Why Stepmothers?

Abstract

The stepmother is a common figure in many of the most famous fairy tales. In fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Mother Holle, the villain is the stepmother and I wanted to know why. Although the stepmother is also a common figure in more recent media like TV shows or novels, I wanted to focus on stepmothers in fairy tales. I knew that many of these stepmothers had transformed from biological mothers to stepmothers, but I did not know when or why this change happened and I wanted to find out. I received a lot of help from Professor Jenny when searching for sources. I did most of my research in books from the college library with the one exception of a peer reviewed article. Each of these sources gave me different answers to my questions. So, I chose which answer worked the best for me.

Advice

 The number one piece of advice I can give is to go to the library as soon as you know what your topic is. Especially if there are others with similar topics, you'll want to get those books before them. I couldn't find half of the books that I wanted because they were already checked out and one book that I did manage to get I had to return in a few days because it was recalled. Articles can be a bit too specific or hard to find so I really recommend using books. And I also recommend looking for books or articles by any authors mentioned in the sources you find. It makes it much easier to connect your finding together that way. Good Luck!!

Sources

Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Knopf, 1976. Print.

Franz, Marie-Luise Von. The Interpretation of Fairy Tales. New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

Heuscher, Julius E. A Psychiatric Study of Fairy Tales; Their Origin, Meaning and Usefulness. Springfield, IL: Thomas, 1963. Print.

Williams, Christy. "Who's Wicked Now? The Stepmother as Fairy-Tale Heroine." Marvels & Tales 24.2 (2010): 255-71. JSTOR. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

Zipes, Jack David. Fairy Tale as Myth, Myth as Fairy Tale. Lexington (Kentucky): U of Kentucky, 1994. Print.