Fairy Tales: A Life-Long Obsession

Click here to go back to the Fairy Tale Fortnight Main Page, 
where you can access the schedule!
Here's what's going on at A Backwards Story!
 Or go here to get involved!

I've always loved fairy tales.  I couldn't tell you how the obsession started.  I remember falling in love with a little mermaid named Ariel, a starry-eyed dreamer named Belle, an adventurous gal called Thumbelina, a cursed princess named Odette... We sang together, we danced together, we laughed and cried together.  Animated fairy tale movies were the staple of my childhood.  I didn't care if the studio was Disney, Fox, what-have-you.  These girls were dreamers, and so was I.

©Temporary-Peace
Over time as I grew up, my interests evolved and changed.  I thought fondly of the princesses of my youth, but not much beyond that.  In middle school, I was introduced to the movie Ever After, which quickly became my favorite.  A Cinderella who knew her prince beforehand, who was kick-ass in her own right, who re-introduced the beauty of fairy tales to me in new and innovative ways?  I was in love!  Soon after, I discovered Gail Carson Levine's delightful ELLA ENCHANTED, which featured more of the same.  Next, I was introduced to stories through the eyes of dastardly villains, be they the witch from Rapunzel in Donna Jo Napoli's ZEL or the Wicked Witch of the West in Gregory Maguire's WICKED.

Change was afoot, and I was once again interested in fairy tales.  They didn't HAVE to be the carefree stories I grew up with.  They were more mature and resilient   There was something magical that I fell in love with all over again.  When you're young, you think you outgrow things and you're ready to grow up.  When you "grow up," you realize that it's okay to like things that you should have outgrown.  Who cares if you want to watch animated Disney movies?  They're still magical and special and worth coming back to time and again like dear old friends.  Maybe we see the stories through jaded eyes now, but sometimes it's nice to let go and be swept away in this world.

I honestly can't tell you why I fell in love with fairy tales or what makes me return to them again and again.  This is one of my favorite sub-genres, and I can read new versions of the same tales over and over and always find something new.  To some that's weird since I'm no longer a child, but I no longer care.  Fairy tales will always hold a special place in my heart!

What led to your fairy tale obsession?

Comments

  1. I'm so glad you don't feel bad about love fairy tales when you are grown up because I don't either. I still love Disney and I still love to read fairy tales.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *fist pump* Precisely!

      When I was younger, I did feel bad. I let comments about the inappropriateness of loving kiddie movies get to me. Now, I don't care. I love them and I'm PROUD.

      Delete
  2. I know exactly how you feel. I've been obsessed with fairy tales my whole life. I'm constantly drawn to fairy tale retellings. It's always nice to see another authors interpretation of different fairy tales. :)

    I actually started reading Deerskin by Robin McKinley. It's a retelling of Donkeyskin. So far, so good. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is! Oooh, Robin McKinley! I have just about every book she's ever written! (Though I still won't read my copy of PEGASUS until 2 and 3 come out, so I'm in for a loooong wait. And that's why I DID wait. A cliffhanger on this wait!?) I'm actually featuring her on my vlog today, whoot!

      Delete
  3. Do you really want to hear the whole story? That might take a while! I'll be sharing it sometime during FTF, though (: I love that Disney wasn't your only source of animated fairy tale movies. I think in some ways I liked The Swan Princess, Thumbelina, and Anastasia even more than some Disney movies! I haven't seen Ever After, but since it played such a large role in your discovery of retellings, I might just have to check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You know.. I'm not sure how my obsession started. I do know that I have loved Disney as long as I can remember. I have almost every dvd so I can re-watch them when I feel like it. I also have merchandise and when people laugh at my passion for fairytales, retellings and Disney, I honestly don't care :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. After Dick and Jane and Spot of course, it was a natural progression to fairy tales. I must have read hundreds of beautifully illustrated books in our elementary school library. I so wish I had the names of the books now. Or even remember the stories.

    Heather

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for taking the time to stop and comment! I appreciate it more than I can say. I try to respond to each one!