the Snow White story. (It may even make a few people do a double take at their own actions... one can hope.)

The video reminds me of the Christmas Story as viewed/told via Facebook. It's well done and, again, clearly shows how people simply haven't changed as much over hundreds of years as we (would like to) think.

This is also another example of how to effectively use various forms of social media for spreading the word about niche ideas and topics, how to network with people who are normally scattered and hard to find (since they're not necessarily the ones in popular circles with lots of money to "announce" their presence online) which is exactly the point of viral marketing (well, that, and to persuade these people to spend their money but that's another topic).

Why am I spending so much time on this little piece of advertising? Because it suggests how effective a tool social media can be for many reasons and what magic may be lying at the fingertips of the fairy tale community - if we can figure out how to harness it. We just need to figure out what it is we actually want to do for fairy tales first. It's time to think outside the box.

It's clear even the big media outlets are struggling to keep up with this technology's potential but you know who's figured out how to make this work? Evil Queens. And Kings. And other not-so-stellar types. Social media is this very strong neutral resource - or power, if you like - and has already proved to be very effective when put to use by deviant minds (identity theft, hacking the CIA and blocking resources). But what this really means is that it also has great potential for good too. It just takes a different type of heart to find how. Did you know sites such as Care2Causes and other petition sites have saved lives, stopped abuse, highlighted and halted corrupt lawmaking and much much more? All because people take 3 seconds to sign their name and spread the word (ie. expose) what's actually happening.

What does this have to do with fairy tales? Everything. Imagine if Snow White (who already had a high profile and was a clear winner in any popularity contest) had the tools of social media at her fingertips. No more running alone through the woods, hiding out or being cornered alone. What if the little bird spreading news about Snow White was actually a tweet? Emergency services would have arrived before she'd have hit the floor. The mirror of today? It's those invisible thousands who's interest you've caught and who anonymously "like", comment on or even just mention what you've said to someone else. In it's own way it's magical and, like magic, using it comes with both risk and reward. These are the tools of today and the way stories are told, popularized and archived. The nice thing about this era? No wizard skills required. Being involved is often simpler than checking your email. We owe it to ourselves and the tales we love to use this to our advantage.*

The question would then no longer be "Would you dare "unfriend" this Evil Queen?" but "Would she dare "unfriend" you?"

Something to think about.

*Yes: there are a billion people trying to teach you how to "market yourself" using social media these days and yes, it CAN be both overwhelming and a fulltime job maintaining it - IF you let it. The key is to make it work FOR YOU (re the fairy tale community: "us") - not have you work for it (which is what some sites are trying to do. You and your information are far more useful to them if they have you do all the work). 

"They think that to write a new fairy tale is easy work..." & A Note Of Thanks

Brown Fairy Book "Father Grumbler" by Omar Rayyan

They think that to write a new fairy tale is easy work. They are mistaken: the thing is impossible. Nobody can write a new fairy tale; you can only mix up and dress up the old, old stories, and put the characters into new dresses … But the three hundred and sixty-five authors who try to write new fairy tales are very tiresome. They always begin with a little boy or girl who goes out and meets the fairies of polyanthuses and gardenias and apple blossoms: ‘Flowers and fruits, and other winged things.’ These fairies try to be funny, and fail; or they try to preach, and succeed. Real fairies never preach or talk slang. At the end, the little boy or girl wakes up and finds that he has been dreaming. Such are the new fairy stories. May we be preserved from all the sort of them!
Andrew Lang, preface to the Lilac Fairy Book (1910)

I recently re-read this quote of Andrew Lang's and just felt I had to post. I'm sure if he were alive today he would say something very similar, though I do think that he might also be excited about the wealth of 'new' tales and retellings available now. We live in a very fortunate time to have the benefit of fairy tale works by those such as Terri Windling, Jane Yolen, Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley and so, so many other wonderful writers I haven't the room to include here, not to mention having so many collections now available for the price of online access (thank you Project Gutenberg and SurLaLune!). 

Brown Fairy Book "The Enchanted Head"

I can't help but feel some wry recognition at Mr. Lang's sentiment though. I'm so grateful for a fairy tale community that shares the wealth of thoughts, ideas, incarnations and works so that I'm not limited to popular retellings and works of fantasy only. Supporting that wealth, we live in a time of vibrant and excellent fairy tale analysis by contemporary scholars such as Jack Zipes, Maria Tatar and Marina Warner (to name very few) and all the resources these wonderful people (and many more) have made available to the average person.


None of these efforts, in fiction and in scholarship, are easy but they have greatly enriched the lives of so many.

My thanks to you all in the fairy tale community - scholars, students, writers, artists, researchers, bloggers, enthusiasts and readers alike. You help make it a good time to be alive.

Brown Fairy Book "The Mermaid and the Boy"

Note: All images are by Omar Rayyan for the re-release of Andrew Lang's Brown Fairy Book by the Folio Society. You can find Mr. Rayyan's gorgeous website and portfolio HERE and the wonderful blog he shares with his artist wife Sheila Rayyan HERE.

Advertising: PPC Cement's Rapunzel

"Get 15% more concrete from every bag."

Here's a new fairy tale ad being released this month (March 2012) in South Africa. I always find it interesting to see where these ads originate.

Kind of a funny one in that you tend to get the idea straight away (ie. even Rapunzel's magically long hair is outdone by the volume this cement adds to her tower) but then basic logic kicks in and you think, it's only a matter of time, as long as the prince is patient... right? (And then you wonder, would he really wait that long?)

I do like expression on the horse's face though: "Seriously?"

Advertising Agency: The Jupiter Drawing Room, Johannesburg, South Africa
Chief Creative Officer: Brad Reilly
Creative Director: Tim Beckerling
Copywriter: Voet Sack
Art Director: Voet Sack
Agency Producer: Manuel Lopes
Photographer: Jason Robinson
Published: March 2012
Via Ads of the World.

"In Media Res: Fairy Tale As Format" Post Update & Excerpts

A couple of days ago I posted about a new social media based presentation and discussion format being used to both present and discuss topics amongst various academic institutions (students, teachers, scholars) and also those in the public who may be interested. This week the focus is on Fairy Tale As Format. You can read more about the project in my initial post HERE.

Two more videos and posts so far. Here are some excerpts:

A Dream Walking: Desire and Fantasy in Catherine Breillat's "The Sleeping Beauty"  by Michael Bessozi (Georgia State University)

There is a sinister and tragic element that underlines popular fairy tales. Elements of the fantastic become interspersed with anxieties and desires revolving around identification. At the core of many of Hans Christian Anderson’s reinterpretations of various folk tales was an aura of melancholy surrounding the personal sacrifices made for the sake of dreams. Stories such as "The Little Mermaid" become all too familiar as the macro tensions of social expectations and cultural roles obstruct the dreams of the individual. The fantasy becomes all the more cruel and heartrending as individual hopes and goals prove to be unattainable. (Continue reading HERE.)

One of the comments (which, although is somewhat simplistic in the summary of the role of fairy tales over time, does touch on an interesting point of view regarding retellings in popular entertainment):

Dream vs Reality: Wow, you have a brilliantly written argument and piece here. I immediately want to see this film not only because of it’s surface fairy tale element, but it’s deeper twists of it. I think fairy tales deal with this dream vs. reality element that you bring up a great deal, especially by the audience. In the past fairy tales were used as a way to illustrate a moral lesson. Later on, especially with Disney adaptations of them, they became more dream-like escapes for the audience. And now with modern retellings, it seems like it’s become a new level entirely, one that brings the dream-like state into the reality and forcing the audience to get rid of their original ideas and notions of fairy tales and see them in this new light. 

Anime Fairy Tales: Fighting Fate and Convention by Amanda Landa (RTF UT-Austin)

Many anime series and films utilize fantastic generic structures which feature magic, alternate worlds, heroes, heroines, princes and princesses, to varying degrees. For this theme week, I decided to go back to one of my favorite shoujo titles which plays most clearly with typical “Western” fairytale structures. Princess Tutu is one of many anime series which feature a magical girl heroine in a seemingly normal high school setting that actually obscures dark secrets and alternate realities of the attendees’ real identities. (Continue reading HERE.)

A comment & question (which is answered by Ms. Landa)

 Fairy Tales Across Borders: Hi Amanda! Thanks for the post! It’s been forever since I’ve seen Princess Tutu, so my question for you is a bit more generally about fairy tales and anime and manga. Thinking about Princess Tutu, as well as any other anime series and/or films and manga, what do you think about how fairy tales work as transcultural objects? They get passed around and adapted and tweaked to fit cultural expectations over time, and I’m curious about how you think Japanese media has done with this lore from other countries (like its use of shoujo tropes in Tutu), and whether we see many exchanges of Japanese lore and fairy tales in non-Japanese media. (Continue reading, including Ms. Landa's answer HERE.)

Still to come:

• Thursday: Mattie Tanner (University of Texas at Dallas) presents: The Root of Evil—ABC’s "Once Upon A Time" Makes Evil Characters More Human
• Friday: Lisa Schmidt (Bishop’s University) presents: "Grimm": Old School Genre Dressed in the Latest Fashion

Guest Post on SurLaLune: Little Red Riding Hood Gets "Smash"ed

Today I have a guest post over at the SurLaLune blog. It's about how the new NBC show, Smash*, made good and fun use of Red Riding Hood in a recent "heading for Broadway" number.

One thing I didn't mention is how apropos the show header (above) is with regard to the concept. All those peeks of red in the garments against wolf-gray say a lot about the show and the characters. I'm sure it wasn't intentional. It was simply meant to be eye-catching but it also suggests to me how deeply the ideas in Red Riding Hood run in our culture. You'll see what I mean more clearly when you read the lyrics to the song too.

You can read my post Little Red Riding Hood Gets "Smash"ed HERE.

Sincere thanks to Heidi for both giving me the opportunity to post on her blog and for fixing the initial formatting issues that cropped up in the sending of the material. We're wishing her every success and all the resources she needs for her new fairy tale database project. The SurLaLune Fairy Tales website is without doubt the best, most user-friendly fairy tale resource and student/enthusiast aid online and gets better and better with every tale and resource added. I can't wait to see how Heidi's new database works!

*Smash is on NBC on Monday nights and all the full episodes are currently available for viewing online HERE (click on the "Video" tab on the site).

B&tB 'Swamp Thing' Poster

Swamp Thing by Florian Bertmer for Mondo. This is the best poster I've seen playing up the Beauty & the Beast angle. I also love the single play of red against green which makes it feel even more fairy tale like. 


A little while back I saw what appears to be an amateur fairy tale illustration of four panels in black and white with the only color in them being the red of a hood, a rose and of blood. It really brought out how strong symbolism can be in fairy tales. After a bit of a hunt I found the illustration but not the original source to give credit to. If you know the artist, please let me know and I'll update the post.

Red In Fairy Tales - Artist Unknown

All Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales Comics For 1/2 Price

These comics aren't everyone's cup of tea but if you're at all interested in them then this would be a good time to try them out (or to collect all 67). All of the issues are half-price, including the 3 big volumes (Vol 1 is #1-6, Vol 2 is #7-12 and Vol 3 is #13-18 and each of the volumes have exclusive content not in the individual issues).

In case you're not familiar with these comics, here's an overview of the tales in Volume 1, which will give you an idea of how the tales are handled. Please note, the cover artwork clearly shows this is adult fare:

For over two hundred years the powerful stories of the Brothers Grimm have enchanted millions around the world but there has never been an adaptation as intriguing or provocative as this. Grimm Fairy Tales volume 1 explores a much darker side of the infamous fables you heard as a child as these classic tales are retold and re-imagined with a terrifying twist you'll simply love as an adult. Red Riding Hood is forced to confront the insatiable hunger of terrifying beast; Cinderella seeks a shocking vengeance for the years of torture she's endured; Hansel & Gretel realize that the problems they left behind at home are nothing compared to the horror that awaits them on their ill-advised journey; A desperate girl makes a deal with the hideous Rumpelstiltskin only to find she may lose much more than she ever imagined; Sleeping Beauty learns that narcissism can be a very gruesome trait to possess and an envious sister finds her extreme measures to capture the man of her dreams may lead to much worse than just heartbreak from the Robber Bridegroom. Enter a world where morality is constantly tested and the shocking repercussions of one's choices must always be faced. Enter the world of Grimm Fairy Tales.

Here are some screencaps of all of the issues, including the volumes, so far.

You can browse and buy them HERE.

In Media Res - Fairy Tale as Format

I was kindly sent this press release this morning regarding In Media Res: A Creative Commons Project from an academic friend and thought I'd share, along with an excerpt from the first post which went live today.

First though, I thought I'd include some information from their "About" page so you can understand what In Media Res is trying to do. This sort of project is exactly the type of approach I've been hoping to see since social media became so prevalent, particularly in making scholarship accessible to non-academics and allowing for communication between scholars, media and interested non-academics, so this is very exciting.

In Media Res is dedicated to experimenting with collaborative, multi-modal forms of online scholarship. Our goal is to promote an online dialogue amongst scholars and the public about contemporary approaches to studying media. In Media Res provides a forum for more immediate critical engagement with media at a pace closer to how we experience mediated texts. 

Persephone by Kristina Carroll

Each weekday, a different scholar curates a 30-second to 3-minute video clip/visual image slideshow accompanied by a 300-350-word impressionistic response. We use the title "curator" because, like a curator in a museum, you are repurposing a media object that already exists and providing context through your commentary, which frames the object in a particular way. The clip/comment combination are intended both to introduce the curator’s work to the larger community of scholars (as well as non-academics who frequent the site) and, hopefully, encourage feedback/discussion from that community.  

Theme weeks are designed to generate a networked conversation between curators. All the posts for theme weeks thematically overlap and the participating curators each agree to comment on one another’s work. 

In Media Res hopes to:
• Give scholars the opportunity to critically engage with the media in a more immediate and timely way.
• Promote discussion within the media studies community through virtual interactions around contemporary media artifacts.
• Enable a lively debate in which the sum total of the conversation will be more valuable than any one particular voice.
• Bridge the divide between academic and non-academic communities, inviting a critically-engaged and/or curious public to join in.
• Lead to the emergence of new scholarly and pedagogical ideas about studying and teaching media.
• Work toward reinvigorating the academic’s role as public intellectual by presenting media scholars not just as informed experts with valuable ideas to impart about critical media literacy, but as fellow citizens in a mediated society. 

We have both a Facebook group and Twitter feed that provide links to each day’s post and to the latest calls for curators. 

If you are interested in being a video curator, please contact us at: alisa@mediacommons.futureofthebook.org

From In Media Res this week:

This week’s In Media Res theme focus is Fairy Tale as Format (March 12-16).

Here's the line-up:

Monday, March 12, 2012 - Lindsey Kempton (Independent Scholar) presents: Fairy Tales And The Sophisticated Viewer  

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 - Michael Besozzi (Georgia State University) presents: A Dream Walking: Desire and Fantasy in Catherine Breillat’s "The Sleeping Beauty"  

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - Amanda Landa (University of Texas at Austin) presents: Anime Fairy Tales: Fighting Fate and Convention  

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - Mattie Tanner (University of Texas at Dallas) presents: The Root of Evil—ABC’s "Once Upon A Time" Makes Evil Characters More Human  

Friday, March 16, 2012 - Lisa Schmidt (Bishop’s University) presents: Fairy Tales And The Sophisticated Viewer   

Theme week organized by Maria Boyd (Georgia State University).

From "Pan's Labyrinth"

 Here's an excerpt from the first post by Lindsey Kempton, titled "Fairy Tales And The Sophisticated Viewer". The post includes a brief clip from Once Upon A Time to help illustrate the point:

Traditional fairy tale narratives are not made for today’s TV. Among a steady increase of smart, narratively complex shows that utilize attributes of the televisual medium, such as seriality and reflexivity, to their fullest, the conventional fairy tale falls flat. Their structures are too linear, too episodic, their worlds too limited, and their characters too static. At the very least, fairy tales’ self-contained stories and one dimensional protagonists would have to be altered to work for TV.  But savvy contemporary TV audiences that embrace, and to a certain extent, expect complicated narratives would yawn at a simple retrofitting of the tales. More significant changes on a narrative and structural level are required to entertain today’s sophisticated viewers. 

Fortunately, fairy tales have an inherent quality that makes them particularly amenable to adaptation. Spun from a long tradition of oral storytelling, fairy tale narratives are naturally fluid, easily allowing the stories to morph and evolve into whatever the storyteller desires so long as key narrative hallmarks remain recognizable. In part, it’s this fluidity that has allowed TV shows like Grimm and Once Upon A Time to mold the classic stories into a format fit for contemporary TV andTV audiences.

You can continue reading HERE.

There are interesting links in the related content area of the page too, such as:

• Feedback from Julie Snyder-Yuly on Working for the Fairy Tale

• Feedback from EMAC Research Project on Working for the Fairy Tale

• Working for the Fairy Tale

Go check it out and show them some love for what they're trying to achieve. The discussion on fairy tales in particular promise to be quite interesting and I'll be watching to see how interaction with readers goes. The home page is HERE.

Article: 'Once Upon a Time's' Ginnifer Goodwin Talks Fairy Tales

The Once Upon A Time cast and creators have all been talking a lot about their show recently, especially at PaleyFest (see Heidi's post on the highlights HERE), but I haven't seen a whole lot of conversation about the actual fairy tale content - both regarding source and re-envisioning - until this article on the Los Angeles Times blog HERE.

Ginnifer Goodwin, who plays the Snow White/Mary Margaret dual role, not only talks about the plot lines, twists, acting in the show and various dramas of Once but gets more detailed on barriers to happily ever after in both the fairy tale and real worlds and, most interesting to me, discusses her own research in preparing for Snow White.

[Aside: I haven't found anything of substance addressing the overall negative reaction to last week's Grumpy episode. Instead the buzz is focused on the long awaited backstory for Red Riding Hood/Ruby airing tonight. I hope for the show's sake it a good one.]

Here are some excerpts:

GG: (after mentioning she doesn't actually condone extra-marital affairs) I do feel that David and Mary Margaret are going through a struggle that is relatable. And they are a couple who put obstacles in their own way.  I’m finding that I thrive as an actress exploring that person and exploring that couple. It’s interesting because I know in some ways there has been a negative reaction by the public about what David is doing because everyone … 

Is upset because he’s married, right?Right. But people are forgetting that he’s cursed. The thing is, this couple will always put obstacles in their own way because they are cursed.  That is what makes them different from their fairy-tale counterparts. In fairy-tale land, external things are always the obstacles.  In Storybrook, just like in the modern world, these are people who insist on putting obstacles in their own way. And I think that Mary Margaret is addicted to disappointment so she puts herself in situations that are impossible — and that almost make her happy. Her curse, as inflicted by the Evil Queen, is that just when she’s about to possess her happiness, she finds a way to make things bad for herself and to have those things taken away from her... (continued in article) 

...You surely did a lot of research prior to jumping into the role. What did you consider the best interpretation of Snow White?I watched every Snow White movie ever made because I thought I could steal from people. The one I love the best is Elizabeth McGovern starring in Shelley Duvall''s "Faerie Tale Theatre." I think it's by far the best telling of the story.  I read all kinds of versions because this is not a story written by the Grimms.  This is a story older than anyone could possibly trace. It’s possible that it was based on a real-life story of a princess named Maria Sophia Maragrita.  What is bananas to me about this is I called the creators before we began the show and was like, “I love that you named her Mary Margaret after the woman who could have possibly been the inspiration for Snow White,” and they were like, “What are you talking about?” I was like, you can find online — but most of the pages you have to get translated because they’re in Russian or something — but I had said that Mary Margaret was clearly named after Maria Sophia Margarita. And they were like, “No, seriously, what are you talking about?” 

So are you saying you did more research than [creators] Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz?Ha! I guess — as far as that part goes, maybe. I mean, originally the character was going to be a nun, and that’s why she had the double name. And then when we decided not to make her nun, we stuck with the name. But what I found most helpful was — look, we were all sharing books. I found that the things that affected my process the most were these critical analyses of fairy tales.  There are these textbooks that break down what the importance was of each fairy tale in the time they were told.  And I found all of that so fascinating. In reading the breakdowns, I read a lot about Snow White’s own vanity and her competition with her mother — or evil stepmother — and that greatly changed how I saw Snow White and understanding what that story was originally meant to teach. Because then I started seeing Snow White as a bit of a spoiled brat when she was younger and she was someone who did cherish the attention she won from her father over the woman that he married. The Grimms’ version tells of Snow White’s own vanity and her not being able to turn down the beautiful comb that was offered to her by the hag or the laces that the hag offeres her to hang around her neck.  She was wrapped up in her own beauty.  And the message was that her own vanity would kill her. I really liked that idea, and I’ve incorporated it subtly into my characterization.

There's a lot more to read in the whole article HERE.