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What Is A Chronotope?
According to Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin (1895–1975), a chronotope is a type of image which fuses space in a time in a concrete and meaningful way. He introduced this term in 1937. The word chronotope comes by way of Russian from the Greek words for time and place. Think chronology + topography smooshed together. But when […]
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Winter Rose: A Fractured Fairytale (Beauty and the Beast)
A merchant wanted to go to a fair. He asked his three daughters what he should bring back for them. This time, none of the daughters replied.
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King Midas: An Ancient AI Allegory
King Midas was a King of Phrygia, a dominant kingdom in Asia Minor from around 1200–700 BC. He thought quite a lot of himself apparently, and boasted that anything he touched would turn to gold. Perhaps he was speaking metaphorically, but he goes down in mythology as a supernatural character whose touch would literally turn anything […]
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The Porridge Thief: Fractured Fairytale (Goldilocks and the Three Bears)
Once upon a time there lived three bears. They decided to live in a house after simply stumbling upon a cute cottage one day, in a wood. Also of note: They weren’t really bears.
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The Magic Pipe: A Fractured Fairytale (The Pied Piper)
At least the girl wore white. The bright night-gown shimmered as she ran. The heavens thundered, and glowed as if burning.
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Lotta: Red Riding Hood
A fairytale re-visioning and reclamation of the old tale Little Red Riding Hood, which the Grimm Brothers repurposed to keep women and girls in their place.
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Trip Trap: A Three Billy Goats Gruff Fairytale Re-visioning
ANNE Once upon a time, three billy goats lived on a hillside. They were very gruff. That’s why Anne separated the billies into their own pens, where they could not butt heads. She built the fences with no help from her two older brothers. But the smallest and gruffest of the billies had this morning […]
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The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale Analysis
“The Red Shoes” (1845) is a — let’s face it — horrific literary fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen (1805 – 1875), built on a tradition of stories in which a female character is punished (by her ostentatious, sexually charged shoes) for her social deviation.
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Urban Legend Study: Vicks Vaporub For Everything
Certain products attract urban legends: Vicks Vaporub, WD-40, “miracle polish”… We love products which ostensibly achieve multiple tasks.
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The Seven Ravens Fairytale Analysis
“The Seven Ravens” is a fairytale collected by the Grimm Brothers. In an earlier time, this tale would emphasise the importance of family, with a moral lesson of obedience and respect towards parents.
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The First King of England
Now we have a new King of England, I’m wondering, who was the first? The first King “of England” was Athelstan.
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The Wind Is My Lover (Singoalla) Swedish Classic
I need to show you these beautiful illustrations by Swedish illustrator Carl Larsson, more famous for colourful, domestic scenes.
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Witches’ Cats In Art and Storytelling
Illustrators frequently depict witches in two mutually exclusive ways: erotic and alluring, or as ugly as the dominant culture can possibly proscribe. Here are some ugly witches dancing around a fire.
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Nymphs and their Habitat
Nymphs are minor female nature deities from Ancient Greek folklore. Like Pan, they serve as personifications of nature but unlike Pan, who can turn up anywhere (e.g. in The Wind In The Willows or as a character in The Secret Garden), nymphs are typically tied to a specific place. They are usually depicted by horny heterosexual male artists as beautiful…
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A Glossary of Fairytale Words
Terms you come across when reading up on fairy tales.