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Pregnancy, Purity, and Body Autonomy in “New Originals” of “Rapunzel”
Author(s) -
Wilcox Brandy E.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the german quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.11
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 1756-1183
pISSN - 0016-8831
DOI - 10.1111/gequ.12175
Subject(s) - human sexuality , literature , reading (process) , adaptation (eye) , art , history , linguistics , sociology , psychology , gender studies , philosophy , neuroscience
This article looks at adaptations and retellings of the fairy tale “Rapunzel,” beginning with the Grimms' own edits obscuring Rapunzel's sexuality, to expose how adaptations of this tale echo the evolution of societal attitudes toward gender roles and sexuality. Retellings of the tale are analyzed as “new originals” in their own right. Adaptations and remediations from the Grimms' first and second editions, including translations and film adaptations such as Rapunzel oder Der Zauber der Tränen (1988) and Tangled (2010), are used to explore how these new versions build on originals while injecting their own “flavors” and carrying the social values of their times and places. Reading fairy‐tale retellings as a continuous process of adaptation from “new originals” provides insight into social norms and values while discerning relevant, recognizable, and universally adaptable aspects of a tale.