The Fairy Tale Feminista
Answering life’s questions one fairy tale at a time.
Food & Fairy Tales
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I started to think about the relationship of food and fairy tales. Just a cursory look is a mixed bag. Food is a weapon, a threat, transportation, or an opportunity to change your life, just to name a few.
In Snow White, the evil queen’s last-ditch effort to rid herself of her stepdaughter is an apple. A poisoned apple. Hansel and Gretel is probably the scariest of the food references. After being abandoned by their father and mother, they come to a home made of candy and gingerbread only to be trapped by the witch inside who eats children!
Summer Shorts #4: Humpty Dumpty is not an egg
Here’s a random thought: why do we think Humpty Dumpty is an egg man? If you just read the words, he could be anything or anyone that falls from a great height and then can’t be fixed. In fact, the identity of the unfortunate character has been discussed since it was first written. For some, it was posed as a riddle instead of a poem. Another possibility is that Humpty Dumpty was a drink of brandy boiled with ale. In which case, couldn’t Humpty Dumpty be a bottle of liquor?
Summer Short #3: The Pied Piper of Marketing
Marketing is something I find daunting and frankly a little boring. You spend time, effort, and sometimes money and then send it out into the world without knowing if it will make a dent. In order to get noticed you have to be either consistent or splashy. The part where I think it’s boring makes consistency tricky and being splashy is just as tricky when it tends to be outrageous.
Modern Fairy Tale?
What makes a fairy tale modern? Does it have to be completely original? Is it a traditional story retold with modern sensibilities? Or is there a third option?
Original fairy tales are hard to come by, especially if you agree with the notion that only a set number of stories exist. There are days I believe that (like when I look at the movie landscape full of prequels, sequels and retellings). On good days I know there are new stories—or at least new to me. I haven’t read stories from all the cultures of the world and there are tons.
Does it Matter Where you Start?
Have you ever noticed that fairy tales don’t start with:
“Once upon a time a forlorn prince looked out his window and wondered if he’d ever find his true love…”
OR
“There was once a princess whose father decreed one day that her potential husband would be determined by a stranger’s ability to outwit a troublesome giant…”
Inspired to Fairy Tale
Once upon a time there was a box. Within it was contained all the stories of the world. Stories of grit to stir the soul. Stories of ardor to touch the heart. Stories of humor to lighten the load. Stories of tension to quicken the pulse. But the box contained more than just stories.
Plot Vs. Character, Fairy Edition
Plot Vs. Character—Fairy Edition
First, let’s address the elephant in the room…or the blog. I’ve been gone for a really long time. It wasn’t intentional, but it was with a good reason. I’ve been working on the last book in my Enchanted Path series and being a final book in a series, it’s become a bit of a bear. More on that in another post. This one is a question I’ve been asking myself while working through (seemingly) endless edits.
Just Say Fantasy
It's the end of Hispanic Heritage Month in the states and I have a confession to make.
I am a Latin American woman and I don't like magical realism.
Universal Fairy Tale Care
The other day my daughter said something that caught me completely off guard. We were watching A Tale Dark and Grimm on Netflix (which if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend) and there was a reference to Rumpelstiltskin. She turned to me and asked who Rumpelstiltskin was.
Reader, I was flabbergasted!
Pulling a Prince out of a Bear
As a reader, I love a good and well-considered plot twist. Depending on who you ask there are only six, seven, or thirty-six stories in the world. With that in mind, the only way to very them is with a good twist. Mind you I said a good twist. Too often I’ve been on the receiving end of a story that bends over backward to make a plot work with a twist so implausible it ruins it. There is such a thing as too twisty a plot and I say this as a person who reads fantasy and fairy tales. Even they get it wrong sometimes.
Fairytale Retellings 2022
Before you ask, no that is not a typo and yes I am aware we are now in 2023. But the turning of the year was bumpy complete with an injury and a rather bad cold. Because of it, I got a slow start to all my work. But I’ll take a note from all the fairy tales I’ve read and know that how you start isn’t necessarily how you finish. In that spirit, I’m starting the year with a list, my list of fairytale-based reading from 2022
The List
Romantic comedies (and any romance genre for that matter) are our modern-day equivalent of fairy tales. At least the “girl-finds-a-prince or the boy-is-given-a-princess-type” fairy tale. It has a discernable formula—two people meet, they fall in love, an obstacle separates them (and according to Hallmark movies, that’s at the hour and thirty mark), and then all hurts are mended to a happily ever after conclusion—and often used devices. One of the most used is the List.
Adult Rant
Maybe it’s the mom of a teenager talking, but I’m really tired of protagonists with lousy impulse control. It might also be the reason I’ve been actively seeking out books with adults. When I think about it Chosen One children or <gasp> teens would be a nightmare. Despite knowing nothing and adults actively trying to help them they have a psychotic need to “go it alone” or “try things out: at night, usually in a forest or a creepy basement.
Questions for the Queen
I’ve been in analysis mode with Snow White for some reason.
I’ve decided not to question it.
Ever think the mirror was messing with the queen? It was a fairy mirror and fairies are notoriously fickle and endlessly mischievous. Maybe they were tired of getting the same question over and over again.
First Three Things
Random thoughts are a given for most people. For writers they’re source material—the answer to the oft-asked question, “What inspired this story?” Here’s one of those stray thoughts that crept in during a sleepless night.
What were Snow White’s first thoughts when she woke up? Aside from the obvious—who’s this guy?
To Warn or Not to Warn
To Warn or Not to Warn...that is the question.
One of the reasons we read fairy tales is to be transported in a predictable way. Yes, it’s all fantastical, but there are big neon sign type clues that tell you it’s coming. If you save a golden fish in a lake, you better believe it’s going to get you wishes. If a fairy godmother comes with a dress for the ball, you’re going to catch a prince’s eye. And if some rando takes your broken-down old cow and gives you beans, your garden is not getting basic wildflowers.
Running Through the Forest with Disney
As anyone who likes fairy tales knows, it is impossible to ignore the outsized influence of Disney. Many of the stories we think of as universal are really our collective watching of movies made by The Mouse. I personally have no problem with this because I love a good fairy tale re-telling (although I admit some are not that good) and my favorite is Robin Hood.
The Day After
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day (as if you didn’t know), the day dedicated to love. And though it’s supposed to be about all love, romantic love is arguably the most exciting, so it’s what we focus on. I’ve never been a fan of Valentine’s Day, but it doesn’t stop me from appreciating the symbols and gestures of the holiday. With one exception…
A Winter Story, part II
Well, this is embarrassing…
A few weeks ago, I was scrambling for an idea. I’ve been remiss with my postings lately and I didn’t want another week to go by without putting something up. It’s not that I haven’t been writing—I’m in my (fingers-crossed) last couple of edit passes with my editor and outlining new projects—but when I’m in fiction mode, it’s hard to shift over to creative non-fiction. It’s what gave me my first idea.
New Year, Old Story
Readers, December was tough. Something about dealing with the holidays under the malaise of a pandemic and all the other issues that came along with it made it impossible for me to sit down and write posts. It was a struggle to finish my next round of edits, but I prioritized that and finished. Now just two or three more rounds to go…
Never miss a new post
Subscribe to the Fairy Tale Feminista