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Humanities
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Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales
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Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales

A special issue of Humanities (ISSN 2076-0787).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 2441

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Katherine Elkins

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Comparative World Literature Program, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA
Interests: shapes of stories; comparative literature; computational humanities; philosophy and literature

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

How can we reconcile different theorizations of good and evil in fairy tales? Do new approaches, for example recent work on how tales travel, afford novel ways of understanding these depictions? This Special Issue of Humanities seeks to address questions like these. Other questions may include how different cultures and time periods shape the portrayal of good and evil. Can we see changing attitudes towards gender, race, and sexuality across time and places, especially in contemporary adaptations? And in what ways do fairy tales challenge traditional cultural norms of good and evil?

Prof. Dr. Katherine Elkins
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Humanities is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • shapes of stories
  • comparative literature
  • computational humanities
  • philosophy and literature

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 18967 KiB  
Article
Good People Do Not Eat Others?! Moral Ambiguity in Japanese Fairytales from the Late Nineteenth Century
by Tian Gao
Humanities 2024, 13(5), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/h13050127 - 1 Oct 2024
Viewed by 500
Abstract
In 2015, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired an educational series that re-examined traditional fairy tales by putting their characters on trial for their immoral behavior, such as revenge, violence, and dishonesty. These tales, rooted in premodern Japanese folklore, were widely available in [...] Read more.
In 2015, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired an educational series that re-examined traditional fairy tales by putting their characters on trial for their immoral behavior, such as revenge, violence, and dishonesty. These tales, rooted in premodern Japanese folklore, were widely available in various book formats by the late nineteenth century and, unlike modern adaptations, they did not sanitize violence or evil. This study analyzes four miniature picture books from the late nineteenth century that recount the story, Kachikachi yama (The Crackling Mountain). This analysis focuses on both verbal and visual representations of good and evil, with attention to themes of loyalty, filial piety, and virtuous revenge. The findings reveal that these picture books presented young readers with complex moral lessons, where the boundaries between good and evil were blurred. Additionally, they illuminate the prevailing image of children during that era, depicting them as “little adults” expected to be educated and prepared for the practical realities of the adult world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales)
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17 pages, 2035 KiB  
Article
From Folklore to Proust: A Quest across Symbolic Universes
by Francisco Vaz da Silva
Humanities 2024, 13(5), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/h13050118 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 661
Abstract
This study explores the intersection of folklore and literature, specifically examining how a methodology developed for interpreting wondertales can be applied to a complex literary corpus, such as Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time). [...] Read more.
This study explores the intersection of folklore and literature, specifically examining how a methodology developed for interpreting wondertales can be applied to a complex literary corpus, such as Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time). The discussion proposes a case study for the use of allomotifs, or interchangeable motifs, to understand symbolic patterns in Proust’s literary work. The paper lays bare a widespread metaphorical field in wondertales, then follows its complications in the Proustian corpus. It suggests that Proust’s œuvre, much like folklore, operates within a symbolic universe where binary oppositions, such as good and evil or male and female, are fluid and dynamic. The discussion shows that Proust’s literary imagination aligns surprisingly well with the workings of folklore. This hybrid space of the imagination challenges conventional distinctions between folklore and literature, and brings to mind Lévi-Strauss’ erstwhile ruminations on the pensée sauvage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Depiction of Good and Evil in Fairytales)
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