Patriarchy and folktales

1. FOLKTALES
Patriarchy in folklore and the
messages to young girls and boys

2. FROM LAST CLASS
 Based on our discussion from Wednesday about the characteristics of good girls/women v bad
girls/women and “Real” men v inadequate men/good guys please think about and be ready to
answer the following questions after re-reading Lois Tyson’s “Feminist Criticism”.

 Why do people find it hard to identify with the term feminist?
 What are the repercussions for women who are raised in a patriarchal culture?
 What are repercussions for men who are raised in a patriarchal culture?
 Where does Tyson fall short in her discussion of the role of the patriarchy and our own feelings
of gender identity? What can we add to her points?
 Is anyone still uncomfortable labeling themselves as a feminist? Why or why not?

3. TYSON ON FOLKTALES
In groups: Can you find several quotes about
what Tyson says in “Feminist Criticism about
the effects folktales on children’s first
impressions of gender identity. Highlight
them.

4. CINDERELLA

5. SLEEPING BEAUTY

6. LOIS TYSON AND FAIRY TALES
 Feminity= Passivity
 Folktales encourage women to tolerate familial abuse.
 Marriage is the only desirable reward for “right” conduct.
 Men musy be superproviders without emotional needs.
 Girls must be young beautiful and sweet in order to be worthy of romantic love.
 Girls must be rescued by dashing young men from dire situations.
 Good girls are gentle submissive, virginal and angelic. They are awakened into sexual
potency by by the man who claims her
 Bad girls are violent, aggressive, greedy, worldly and duplicitous or monstrous, vain,
petty and jealous.

7. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

8. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

9. RAPUNZEL

10. QUIZ #2
 What is one of the main points the Marcia K. Leiberman
makes about the characteristics of folktales?
 Identify in each of three of the folktales specifically how this
characteristic is illustrated.
 (as an example of what I am looking for, do not mention
that the girl is beautiful in each, but instead, what that
beauty represents )

11. MARCIA K. LIEBERMAN: SOME DAY MY PRINCE
WILL COME
Patterns in folktales:
 The beauty contest is a constant and primary device. Beautiful girls are first punished and later rewarded. They are
never ignored.
 Good temper and meekness and associated with beauty. Ill-temper is associated with ugliness. Ugliness is the least of
all good traits.
 The beautiful girl does not have to DO anything to be rewarded; she does not need to show pluck, resourcefulness
and wit. She must be passive to earn her rewards.
 Poor girls are chosen by princes because they have been seen by them. Men are rewarded by getting the beauty (the
only desirable trait in a wife) by winning the contest by being bold, lucky and active.
 It is always the interesting special girl who is in trouble.
 The heroines are victims, even martyrs.
 Good fairies and dwarfs are non-sexualized.
 There are often powerful bad older women, who meet a punishment in the end..
 Marriage itself is rarely depicted. Most of the heroines are the children of widows or widowers or parents are
extremely weak or absent.

12. LOOK AT PAGE 71 IN THE COURSE READER FOR
SOME GUIDANCE.
Class discussion: What are the implications for
young girls and boys who read these fairy tales? (15
minutes)

13. EXERCISE
Work in groups to find Tyson’s and Liebermans’s
elements in the folktales we have read
Write down answers from the group in your own
notes. Make sure you highlight and note the
quotes you will support.

14. HOMEWORK
Read: Dustlands: Blood Red Road, 39
Read and annotate the essay, “Young Women in
Dystopia” located under required readings on our
website. You should be able to refer to a copy of it
in class.