Research Paper on:
Brothers Grimm's Fairytales and Sources

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
sources. BBgrimFT.doc SOURCES OF THE FAIRY TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM Written by B. Bryan Babcock for  the Paperstore, Inc., February 2001 Thesis statement The Brothers Grimm realized that the oral tradition of Germany contained the symbolic soul of the nation. They first started  their collection as a patriotic move against the oppressive French, but then discovered they were holding on to richer treasure than they ever imagined. Introduction Fairy tales have an intrinsic  quality that surpasses their entertainment value. The stories are mainly about the actions of a hero or heroine; the setting, time, and actual place may be vague. So we  as readers are able to be one of the major players within the story framework, and reach, according to Patterson (1999), either our stated goals, the rewards, or at least  "the happy ending," something that we may feel powerless to accomplish in our "real" lives. Folk Lore and Politics According to Willems (1999), the Brothers Grimm saw themselves as scholars  and political activists. As Napoleans armies tried to systematically eliminate all what they perceived as German tradition, Jakob and Willem Grimm tried to record and save all they could  of what they called "folklore," or the oral tradition. One story says that they were the collecting agents for a friend who was going to publish what they found.  But after several years and a collection of 49 stories, there were still no apparent signs of future publication. The Brothers then decided to publish the material on  their own. The first publication met with little success, as about half of each page contained intricate scholastic footnotes. Literature According to McGlathery (1994) calling the Brothers Grimm collection