Nearly all folklorists would agree that 'wonder tales' (also called magic tales, fairy tales, or märchen), include plots that are mostly listed under tale types ATU 300 through ATU 749 in the international index (Vaz da Silva, pp.400). 'Morphologically, these tales involve a shift into enchantment or the otherworld, followed by a subsequent return to the mundane world.'
I hadn't encountered the word 'märchen' before, so I researched it in an online dictionary. According to Encyclopedia Britannica Online (2010), märchen is a 'folktale characterized by elements of magic or the supernatural, such as the endowment of a mortal character with magical powers or special knowledge; variations expose the hero to supernatural beings or objects. The German term Märchen, used universally by folklorists, also embraces tall tales and humorous anecdotes; although it is often translated as “fairy tale,” the fairy is not a requisite motif. Versions of these stories, sometimes almost identical, have been found all over the world. Their origin is unknown. They have been subjected to literary reworking from very early times.' In my reading so far, I have seen the terms folklore and fairy tales used interchangeably, but wasn't sure if they exactly meant the same thing. Apparently though, they can be understood as the same thing.
'any collective identification is partially configured by discursivity (such as the “lore”), and that a “folk” is not merely a gathering of persons, but a shared identity constituted through aesthetic performances and other discursive actions' - Gencarella, 2011, pp. 264
As the above definition states, the fairy/ folk tale cannot be traced to its origins. However, Ruth Bottigheimer (2002) claims that the 16th century Italian author Giovanni Francesco Straparola is the inventor of the fairy tale and that 'other literati then diversified these tales and fed them into folklore' (Vaz da Silva, pp. 403). 'In Bottigheimer’s analysis, the thirteen or so magic tales that Straparola included in Le Piacevoli Notti supposedly grew into the whole of the European fairy-tale tradition within about 250 years' (Vaz da Silva, pp. 399).
Vaz da Silva disputes her claim throughout his entire 2010 article on the subject. He disagrees with the idea that the origin or authors of fairy tales is even possible to discover - 'the very notion of a first-time author becomes useless. Arguably, it is as futile to search for the inventor of fairy tales as it is to seek for the author of language, the creator of mythology, or the architect of religion' (pp 400).
The essence of Bottigheimer’s argument is that the people described as 'folk' as a whole cannot author fairy tales and that the oral tradition is only the end or the 'fruit' of a process of invention and transmission by literary means. She uses the metaphor of a vine and its fruit to describe the dissemination process of the folk tale into society: 'Like the vine, folk narrative is an organic entity, expanding over time in all auspiciously receptive directions and producing prolifically thriving and abundant results' (1993). This stance draws on Albert Wesselski’s theory - that the book has been the main means of dissemination for folk narratives (Vaz da Silva, pp.402)
The elitist notion that fairy tales have been provided through solely literary means to feel the folk imagination is problematic. 'Bottigheimer never ventures to explain why people in traditional settings should be unable to create and transform magic tales. Moreover, she disregards the fact that folklorists often found their treasure troves of tales among illiterate communities' (pp402).
Tales change throughout time and space, and each culture or folk interprets and adapts tales to reflect its own value system. 'Tales collected from folk tradition demonstrate that the story took on a life of its own in the repertoires of various narrators' (Vas da Silva, pp 406) Fairy tales, or Märchen, usually begin with a formula such as 'once upon a time,' setting the story in an indefinite time and place. The characters are stylized, such as wicked stepmothers and damsels in distress. 'The situations they present are familiar to the listeners; i.e., European Märchen reflect the economic and domestic arrangements of peasants and simple workmen, such as millers, tailors, or smiths. Those of ancient origin may reflect archaic social conditions, such as matriarchy, primitive birth and marriage customs, or old forms of inheritance' (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2010). Donald Haase hails 'a concept of textuality that views each tale not as a text assigned to a permanent place in a linear succession or hierarchy that takes us back to an original or primary form, but as a component in a larger web of texts that are linked to each other in multiple ways and have equal claim to our attention' (2006, pp. 225)
'Folktales variously convey the values of the community. creations of individual tale-tellers will endure only insofar as they are accepted and retold—insofar as they survive the “preventive censorship of the community,” in line with the community-shared values and norms. materials in the traditional chain tend to comply with the extant norm' (Vaz da Silva, 2014, pp. 26). 'Folklore is largely symbolic; and symbolism thrives in variation, which means that a comparative approach is required if we wish to grasp how empirically different motifs may reflect stable traditional notions' (pp. 34). In 2009, Stephen Gencarella presented a case for the development of a 'critical' folklore studies. His use of the term 'Critical' in this sense to suggest the 'active pursuit of emancipation from oppression, the recognition and address of domination and privilege, and the promotion of democratic social change' (2011, pp.252). This shows his belief, and the understanding of many other folklorists, that folk tales can be used as a catalyst for social change. It is freedom-making and is a resource available for individual and collective people to adjust their orientations towards the world.
References:
Bottigheimer, R. (1993). Luckless, Witless, and Filthy-Footed: A Sociocultural Study and Publishing History Analysis of "The Lazy Boy". The Journal of American Folklore, 106(421), p.259.
Bottigheimer, R. (2002). Fairy godfather. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Gencarella, S. (2011). Folk criticism and the Art of critical Folklore Studies. The Journal of American Folklore, 124(494), pp.251-271.
Haase, D. (2006). Hypertextual Gutenberg. The Textual and Hypertextual Life of Folktales and Fairy Tales in English-Language Popular Print Editions. Fabula, 47(3-4), pp.225.
Vaz da Silva, F. (2010). The Invention of Fairy Tales. Journal of American Folklore, 123(490), pp.398-425.
Vaz da Silva, F. (2014). Why Cinderella’s Mother Becomes a Cow. Marvels & Tales, 28(1), pp.25-37.
