Beyond Postmodernism: Reconsidering the Fairy Tale in the 21st Century

Abstract

Research into the genre of fairy tales has penetrated numerous disciplines and discourses. The female quest is one matter of study that has been limited due to a lack of focus on the heroic quest of fairy tales. Postmodern discourse—under the guidance of feminism and Marxism—has concentrated primarily on the psychosocial and gender-based implications of fairy tales. Yet, the quest motif also has important implications to fairy tale studies, and it can shed light on the generalities imposed by ideological critique. Moreover, the female quest of fairy tales involves structural patterns of power, which facilitate an analytical approach to understanding how meaning and value are constructed and delivered to the reader. Once deconstructed, fairy tales exemplify these patterns of power, expressing differences as they arise from storyteller to storyteller. Further, the differences in voice also arise between male and female-authored fairy tales because the perspective on the heroine’s quest for power will differ. The fairy tales of Emma Donoghue, Catherine Breillat, Jim Henson, and Hayao Miyazaki are the primary texts that are used to compare the male and female voice. In this light, analysis can offer a process of transformation that will further transform fairy tales and fairy tale studies in the 21^st century and beyond.