Intertextuality Study: Fairy Tale Comparative Report

Cinderella is a very well-known fairy tale which has many remakes. Cinderella by Roald Dahl
(1812) and Cinderella by the Grimm Brothers (1982). The two tales are both different in
language and form but also share some similarities in purpose and target audience.
Both tales have similarities but there are differences that set them apart from each other.

Both of these tales were influenced by society at the time

When Grimm’s tale was written stepparents and early death were a fact of life for much of
the population and this tale reflected that reality. It also focused on the peasant culture
which many people were interested in at the time.
In contrast Dahl’s tale was written later on after all “happy ever after” tales because he
wanted to recover the lost tradition, tell children a different story and instill the values of
hard work and thrift.

The Grimm brother’s tale is a narrative while Roald Dahl’s is a poem.

Grimm’s form is shown through the structure of a narrative, long sentences and paragraphs
throughout the story. In contrast Dahl’s poem has rhymes in uses the AABB scheme like
when it says It made the Ugly Sisters wince To see her dancing with the Prince.
While they are both are different forms, they do have some similarities. In Grimm’s
narrative there are a few poems here and there, one being when Cinderella asked the birds
to put the good into the pot, the bad into the crop.
The difference between the two tales is that Grimm’s is a longer, more descriptive and a
narrative while Dahl’s is short, with less description and it’s a poem.
Grimm’s narrative is more effective because there is more detail put into it, but it still has a
few poems scattered in it which makes it more appealing to read.

The Grimm brother’s and Roald Dahl both convey messages in their tales.
Grimm’s message was that good triumphs evil, and this was shown when the birds said to
the prince turn and peep, turn and peep, There’s blood within the show, The shoe is too
small for her, The true brides waits for you, two times. Cinderella thought it was over, but
the birds helped her.
Dahl’s message was that money doesn’t guarantee happiness. This was shown when instead
of marrying the prince Cinderella got married to a man Who sold good home-made
marmalade. He was just a simple jam-maker, but Cinderella was happy with him because he
was a good man.
Cinderella in both tales triumphed evil with Dahl’s Cinderella escaping the prince and
Grimm’s Cinderella escaping her step-mother and step-sisters. The difference between the
two tales was that in Grimm’s story Cinderella ended up marrying the prince and being
happy while Cinderella by Dahl decided that she didn’t want to marry the prince.
Roald Dahl’s message is more effective because I think that the message is much more
powerful than Grimm’s because money doesn’t guarantee happiness and that is all you
need is love.
Roald Dahl and the Grimm brother’s both have target audiences for their tales and
Both are aimed at younger children.
Grimm’s story has some evil elements in it but also romance which is a more traditional
story which appeals to most children.
Dahl’s story is humorous and gory and has humorous moments throughout it which makes
it more attractable for children. The scene when Cinderella ran out in her underwear which
is very comical for a child.
Both tales are aimed at younger children because they tend to like tales more and also tend
to read more than adults would.
Dahl’s tale is a fun tale in contrast to Grimm’s which is more serious with more detail.
The most effective out of them is dahl’s as it has a fun twist on it would can be suited for
children of all ages and maybe even some adults.

Both Roald Dahl and the Grimm brother’s use language to help support their tales
Grimm’s tale uses a variety of techniques and old-fashioned language to support the story.
One example of this was when Cinderella’s stepmother told her thou wouldst only be
laughed at which is not heard now days.
Grimm techniques, especially similes helped show description. An example of this was when
Cinderella clambered so nimbly between branches like a squirrel which showed how quickly
she escaped the prince. Another good example was when the Grim brothers used imagery
to describe that the snow was like a white sheet over the grave.
In contrast Dahl didn’t use many techniques and used modern language
This is shown through her name, Cindy and when Cindy said that There is a Disco at the
Palace, which is a more modern language and isn’t used in traditional language. Dahl didn’t
use many techniques in his version but did use a lot of imagery like the slimy cellar, nylon
panty hose and the silver slippers. Dahl used repetition when the prince said, Off with her
nut, off with her nut to Cinderella twice to make it more dramatic.
Both Dahl and Grimm used stereotypes of an evil stepmother and evil stepsisters to help
prove their messages in their tales
The two tales have different language due to the time gap. Grimm’s version also has much
more techniques compared to Dahl’s.
Grimm’s text is more effective because it has traditional language, but also modern
language incorporated into it which makes it very versatile for reading. Grimm’s use of
techniques also made the tale more descriptive and fun.

In both tales there were many differences, but they shared similarities in their target
audiences, and language with Grimm’s tale having modern and traditional language and
both tales having a child target audience.
Grimm’s text is more effective because their tale has gore, evil and some romance in it
which is a mix of genres which creates a versatile tale for a range of age groups. Grimm also
has much more techniques in his tale which made the story more descriptive.

Word Count: 1000