It was not once upon a time, but a certain time in history, before anyone knew what was happening, that Walt Disney cast a spell on the fairy tale, and he has held it captive ever since.
Jack ZipesThe fairy tale emanates from specific struggles to humanize bestial and barbaric forces, which have terrorized our minds and communities in concrete ways, threatening to destroy free will and human compassion. The fairy tale sets out to conquer this concrete terror through metaphors.
Jack ZipesThough Snow White might triumph in the tale, she will undoubtedly acquire a mirror after she marries, matures, and has children, and as the mirror reflects her aging and loss of beauty, she will be confronted by a young girl whose innocence and youth will spark her envy and hatred and perhaps drive her to eliminate her โcompetition.โ It appears as though there is a vicious cycle that entraps women up through today. Everything is played out under the male gaze.
Jack ZipesAlas for those girls who've refused the truth: The sweetest tongue has the sharpest tooth.
Jack ZipesIf there is one โconstantโ in the structure and theme of the wonder tale, it is transformation.
Jack ZipesFairy tales begin with conflict because we all begin our lives with conflict. We are all misfit for the world, and somehow we must fit in, fit in with other people, and thus we must invent or find the means through communication to satisfy as well as resolve conflicting desires and instincts.
Jack Zipes