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…

Fairy tales are not romantic. I’m always baffled when people claim they want “the fairy tale.” With very few exceptions, fairy tales contain none of the hallmarks of romance. No meet-cutes, no long courtships, no enemies to friends (exception being Beauty and the Beast) and all the kissing happens when one of the party is unconscious. Not romantic!

And yet, we continue to look for our romantic ideals in fairy tales that were written in a time when romance was more about worship from afar, and becoming a couple was more about joining of property than joining of soulmates.

But I do believe in literary romance—Jane Austen comes to mind—just not in fairy tales. I just prefer my happily ever after’s to actually include love. Maybe we should change the saying to wanting the “Austen novel” or “fill-in-the-blank novel” (like Susanna Kearsley or Olivia Atwater).

Or (shameless plug) The Cemetery Circle!

What’s your favorite happily ever after?

Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

The Return of the Feminista

After taking some time to concentrate on my book, I've decided to revive my Fairytale Feminista blog. Come back soon to read new posts and find updates about my new book, A Smuggler's Path--coming this summer!

Diversity Fantasy?

I remember being 4 or 5 and going to get my picture taken with Santa. My uncle took me and I didn’t want to stand in the Macy’s line, so we went elsewhere. I don’t think I was concerned with telling Santa what was on my list or even meeting the man, himself. All I knew was that I had on a cute outfit and would get my picture taken. After waiting in a line shorter than the one at Macy’s, I finally had my chance to indulge my vanity. But there was a problem. I had been lied to by my family.

We came home, my uncle and I, with a photo. In it, I was stiff and frowning. When my mother asked why I didn't smile, I promptly replied "Santa Claus no es negro. Santa Claus es blanco." My mother and other relatives who heard the story and saw the picture laughed to hear my explanation of how I didn't smile because the real Santa Claus is white. Inadvertently, I had stumbled upon an idea that led me to this post.

Later, when I was a little older, I played pretend with a friend. Snow White had just been re-released. It was as good a pretend game as any. It took a turn, however, when I said I wanted to play Snow White. My friend turned to me and without malice said “You can’t play Snow White. You’re not white.” I didn’t know what to say to that, but we moved on to some other game.

Put together, it just sounds like some funny anecdotes from my childhood, but I'm betting I wasn't the only one to have this experience. Despite myriad options to watch and read in fantasy, it has remained a rather uni-ethnic genre. Like Friends, uni-ethnic! I don't want to soapbox, but what's up with that?

Why in fantasy--where the limit is the entire spectrum of imagination--does the world look basically white?

There are exceptions--like BBC imports that practice colorblind casting—but very little to reflect all of us. Is it out of the realm of possibility for fantasy movies and TV to imagine a protagonist that isn't northern European? I know our collective consciousness is based on fairy tales and fables from Germany and England, but they were meant to reflect the public at large. Now that we embrace revisionist mythology, fractured fairy tales if you will, shouldn't we revamp the picture?

Rapunzel can be an African-American girl with super strong weave.

Jack the Giant Killer could be strong, brave, and gay.

Cinderella could be looking for the perfect pair of glass shoes to fit her size thirteen feet, supporting her plus-size frame.

Maybe Snow White could be Hispanic.

In that reality, maybe a girl would smile if she sat on Black Santa's lap.

I would love to hear from other readers and writers about diversity in fantasy. Have you seen a book, TV show or movie that reflects our new world geared towards teens or adults?

The Straw Maiden (aka Rumpelstiltskin) Part 3

When last we saw our heroine, a small man had entered her chamber filled with straw unnoticed."Can I help?" ventured the visitor. Startled, the crying maiden failed to respond. Wiping her face and smoothing her rumpled hair she looked at the man who had just entered. He was no bigger than an adolescent, but had the eyes of an old soul. Despite her shock, she found nothing threatening about him."Unless you can spin straw into gold, I fear, I can only ask you for a handkerchief," she said with a wry smile."Lucky for you I can do both," he said as he handed her a crisp handkerchief. She looked at him and finally took in his whole appearance. He was not as small as she first thought, just slight of build. His face was kind, but guarded as though he was unsure of his welcome. But he quickly warmed when at his task. The straw became gold filigree before her eyes."What can I give you in return?" she asked fearful of his demands. She was not naive to the ways of the world and knew some men would press an advantage."Your company. Tell me about yourself and I'll tell you as much as I can about myself," he replied. They talked for hours, hesitantly at first and then as old friends, laughing and sharing. When dawn broke the work was done and, fearing they would never meet again, she pressed the small bracelet into his hand. Before either could say more, the door was being unlocked and he vanished.The king swept in and barely noticed the look of contempt on the maiden's face. He was hungry for the sight of so much gold it blinded him to all else. He finally acknowledged her with a cursory nod."Come with me," he said with a smile that was not for her. He kept her with him all day although he made no attempt at conversation. For her part, she kept her eyes downcast partly to continue her show of modesty, but also giving herself the opportunity to think about her night visitor. At the end of the day, she was exhausted and assumed the guard would return her to her room. Instead a turn down a new corridor brought her to another room with enough straw to dwarf last night's offering. The same spinning wheel stood in the middle of the straw mountain. After a sleepless night and a day of being observed yet ignored, despair gave way to sleep.She awoke to the familiar sound of the spinning wheel and her friend in quiet concentration addressing the task at hand."I brought you something to remember me by," he said over his shoulder. "Look in my satchel."Inside she found a book of herb lore and healing. She smiled her first real smile since last seeing him and its warmth reached him. She was touched that he remembered her speaking of her wish to learn more about healing to help others. The spinning took most of the night to finish this time, but they passed it as pleasantly as the night before. Before leaving he was emboldened to kiss her. She pressed her mother's ring into his hand and asked him to return for her.That day was much like the last except the king smiled at her more. Perhaps it was to put her at ease, but it had the opposite effect. On this night the king himself led her away. She didn't know whether to fear another room of straw or his bedchamber, but neither choice would have been welcomed. Nevertheless he opened the door to an unfathomable amount of straw, and with a look of pure arrogance said "If you finish this by morning, not only will I spare you and your father, but I shall make you my queen."He did not stay for her reaction, so sure was he of her gratitude and the honor she must feel. She dropped to the ground and with such incentive as marriage to this odious man started calculating how she could save herself and her father. It was at this point that her spinning friend appeared from the shadows."I have tried in vain to rescue your father, but he knows of the kings plans. He hopes to see you married to him and knows you will be well provided for," he said with a heavy heart. Her hand had found its way to him and they stood for a moment regarding each other. Then he set to work.He was like a man possessed working furiously and silently. He finished well before sunrise and in a rush of words, tears and the thought of never seeing each other again, were soon entwined on a bed of gold thread. He promised to return for her with her father to escape. He left then, but the memory of their shared gift stayed with her.The king arrived as always and was awed by the golden glow "Now we shall be wed," he said looking at the gold. For her part, she looked to the shadows and hoped her spinner would return in time. It was at that moment, she realized she never asked his name......To Be Continued...

Story #1 Rumpelstiltskin

As written by J.L.C. & W.C. Grimm (hereafter to be called the Grimm brothers), Rumpelstiltskin is the story of a miller who brags to his king that his beautiful and clever daughter can spin straw into gold. The greedy king takes the girl and tells her she must spin a rooms full of gold, each one bigger than the last, on pain of death. Each night the maiden cries and a little man comes offering to do the task for her at a price. On the third and last night the king says he will marry her if she spins one more room full of straw into gold. Stripped of her possessions from the last two nights of work, the little man demands her first born child by the king. She agrees, the task is completed and the miller's daughter becomes queen. She soon forgets her promise, but after becoming a mother the little man returns to collect his prize. She begs for him to reconsider and offers him half the kingdom, but he refuses. Instead he gives her three days to learn his name. She searches the kingdom and on the last day a palace guard discovers an unusual little man singing to himself in the woods. He reveals his name is Rumpelstiltskin. The lady rejoices, says his name and a fuming Rumpelstiltskin leaves without his prize.Most notably the story does not end with the prerequisite "...and they lived happily ever after". Even the Grimm brothers understood that this story would be a stretch when it came to happiness. When I read this to my daughter the first time I had so many questions that I fully admit I doubt I had when I was her age.

1. Why did her father brag to the king about something she clearly couldn't do?
2. How was she able to marry a man who, the day before, was going to kill her?
3. Who goes around listening at doors for crying maidens who need their straw spun into gold?

   I already had an opinion written out about this story, but what struck me the most while I wrote out the summary was the importance of names. With only one exception, everyone in the story had a title, but not a name. The story is resolved by the power of knowing someone's name. Yet we never learn the name of the miller, queen, king, palace guard, or the prize, the royal baby (which in some versions dies). It's things like this that beg for completion. In an attempt to answer my own questions about the story, I've rewritten it, but opted to retain the feel of storytelling. Click here for my version of the story, The Straw Maiden.

BTW, I completely appreciate the observation that I'm starting my posts with a story about the importance of names and I have not included my own name in this blog. I too believe names are important and feel a Rumpelstiltskin-like desire to guard it ;)

Welcome to My Corner

I grew up with Disney.Princesses, princes, evil queens and mad sorcerers. Not to mention fathers with motherless children who tried to fix the situation with new mothers. (Disney taught me this rarely works out.) As the years went by we added more studios and cable channels, but the basic stories were all based on the same sources. Whether you know it or not Hans Christian Andersen and the brother's Grimm raised us, but I'm almost certain you don't know the original stories (and neither do your children).In the interest of reading to my daughter because I enjoy reading, want her to read, and have been guilted by mommy blogs everywhere that TV is evil, I decided to try some of the classics. And they're awful - especially if you're reading to a girl and hoping to raise a strong, independent woman. Don't misunderstand me - I have nothing against royalty, real, imagined or historical, and I love a happy ending. However, enforced servitude and "rescue by marriage" are not what I want to endorse as a happy ending. At least Disney has updated their female characters to reflect (most) modern values.So I have embarked on a mission of sorts to re-examine these beloved classics and hopefully give them more depth, or humor, or at least more girl power. I hope you like my efforts and I invite you to share your insights!