Should Fairy Tales be retold for the changing times?

By Sampurna Chakraborty, B.A. Honours English

Design by Nandana

“And they lived happily ever after…”

Since childhood, the notion of 'happily ever' after has been imposed upon our minds like an objective reality that knows no alternative through either fairy tales or cinema. This notion is, however, thoroughly distorted as life does not end with two people uniting but it merely begins. What if Prince Charming of Cinderella was not that charming after all?! Or that Prince Florian over time loses interest in Snow White because beauty is admittedly ephemeral? Won't children who are in their formative years spin fantasies about happily ever after, or get influenced by the unrealistic beauty standards and gender roles set by these tales? Should'nt they be given a peek of the augmented reality that encompasses them?

An ongoing debate that has been going around in the literary world for quite some time is whether fairy tales should be retold in the spirit of contemporary times. Critics are found vacillating between a yes and a no, with the former critiquing the established stereotypes promoted by these tales and the latter upholding the didactic purpose of the tales and the tradition associated with it . In this context , I am of the opinion that Fairy Tales should be retold for the changing times and this is why.

When these tales were written, they catered to a specific audience within a particular cultural context. But now the times have changd and so have people's mindsets. Gone are the days when women were only pretty little damsels in distress waiting to be rescued. Today, we are teaching young children to be independent. The world that we live in is bitter-sweet, twisted and sometimes even ugly. A world that fairy tales often tend to avoid ,divulging. Fairy Tales are often criticised for perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards where physical beauty is treated as a virtue and is often entwined with the woman's whole identity and success. The iconography of negative characters like witches and villains are often associated with ugliness which is further equated with evilness. Today, however, we teach young children to transcend the realm of physical beauty and unlike Cinderella, not be a passive victim of abuse but voice their opinions loud and clear.

My objective has not been to ostracise all fairy tales. I have myself been an ardent reader of them since childhood. Of course, there are tales which have been serving as an instrument of inspiration and empowerment. However some of these tales must be retold in the spirit of the contemporary times to reflect modern values and sensibilities. Only then can we truly unleash the transformative power of these stories, where "Beauty is not just a physical quality, but a radiant light from within" (Beauty and the Beast), shining brighter when unencumbered by outdated stereotypes and limitations.