The Use of Fairy Tale Motifs in Contemporary Literature and Film

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_29How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Adaptation; Reimagination; Heroine’s Journey; Transformation; Monstrous Villain; Societal Issues; Gender Roles; Identity; Morality; Subversion; Cultural Norms; Evolution; Reinvention; Storytelling; Psychology; Human Experience

Abstract

Fairy tales have long been integral to human culture, functioning as tools for moral instruction, reflections of societal norms, and explorations of the unconscious mind. Rooted in oral traditions and later preserved by collectors like the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, these stories—featuring archetypal characters such as heroes, heroines, and villains, and motifs such as transformations and perilous journeys—have transcended time, embedding themselves in our collective imagination. Traditionally, they reinforced the values of their era, such as patriarchal structures and clear moral binaries, offering frameworks to understand human experience.

However, in recent decades, fairy tale motifs have evolved, moving beyond their original boundaries into contemporary literature and film. This research paper examines how these motifs are adapted and reimagined today, exploring their evolution, significance, and impact on modern storytelling. It analyzes how tropes like the heroine’s journey, transformation, and the monstrous villain are repurposed to address current societal issues, subvert traditional narratives, and create space for new identities, while reflecting on their dual role in preserving and reinventing tradition.

In their traditional form, fairy tales often upheld societal norms. Heroines like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were passive, awaiting rescue by princes, reinforcing patriarchal ideals where women depended on male saviors. Villains—witches, wolves, and stepmothers—were unambiguous evils, defeated to restore order, while transformations, like the Beast’s return to humanity, served as rewards or punishments. Contemporary adaptations, however, transform these conventions into dynamic narratives that resonate with modern audiences. The heroine’s journey, for instance, shifts from passivity to agency. In Neil Gaiman’s The Sleeper and the Spindle (2014), a princess awakens herself and embarks on a mission, while Disney’s frozen (2013) redefines the journey as one of self-discovery and sisterhood, not romance. These retellings align with feminist ideals, challenging the damsel trope and reflecting a societal push toward gender equality.

Transformation, another key motif, evolves from a simple plot device into a metaphor for identity and self-acceptance. In classic tales, it marked moral outcomes—the Beast’s human restoration or a stepmother’s demise. Modern works, like Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber (1979), use it to explore psychological growth, as the Bluebeard protagonist matures from naivety to defiance. Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) blurs reality and fantasy through transformation, mirroring the heroine’s resilience amid war. These adaptations address contemporary issues like trauma and identity fluidity, offering a lens for navigating a complex world.

The monstrous villain also shifts from a one-dimensional evil to a nuanced figure reflecting modern anxieties. Traditional tales cast villains as clear threats—ogres or witches—whose defeat upheld justice. Today’s narratives humanize them, exploring their motivations. Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995) reimagines the Wicked Witch as an outcast fighting prejudice, while Maleficent (2014) portrays its titular character as a betrayed protector, her “monstrosity” born from trauma. These revisions question moral absolutes, critiquing power, corruption, and marginalization, and inviting audiences to reconsider the “other” in a polarized society.

The impact of these adaptations is profound, blending mythic resonance with relevance to current issues. They subvert traditional narratives to challenge power structures and broaden identity representation. Nalo Hopkinson’s Midnight Robber (2000) uses fairy tale motifs to explore postcolonial survival, while Malinda Lo’s Ash (2009) reimagines Cinderella with a lesbian romance, enhancing inclusivity. These works show how fairy tales, once rigid, now flexibly reflect diverse experiences and interrogate societal realities, from gender dynamics to systemic injustice.

This evolution highlights a dual role: preserving tradition while reinventing it. Films like The Shape of Water (2017), echoing Beauty and the Beast, maintain emotional cores—love and wonder—while updating aesthetics and themes for today’s audiences. Reinvention breaks outdated constraints, as seen in the proliferation of fairy tale-inspired works across novels, films, and games, affirming their adaptability and cultural potency. This balance ensures their continued relevance, keeping them alive for new generations.

The significance lies in fairy tales’ role as meaning-making tools. Historically, they processed fears and hopes, a function they retain amid modern challenges—technological change, political upheaval, and shifting identities. The heroine’s journey reflects agency against barriers, transformation mirrors identity fluidity, and the monstrous villain captures power’s ambiguities, engaging both the unconscious (as Jung and Bettelheim noted) and conscious concerns. This adaptability makes them a vibrant intersection of tradition and innovation.

Ultimately, contemporary fairy tale adaptations—by reimagining the heroine’s journey, transformation, and the monstrous villain—address societal issues, subvert norms, and carve out new identity spaces. They preserve timeless appeal while reflecting 21st-century complexities, remaining a living part of culture. Far from relics, fairy tales evolve with each generation, illuminating the human condition and affirming storytelling’s power to mirror and shape our world.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Ruby Anand Sharma
AU  - Shalini Saxena
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/06/14
TI  - The Use of Fairy Tale Motifs in Contemporary Literature and Film
BT  - Proceedings of Innovative Multidisciplinary Approaches to Global Challenges: Sustainability, Equity, and Ethics in an Interconnected World (IMASEE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 625
EP  - 642
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_29
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-416-7_29
ID  - Sharma2025
ER  -