The story of Hansel and Gretel was collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The manuscript was created in 1810. The first edition was written in 1812 and the seventh and final edition was written in 1857. Author Jack Zipes believes that Hansel and Gretel are representations of the Grimm Brothers themselves. He believes this because the Grimms' father died when they were young children. This may have contributed to the emphasis on the abandonment issues in their written version of the story. When researching Hansel and Gretel, I found that the story deals with some of the same social aspects that we deal with today: family, religion, and social class.
Were Hansel and Gretel Stand-ins for the Brothers Grimm? by Andrea Coulter
9 responses to “Were Hansel and Gretel Stand-ins for the Brothers Grimm? by Andrea Coulter”
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Wow! I never knew that about their abandonment issues! Poor boys!
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I am fascinated by the inclusion of religion in the tale. Thanks for pointing that out!
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Maybe. Possibly. Or not. It’s easy to romanticize the tales collected by the Grimms. And, with enough talking, one can make any fairy tale mean anything at all. I am not sure how the father-image fits in. Even in the final version, the father is an active participant (several times) in the potential demise of the children. The Grimm’s father did not actively abandon his family. Rather, he died.
If you are going to take a look at Grimm stories of abandonment, loyalty and justice, take a gander over to Fundevogle. It clearly has some of the same themes- probably sharing sources with the H&G tale. In Fundevogel, the abandonment is more accidental that intentional.
Where I really agree is that the H&G which was the final iteration is clearly constructed by the Grimms from many sources. The final version is a very unique story vs. the other versions that may have contributed to it. -
I think the ‘many sources’, is an important point. If you research folktales of other cultures you will find abandoning children a common theme. During the period that stories were totally oral–times were hard, (we have no idea of how hard it was to survive then). Sometimes circumstances put a poor family in a position that we can’t even imagine today.
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Fundevogle?? I’m looking that up right now! Thanks, Sean!
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I hadn’t thought about Hansel and Gretel for years. Thanks for the touching retelling last Wednesday- I know that abandonment can be emotional as well as physical.
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This discussion is fascinating; it gave me a whole new perspective on H&G.
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Liz- I am planning on telling Fundevogel for the March 2nd gig. Justice takes many forms.
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That’s great! I can’t wait to hear it – thanks, Sean!
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