Victoria Olender P.

Watson English 111Section 108 Research Paper November 25, 2011 Once Upon A Time There once lived two brothers in Germany. Though they both would come to be known for multiple accomplishments, they would be best known for the universal tales and household stories they collected. While the majority of these fairytales existed before the brothers, their gathering and telling of hundreds of stories has provided the generations afterwards with a treasure greater than ever intended. Not only have these stories been read by many, theyve also been subsequently adapted over the years. Some of the modifications were simply personal preference in retelling the tales, while others were meant to transform potentially gory or frightening stories into watered down, feel good stories to be marketed. Jakob Ludwig Karl Grimm was only one year old when his brother, Wilhelm Karl Grimm, was born. The two brothers grew up sharing more than simply a middle name (Hettinga 1), spending most of their time together. Their father was a lawyer working his way up, and his middle-class wages allowed the boys to live comfortably, yet adventurously. Educated by both schools and private tutors, Jakob and Wilhelm moved around the country as their father became more highly regarded. Once they both were in their adult hood and accomplished in many areas of linguistics, law, and literature, with the developing Romantic Movement (Brothers Grimm Biography) and France taking control over the government, the brothers felt called to gather German folktales. Being forced by France to stop speaking the language they had grown up with,

not only was the process of collecting the tales a way to escape what was going on around them, it was also a way to remind their countrymen of what it meant to be German. (Hettinga 66 ). As Jack Zipes pointed out The purpose of their collecting folk songs, tales, proverbs, legends, and documents was to write a history of old German Poesie and to demonstrate how Kuntsposie (cultivated literature) evolved out of traditional folk material and how Kuntsposie had gradually forced Naturposie (natural literature such as tales and legends) to recede during the Renaissance and take refuge among the folk in an oral tradition. According to the Grimms, there was a danger in this development, in that the natural forms would be forgotten and neglected (Zipes 11). Though Jakob and Wilhelm were not the first to try to preserve Germanys tales, they were the first to do so for reasons that were not self-serving. After a great deal of time spent listening to stories, and opting for versions they believed to be the most authentic (Hettinga 74), the Grimm brothers released their book Childrens and Household Tales in December of 1812. This book was not an international success instantaneously (Zipes 17), and it wasnt until many editions of the book later when all associated tales were added. Dorothea Viehmann, a peasant woman, became a major source of the second volume of Household Tales. Though the Grimm brothers traveled extensively to gather stories, she became one of the most accurate and riveting sources they came in contact with. After all of the editions of the Grimms Fairy Tales had been published, they were translated in to a few different languages. Now, they have not only been translated into over 160 different languages (Learn), but they have also been adapted with the times.

Jakob and Wilhelm would occasionally word a story to enhance the moral of the tale. They never, however, tried to make the tale any less unpleasant. The gory nature of the stories was what had stuck with the children of their time, and they never fathomed taking that away. As the stories spread, and came to the Western world, the stories began to morph. The turning of the twentieth century had the largest effect on these folk tales, where the tales of the brothers were seen as more of potential marketing than valuable legends. The popularity of the tales coupled with the effects of re-writing and marketing has caused them to be atomized into individual units. (Wood). In order for these stories to be a success in the more modern world, people like Walt Disney decided to adjust the fairy tales. In these modifications, each folk tale was seemingly altered to get its own happy ending, causing the stories to morph to feel good stories. The changes to the Grimm Brothers collections of stories were widely welcomed by households everywhere. The new stories were more appropriate to feed their childrens minds with, and the children left with a smile on their face instead of fear. Now highly marketed, these Disney films provide moral guidance via happy endings, rather than cultural depth and guidance via fright. Though Cinderellas slipper is not always made of glass, and her coach pumpkin may be replaced with breadfruit (Hettinga xi), the stories the Grimm Brothers collected are known around the world. Some stories have become more popular once adapted, and some have stayed true to their German roots. No matter where you live, what language you speak, Once upon a Time will catch your attention. Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm worked for kinds and emperors, created an in-depth German dictionary, and developed new ways of understanding language. These accomplishments will never be taken away from them, but what they will be remembered always for is giving the world a thorough book of fairy tales, in which the reader could choose to modify, or keep the same.

Works Cited "Brothers Grimm Biography." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2011. Web. 7 Dec 2011. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Grimm-Brothers.html G., Claire. "7 Classic Disney Movies Based on Rated-R Stories." Cracked. 22 06 2010: n. page. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cracked.com/article_18589_7-classic-disney-moviesbased-r-rated-stories.html>. Grimm, Jakob, and Wilhelm Grimm. Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc. , 2009. Print. Hettinga, Donald R. The Brothers Grimm: Two Lives, One Legacy. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print. "The Grimm Brothers." Learn. Chevron U.S.A., n. d. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. <http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/famous-people/brothers-grimm>. "The True Story of the Real Brothers Grimm." GrimmFairyTales. n. page. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. <http://www.grimmfairytales.com/en/bio>. Wood, Juliette. "The Brothers Grimm and Their Folk Tales." . N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec 2011. <http://www.juliettewood.com/papers/POPGRIMM.pdf>. Zipes, Jack. The Brothers Grimm: From Enchanted Forests to the Modern World. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Print.