Short explanation: last night, I couldn't sleep. I thought about fairy tales. One of my friends, earlier, commented to me that he wanted to do NaNoWriMo this year. Would I do it with him? I told him I would. So, as a result, this year for NaNoWriMo, I'll be writing a fairy tale (for children) every day. This'll make thirty in all. I began a development blog (here) for the purpose of breaking down the idea of the fairy tale. Before November, I'd like every element to be well-developed and thought out properly. My goal is to write fairy tales for the sake of fairy tales (as is said in the first post). I do have a slightly darker agenda, though, to be honest. Cain and Jarrod (the series title) will be split through. There'll be Cain and Jarrod: for children, featuring a child-sized boy named Cain and his best friend, a talking crow named Jarrod. The purpose of the children's series will be to show the beauty of trees, and animals, and all that crap. Further, there'll be Cain and Jarrod: for adults, featuring an adult Cain, a mystical crow that does not speak out loud, and an additional character: the devil, who does not represent evil, but represents alternative. The purpose here is to show the beauty of nature and the abhorrent nature of humanity. So, my questions: what do you think about the idea of fairy tales for adults? Also, if you have children of your own, do you read them fairy tales, or just those little ditties about Ernie and Bert going to the beach and wearing sunscreen?
I love fairy tales for adults, though I wonder if I'm in the minority. At least among the people I know. I don't have kids yet, but I read a lot of stuff to my cousins (age 7 and 10) and I always try to find more interesting stuff, at least for the oldest one. For the youngest I have to make up stupid stories about princesses and unicorns (seriously) and the oldest prefers ninjas and assassins, but also likes the darker and deeper stories that have already been written, and of course original Brothers Grimm and Asbjørnsen and Moe (Norwegian folk tales). Have you looked at Slavic lore btw? A lot of hideously scary fairy tail potential there my friend. The 7 year old had nightmares for weeks.
If you're going to make it for an adult, make it for those with tastes for child-like stories (which fairy tales are really, imo) or go dark with the stories. Dark fairy tales would work I think, set it all up like a classic fairy tale but make the entire thing go dark after a short time, not so much evil as incredibly creepy. That'd work
I'm only a little bit familiar with most of Slavic lore. I, personally, am sticking to more ordinary things. Less mythical stuff; hopefully I can end up with some kind of, "Man, humans are dicks" reaction, and not just from myself. I'll check out the Slavic stuff, though. I'm familiar with a lot of Norse lore. I have to ask, though. What's your opinion on stories about princesses and other rubbish like that? Does it come across as wish fulfilment to you? See, I plan on avoiding the hell out of that with the for children saga, especially when a lion character comes from far away to try and "take" the crown of the forest, at which point the main character tells the lion that nobody can own the forest. In the for adults version, though, the main character, Cain, eventually ends up being turned into a crow and considers the forest to be his dominion. Well, darker stuff, creepier stuff... that's been my strength in the past. Thanks guys.
I'll disagree it's what fairy-tales are really -- rather, it's what worried mothers and the Walt Disney company have collaborated on turning them into now. The original Brothers Grimm tales were...grim, and were later revised for the more faint of heart. Furthermore, consider their sources: the stories they collected weren't bedtime stories for children, but folk tales told around the fire once the children had been put to bed, passing for late night television.
I can't stand the princess stories, and they ARE total wish fulfilment. Worst part is I'm not even allowed to mix up the stories a little. The main character MUST be a princess or become a princess. I like the lion idea you have. Sounds like the kids might learn something rather than just go "yay, princess!"
True, but I suppose that's the difference between what is now percieved as 'fairy tales' and what were actually folk tales. The folk tales of course can be for adults, many stories were told round campfires for generations that adults enjoyed. The term fairy tale though gives off a bit if a 'happy ending always' feel, which as you say, is thanks for Walt Disney.
Read Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber if you haven't already. It's her re-imagining of classic fairytales with a metaphorical perspective. They're incredibly inspiring.
My girlfriend's three year old sister apparently won't be too fussed unless there's a princess in it. >.< I might be able to turn her onto stronger literature? :s ... Well, not really. You're talking about the connotations given by the words. Fairy tales and folk tales are very much the same. Fairy tales just have more magical elements and such. Thank you!
In fact, read the entire collection of short stories and then vote for one story from the collection, Wolf-Alice, for the short story of the month Voting thread is here: https://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=43815
