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Heroine's Character

In the Grimms' "The Robber Bridegroom," the heroine is presented as a clever girl concerned with self-preservation. She makes sure to have a way back (using the peas and lentils to guide her), collects evidence to prove her accusations, and trusts her instincts. A clear example of her natural cleverness is the fact that her gut instincts told her she was being led into harm's way. For example, "when sunday came and the girl was supposed to leave, she became dreadfully frightened without knowing why." Because of this feeling, she made precautions so that she could get home.

Elements of Horror

The Bluebeard stories are unlike others we have read so far. This is mainly because of the degree of violence represented. In the stories, there is a chamber of some kind of dead, bloody maidens. In "The Robber Bridegroom" and "Mr. Fox" a hand or finger is cut off out of greed. These stories contain murder, greed, cannibalism and other unpleasant deeds. They seem to be very strict warnings rather than other more subtle insinuations.

Treatment of the Heroine

Bluebeard is not the first fairy tale in which we've seen a heroine who is cunning and active in her own right (see: some versions of Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel) However, this is the first that I can recall where the heroine is introduced outright as being intelligent, in addition to being beautiful. She is everything that Snow White is not; rather than being the silent, still girl in a glass display case, she has agency and makes decisions--and pays dearly for it.

"He no longer had power over her, and had to do her bidding," write the Brothers Grimm in Fitcher's Bird, exemplifying the heroine's intelligence as her means of escaping trouble on her own.

"She was terrified that she might wake one of them up, but God guided her footsteps," they write in the Robber Bridegroom, attributing even divine protection on their heroine, a far cry from shaming her for disobedience.

I don't think that this story is meant to demonize curiosity in women, as the Perrault moral (in rhyme, no less, so it's easy to remember/needlepoint onto a pillow!) dictates. If this were really a story whose moral seeks to discourage women from disobeying their husbands, the heroine would have died. End of story. Bluebeard is the one who pays in the end, stabbed to death by the heroine's brothers and relatives, his end brought about by the very woman who ignored the arbitrary demands he would not even be around to enforce. Her curiosity could even be considered a good thing--she found the chamber and set about a series of events that brought a serial killer to justice! Great justification for snooping! The Perrault version of Bluebeard is the only story in the cluster than even takes this stance--all the rest praise the heroine's cunning and condemn Bluebeard's abhorrent deeds. Fitcher's Bird, the Robber Bridegroom, and Mr. Fox all present a resolution contigent on the heroine's cunning ploy to trap the villain, rather than punish her for sticking her nose where she ought not.

Elements of Horror

In the stories of Bluebeard, the horrific secret hidden behind the door in each respective telling of the tale seems to address the question, "What is absolutely the most nauseating, terrifying thing the disobedient wife could find behind the door to the forbidden room?" That Bluebeard is a serial killer seems to be of less consequence than the young wife's indiscretion--he did specifically tell her not to open the door, didn't he? The horror in this story is not standalone. Bluebeard is not the terrifying tale of a mad murderer--it centers on the girl's bizarre experience in relation to Bluebeard, and how the horrors were brought on by her curiosity, defiance, agency, etc.

While the horror trope is basically the same in all the stories (horrific death of innocent girl witnessed by the heroine), where the stories differ is in the attitude the narratorial voice has toward what the girl sees. The Perrault version treats the chamber as something terrifying in and of itself. In the Grimm version (Fitcher's Bird), the bloody chamber and the murders of the heroine's sisters serve as more of a challenge for the third sister to overcome. And in the Jacobs version, the narrator is somewhat cavalier about the girl's macarbe discovery, as though she had just stumbled upon Mr. Fox's unsettling collection of Scientology literature rather than the mangled corpses of his victims.

We've talked a lot in this course about the tones of these stories as interpreted by at 21st century audience likely indoctrinated from the crib with the Disneyfied versions of fairy tales. The intermingling of horror and fantasy in the literary versions of fairy tales is a little bit jarring at first, and in this series of stories, we are seeing it from a different perspective: that horror in literature has a place other than blood and guts for the sake of blood and guts.

Presentation of the heroine

In Mr. Fox, by Joseph Jacobs, the heroine, Lady Mary was portrayed more as a celebration of self-preservation and cleverness.  She knew that something was up with Mr. Fox's house, so she took the initiative to go and check it out.  "But Lady Mary was a brave one, she was, and she opened the door, and what do you think she saw? Why, bodies and skeletons of beautiful young ladies all stained with blood.  So Lady Mary thought it was high time to get out of that horrid place..." (Tatar 154).  Lady Mary, in contrast with other stories, was not told to stay away from the house, or any particular room, in which case she prevents herself as being presented as disobedient.  Instead of being scared, she also is bold and tells what she saw- and Mr. Fox gets killed.

Elements of Horror

There were many different elements of horror in the versions of Bluebeard that I read for today.  One element is that of physical horror.  In many of the versions there were fingers chopped off, heads chopped off, murder, and cut pieces of bodies.  There was also blood everywhere.  Another element of horror notified was that of the setting.  In many of the versions, the house was in the dark woods, it was a sinister house, and a place where the girls just did not feel comfortable.  Another element was that of the girls.  IN each story, there were beautiful girls talked about, and eventually killed.  These function in the story because they allow the plot to be described and be intriguing.  They move it along, in a way that you just need to know what happens because of the horrible aspects.  It might startle the audience, but it is in a way that makes this story stand out in your mind.

the horror

An element of horror is the concept of loss of female virginity.  The bloody key is a motif that runs through the different versions of this concept.  Linked with loss of female virginity is marital disobedience-- the fear of the husband [or robber] that the woman is going to somehow betray him.  that is why Bluebeard-- or the robbers- or the similar characters-- do not seem to trust their wives, and always manage to "catch" her in her lies.  Further linked with loss of female virginity is the notion of any kind of "transgressive desire" in respects to the female character.  She is supposed to stay in line, and if she strays, then she is always caught and "taught her lesson."

Another element of horror is the sheer psychotic rage on Bluebeard's character.  He seems utterly emotionless, or, as Tatar says, "abject" to his acts of murder.  He is absolutely heartless.  It makes him unhuman.

Overall, all the Bluebeard tales taint marriage with its threat of murder.  The Bluebeard tales make it out to seem like you can never get too comfortable with your husband or wife, because you can never trust someone when it comes right down to it.  Bluebeard, as Tatar puts it, "confirms a child's worst fears about sex."  With marriage or sex comes betrayal and murder, in the Bluebeard tales, and is rendered in elements in the tales such as the characters' anxieties.  In "Bluebeard's Ghost" Sly's nephew commits the ultimate betrayal, even though he is not married to Bluebeard's widow, he is the potential suitor, so the theme of elements of horror applies to him.  The concept of him dressing-up as a deceased man-- Bluebeard-- and tricking people based on that-- proves how sick and twisted his mind is, to an extent that is more than creepy to the reader.  The nightmares and anxiety that Bluebeard's widow has because of the whole situation augments the horror of the "trickery."

Bluebeard's Daughter

In "Bluebeard's Daughter," Djamileh is presented as clever, but in the sense that she is clever in "playing the game" of accepting the limitations that are placed on females, and maneuvering herself within the context of those limitations.  She does not step outside the boundaries of conventional femininity: she remains docile and subservient to her husband Kayel, in the sense that she does not "act-out," but instead, acts more passively, as a typical female should, not letting on how much she knows, or what her true intentions sometimes are.  For example, she hides the blood-stained key from him, and keeps it with her at all times, hidden.  She plays dumb with him.  She does not flaunt any knowledge she may have.  When she is told that curiosity is not good for her, how she should not have an education, she accepts it on the outside, and seems to convince herself to accept it, even though the idea of being unfulfilled by not being educated is troubling to her.  

It bothered me how the author seemed to play-into these gender notions, making statements in the narration such as "Djamileh, who was better educated than her husband in such useless studies as calligraphy, examined the parchment and read aloud: 'curiosity killed the cat.'"  She idealizes only her skills in frivolous activities like calligraphy.  I do not know whether to interpret the narrator's statements as being in a mocking tone or actually stemming from legitimate feelings and thoughts.  Kayel is consistently referred to as "master of the house," and for taking actions and being aggressive, in the conventional male way.  However, he is also labeled as "soft-hearted," making him the perfect, well-rounded male. It was common for men to be framed in a positive light in fairy tales-- or, at least, the "prince" characters: displaying manly qualities, yet also the perfect slight amount of sensitivity and nurturing.  But when Kayel expresses his wish to divorce her, Djamileh grows quite pathetic for a temporary amount of time, and becomes emotional and weak, crying to the old woman, or, "bursting into tears."  But, surprinsgly, the author turns the plot, and has Djamileh emerge quite strong, as she devises a plan for how to escape her situation.  It is as if, the author agrees that when it comes down to it, in a crunch, a woman has the ability to draw on all of her resources to escape.  "And Djamieleh, listening with closed eyes, debated within herself why Kayel should be so cross. ...." Clearly, Djamielh considers how she ought to be treated, how deserving she truly is of someone caring, and therefore takes Kayel off of his pedestal.

Bluebeard - heroine's character

Question 2: Tatar offers two readings of the heroine's character: either as a celebration of self-preservation and cleverness or as a disobedient female. Using a version other than the Perrault, consider how the heroine gets presented. Use quotes to support your reading.

In Grimms' The Robber Bridegroom, the heroine (the young girl) is initially portrayed as a clever girl as she "filled both her pockets with peas and lentils to mark the way" (151). But then she is portrayed as a disobedient female as she keeps ignoring the caged bird's warnings to "turn back, turn back..." (152). But after the witch helps the young girl escape, the girl is again portrayed as a clever girl while she re-tells the story of how her bridegroom is actually a murderer and how she had the thought to save the finger with the ring as some sort of evidence of her story.

On a sidenote, I also see the witch in this story as a heroine. Her character is definitely a celebration of a female who uses her intelligence for self-preservation. The witch successfully keeps the murderers from discovering the young girl, and the witch also helps the girl escape back to her castle.

Bluebeard - elements of horror

Question 1: Compare the elements of horror in the various versions of Bluebeard that you read for today. Please name the elements you are comparing and discuss how they function in the story. Do they help move the plot along? Elaborate the story? Startle the audience? etc.

In man versions of Bluebeard like Perrault's Bluebeard, Grimm's Fitcher's Bird, and Jacob's Mr. Fox, the main element of horror was the small (forbidden) room with all the dead, chopped up bodies of young women. In these versions, the wife is told not to enter this room under any circumstances, but the wife can't resist and enters the room just to see all the dead bodies. The description of this room is pretty horrific with descriptions of bloody chopped up fragments of bodies. In Grimm's The Robber Bridegroom, the young maiden actually witnesses the killing and consumption of another young girl.

This element of physical horror functions as some sort of punishment for those who dare to disobey the master of the house. It also functions as a way for readers to realize the true horrific nature of Bluebeard/sorcerer/robber.

Another less-obvious element of horror in many of the versions of Bluebeard is the reaction and emotion of the young girl/wife when she realizes she cannot wipe the blood off of the key/egg. This element of horror functions to allow readers to feel the fear and desperation of the young girl as she tries, to no avail, to somehow undo what she knows was wrong in the first place. This illustration of the girl's emotions serves to create a sort of nervous suspense of what Bluebeard is going to do to his wife when he finds out that she disobeyed him.

Assignment 8 - 24. March 2009

Hi Nikki, Erin, Emily, Benton, Michelle and Tiffany,

For this week, please complete two separate posts.

Question 1: Compare the elements of horror in the various versions of Bluebeard that you read for today. Please name the elements you are comparing and discuss how they function in the story. Do they help move the plot along? Elaborate the story? Startle the audience? etc.

Question 2: Tatar offers two readings of the heroine's character: either as a celebration of self-preservation and cleverness or as a disobedient female. Using a version other than the Perrault, consider how the heroine gets presented. Use quotes to support your reading.


DEADLINE for Posts: Midnight on Tuesday

DEADLINE for Comments on atleast two other posts: Midnight on Wednesday

Again, please post two separate entries!

Ann

The Devil's Three Golden Hairs

I definitely think the target audience of this film was the younger, lower/middle class because of the emphasis on hard work (as with the DEFA Snow White film) as well as the element of comedy present in the film.

I found many similarities between "The Devil's Three Golden Hairs" and "Snow White" - the most obvious similarity to me was in the opening scene. "The Devil's Three Golden Hairs" opens with the blacksmiths working really hard, and in "Schneewittchen," the kitchen scene with all the cooks and kitchen hands working away. Both of these scenes were really long (even though they really didn't contribute that much to the actual plot of the story) and were meant to emphasize the benefits of hard work.

This "lesson" of hard work that the film attempts to teach makes me believe even more that the film was geared towards the younger population (possibly towards children)

Devil with the three golden hairs

     I would say that this audience might be lower to middle class, and younger rather than adults.  It is created in such a way to preserve teachings, and not be able to interpret it in any other way than just a story.  

     This movie is similar in a way to the version of Snow White that we saw, because of its humanization of certain elements.  In Snow White, instead of the "magical" element of the mirror, we got a clever machine.  In this movie, the devil is very human looking.  There is not necessarily an aspect of "devilish" nature, like I would necessarily expect.  While the devil does have horns and a tail, they are very minimal in terms of the whole.  His magic is also overdone, and could be explained by special effects.  

     I found the medium of this film to be told in a very humorous way, especially the part with the boy taking care of the devil.  There is no devil's grandmother as in the Grimms novel.  Instead, the boy is left handling things himself.  He watches the devil play piano, combs out his hair, makes him dinner...I interpreted this part of the plot as an additional way to make the concept of this movie ridiculous, and fake.  This society didn't want to acknowledge that there was magic, or stories other then the ones they were telling.  

The Devil w/ 3 Golden Hairs

The intended audience of this film seems to be the middle class who could potentially identify with the working class of the movie. This is identifiable as a DEFA production because, as in Snow White, the film seems to involve a slapstick element even though it is acting as propaganda of East Germany. The medium is an advantage to the propaganda effort because not much is let up to the imagination, so whatever image the DEFA wants to portray is seen by the audience.

Assignment 7 - 17.March 2009

Hi Nikki, Tiffany, Erin, Benton, Emily and Michelle,

Here's the assignment for this week. Please note that the deadlines are different from the usual.


After having viewed the DEFA film "The Devil's Three Golden Hairs", do the following:

1. Try to interpret from the movie, who the target audience might be. Keep in mind, that the film was made in 1977 in East Germany.

2. Compare the movie with the DEFA version of Snow White.

3. Explain how the medium 'film' is used to tell the story. You could consider talking about the plot, dialogue, etc.

Do try to touch upon all three points in your blog.

Deadline for posts: 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday

Deadline for comments on at least two posts: Midnight on Wednesday

Looking forward to your posts!

Ann

Beauty and the Beast

Something that I thought that was interesting in both versions was the fact that the story seemed to share elements with many different fairy tales. For example, the fact that there were three sisters, two of whom were "evil," seemed similar to Cinderella. The mirror, while considered part of many Beauty and the Beast stories, is present in Snow White. These are just a couple of examples of the shared themes.

Beauty and the Beast - Cocteau vs. De Beaumont

The primary difference I saw between  the de Beaumont version of the story and the film version by Cocteau was the existence of the arrogant suitor, Avenant.  In the text version, he does not exist, whereas in the film he is created as a rival for the relationship between Belle/Beauty and the Beast.  I saw the existence of this character as more of a testament to the change in format than anything else.  Film plotlines, even early films, are generally much more streamlined than their textual counterparts.  Avenant encapsulates the idea of a marriage for all the wrong reasons--appearance, wealth, status, etc.  In the book version, this idea is illustrated by the cruel sisters, who serve as foils to Belle's virtuous nature.  However, though the awfulness of the sisters is evident in the story, imposing these ideas in the form of an active antagonist heightens the dramatic tension in the film.  With these traits rolled into a character, the central conflict for Belle is much more evident; the decision she has to make is much clearer.

It is also notable that at the end of the transformation scene in the film, the handsome prince has the chiseled features of Avenant but not his boorish behavior.  It could be said that the two mean, rivals for Belle's hand, represent two sides of the same coin--the question of what constitutes a happy marriage.

Cocteau vs. de Beaumont

One difference I noticed between the Cocteau film and de Beaumont's version of Beauty and the Beast was the part of the story where Beauty/Belle goes to take her father's place at the Beast's castle.
In the de Beaumont's version, Belle pleads with her father and brothers to let her go to die instead of her father, and ultimately her father and brothers give in. Even though Belle's father is pretty upset at having to leave her to die in his stead, in the end he leaves her to the mercy of the Beast. However, in Cocteau's version, Beauty mentions that she wants to go to the Beast's castle in place of her father, but before any course of action is decided, the father falls ill and the next day Beauty sneaks out of the house to go to the Beast's castle without her father and brother knowing.

Though this is a relatively minor difference, I still believe it is significant. De Beaumont's version has reader questioning the love Beauty's father has for his daughter - as discussed in class, how can the father just hand over his (favorite) daughter to a Beast? But Cocteau eliminates this predicament altogether. By tweaking the story so that Belle sneaks out without her father knowing, viewers can't really blame the father for being unloving or selfish - Beauty's decision to go to the Beast's castle was out of his hands. Cocteau enables the father to maintain a reputation of being the ultimate loving and caring father - something that is easier for a viewer to understand than a father who allows his own daughter to die in his place.

Beauty and the Beast Ending

The ending having to do with the sisters in the movie and de beaumont's version of Beauty and the Beast were different.  The sisters, in both, were such a taunting, crucial part of the tale.  They treated Beauty horribly out of jealousy and spite.  In the ending of debeaumont's they got their "just desserts".  The fairy turned them into statues to sit outside the Beast and Beauty's palace, and could only be turned back once they got over their evil, jealous minds.  For the movie, they weren't even mentioned at the end.  I found that odd because they were such a big part of the story in general.  It just doesn't transfer.  Including the sisters in the ending adds more to the plot, and gives it more of a conclusion, since they were such a part of the story.  

I just wanted to also mention that altogether, this is very different than the version of Beauty and the Beast which I grew up with.  Belle (Beauty) was an only child, and there were no mention of sisters of any kind.  It was definitely a different view reading the stories in which the Disney movie originated from.