Date of Completion
2024
Thesis Type
College of Arts and Science Honors
Department
English
First Advisor
Daniel Fogel
Keywords
Gender, Sexuality, Poetry, Fairy tales, European culture
Abstract
For centuries, classical European fairy tales have been written with interwoven narrative tropes that work to portray and reinforce the traditional gender roles and sexual expectations of the culture from which they originate. The first part of this thesis explores and analyzes a selection of European fairy tales through a gender and sexuality lens. The tales explored in this thesis include both classic and retold variations, ranging from classic collectors and authors such as the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault to modern poets and authors such as Anne Sexton and Angela Carter. The second part of this thesis is a collection of original poetry that works to manipulate the “ideals” of gender and sexuality represented in these tales by changing or exposing them. This collection of poetry also works to explore the inner psyches of fairy tale characters–venturing into their pasts and futures to expand on the original tales. This body of analysis and poetry that targets the gender and sexuality aspects of these fairy tales will help bring these make-believe realms closer to us in our present world and leave us questioning our beliefs.
Recommended Citation
Hagios, Olivia, "In a Land Where Kingdoms Lay: Gender and Sexuality in European Fairy Tales through Analysis and Poetry" (2024). UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses. 151.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/castheses/151