Fairytales as a space for socialization – on the example of a fairytale image of the mother

Abstract

Fairytales, along with myths and biblical parables, have built the foundation of human consciousness. The dreams and experiences of many generations have been accumulated. Do these stories continue to play an important role in the socialisation of the younger generation in today’s reality of the Internet and ubiquitous media? This paper attempts to answer this question by analysing the archetypal image of the mother in two fairytales – Cinderella and Snow White. The literary versions of the two fairytales by the Brothers Grimm, and “Cinderella” by Charles Perrault, served as the source texts. Taking into consideration the important role of contemporary media in the process of inculturation of society, I decided to include the animated versions of these fairytales created by the Walt Disney Company. To show a different interpretation of the role of stepmother, I referred to Michael Cohn’s feature film “Snow White: A Tale of Terror?” (1997). I focused on determining the role of the contrast between the fairytale loving mother and the wicked stepmother in children’s development and in the socialisation process.