Fairy Tales are stories where kings and queens, princes and princesses, fairies, goblins, elves, giants, talking animals, demons and witches form the main characters. Fairy Tales are linked to folktales
and folklores of a particular region. These stories originally existed in the oral tradition and were later put to writing. One common characteristic of fairy tales is that the setting is always in an undefined time and place. Such a setting lets the readers' imagination run free. You must have noticed the
‘ Once Upon a Time
' phrase used at the beginning of most fairy tales.
Fairy Tales are much enjoyed by young children. Children are fascinated by fairy tales because all sorts of improbable things happen in fairy tales. So we have the fairy
godmother in
Cinderella who can turn Cinderella into a beautiful princess just by waving her magic wand. A frog can turn into a handsome prince by a princess' kiss as seen in
The Frog Prince . A whole house can be made of chocolates and cookies as is the case in
Hansel and Gretel . All these things which will never happen in real life become the subject matter in fairy tales. The happy endings of Fairy Tales make them even more popular.
Fairy Tales often deal with adult themes and serious issues.
Cinderella for instance deals with a very real issue. In portraying the plights and sufferings of a young orphan girl, this fairy tale speaks of the importance of parental care in the lives of children. This theme is repeated in
Snow White and
Hansel and Gretel .
Contemporary Fairy Tales are both original stories as well as adaptations of older fairy tales. Modern writers often make use of form and motifs of fairy tales to tell their story. Contemporary Fairy Tales present the complexities of human existence in the simple framework of a fairy tale. Some writers use the fantastic discourse to address a contemporary issue.
Some Popular Titles of Contemporary Fairy Tales
Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling. These novels are about a young magician named Harry and deals with how Harry and his magician friends deal with monsters and wicked people.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a fantasy novel written in epic style and form. This contemporary fairy tale comes as a trilogy. It is a sequel to Tolkien's earlier fantasy book, The Hobbit .
The Light Princess, The Golden Key , and The Wise Woman by George MacDonald are commonly called contemporary fairy tales.
The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka is a contemporary fairy tale with comic effects.
The Invisible Hand by Lansing Scott. The book deals with an invisible hand which has tremendous mythical powers.
Fairy Tales, old or new, will never lose their charm. Enjoy Contemporary Fairy Tales which are as good as the traditional tales.
