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A Comparative Analysis Of Character Depiction In The Grimms’ Kinder-Und Hausmärchen And Modern Fairytale Adaptations, Meghan Hill

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the depiction of archetypal characters such as the step-mother, the old crone/witch, the trickster, the hero, and the heroine within Kinder-und Hausmärchen, first published in 1812 by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, and the influence that German culture had on this portrayal. This analysis of the tales will then be contrasted with an examination of the ways that modern authors and directors have adapted the presentation of these characters to better appeal to today’s audience in recent (1980-2014) adaptations of the stories. Our cultural values and ideals determine how characters within the tales are depicted and, conversely, the …