Gender/Sexuality Dramaturgy

  Within fairytales, women have most often been ascribed gender roles that matched the society of the time. Young women are often portrayed as docile and innocent, but easily corruptible by outside forces. The witch archetype is present within many fairy tales as well, such as Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel, and The Little Mermaid. Witches are often portrayed as greedy, power hungry, and evil. In contrast, men in these fairytales are often portrayed as heroic, saving the day and rescuing the princess.

  Fairy tales often center young women as the protagonists, with Snow White being 7 in the myth, and around 15 in the Disney movie. Similarly, Aurora was 15 in the original myth, and was aged up to 16 for the Disney film. The centering of adolescents in these myths is similar to what is seen in the use of fairy tales as a warning tale for young people, with these stories being aimed at young people. The messages about gender and sexuality that are sent within these works are often adjusted as society changes. An example of this is how the archetype of a “Disney Princess” has changed over time, going from being a damsel in distress to a hero who can save herself in more recent times. Sexuality in these fairy tales is often very watered down and censored, especially compared to the sexuality within the original versions of these stories. When it comes to queerness within fairy tales, it is often ignored or does not exist within these fairy tale worlds. When telling fairy tales stories in modern times, considering the ways a different version of happily ever after can be told is key. What does it look like if a story doesn’t end with a heteronormative wedding? How can work explore the more complex inner life of the characters, while still retaining the fairytale aesthetic at the core of the work?

  In an article by Lewis C. Seifert called Queer(ing) Fairy Tales, he explores how fairy tale retellings can change the narrative around queerness in these stories. I appreciate that Seifert recognizes the power that fairy tales hold within popular culture,and what could be possible if the narratives around fairy tales shifted.  Is it possible to create queer fairy tales that become as much a part of the cannon as stories like Cinderella or Snow White? In addition, how can writers work to give their characters more agency within their own narratives, presenting them as fully fleshed out people as opposed to being made out of archetypes?

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Sources cited: 

• Pavlinich, Elan. Studies in Medievalism XXVI: Ecomedievalism on JSTOR. 2017, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.7722/j.ctt1kgqvzg.6.pdf.

• Karjalainen, A. “Deconstructing Sleeping Beauty : Angela Carter and Écriture Feminine: Semantic Scholar.” Undefined, 1 Jan. 1970, www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Deconstructing-Sleeping-Beauty-%3A-Angela-Carter-and-Karjalainen/35c79acb2dba07d1bd1d2d0c60136a1d014aa56e.

• Riley , Cole. An Encouraging Evolution Among the Disney Princesses? 2017, www.jstor.org/stable/45157186.