#A Tale Dark & Grimm

[iphigeniacomplex]

it’s very easy to tell the good satires and pastiches from the bad ones because the bad ones are too afraid to live within the form. like if you are doing work with fairy tales and you are refusing to look closer at the underlying logic and unspoken rules of what can seem at first to be a senseless form, you are not going to create meaningful work. to borrow a turn of phrase originally used by maria tatar, if you refuse to enter “the house of fairy tale” as anything more than a gawking tourist, you will miss the particular order to the way the table is set, the rooms that are locked vs the rooms that are simply difficult to enter, the set of the floorboards and the position of the furniture. whatever you build will then be a gilded imitation of how you believe the house of fairy tale ought to look, the table set according to your educated specifications and every door open. there can be no interrogation of themes from a writer who views the form as beneath them!

#it speaks! #sondheim understood this with into the woods; the deconstruction of narrative itself is able to happen because we are able to believe in -> #<- the fairy tale logic he employs prior to this. #its a kids book but adam gidwitz understood this with a tale dark and grimm!! #cant speak for the rest of the series but that first book uses the absurdity of fairy tale logic to speak about the absurdity of -> #<- adulthood and the pedagogy present in many fairy tales to discuss the ways parents hurt their children. #rule of threes is important but theres so much on my list ive yet to read; always welcome recommendations. #fairy tales #into the woods #<- this comes from musings on how successfully i feel that musical functions so it gets the tag

[enchantedbook]

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm illustrated by Andrea Dezso

#andrea dezso #brothers grimm #the original folk tales of grimm brothers #illustration #dark fairytales

[ancientsstudies]

Arthur Rackham’s Illustrations for the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales.

#grimms' fairy tales #grimm brothers #fairy tales #tale #illustration #illustrator #illusion #drawing #hand drawn #painter #oil painting #paint #painting #alternative #aesthetic #dark academia #dark academic aesthetic #dark aesthetic #aestheitcs #dark #art #light acadamia aesthetic #light academia

[tomtefairytaleblog]

Diamonds, Toads, and Dark Magical Girls

According to Bill Ellis in "The Fairy-Telling Craft of Princess Tutu: Meta-Commentary and the Folkloresque," the fairy tale of Cinderella can be seen as one of the earliest examples of the transformation sequences/henshin seen in magical girl anime, particularly in how the title character is given items that help her achieve a goal, usually given to her by a magical being (her mother's spirit in a tree, a fairy godmother, etc.).

Thinking again about the connection between magical girls and fairy tales--even if they aren't as meta as Tutu, many magical girls do use imagery and ideas from European fairy tales (Sailor Moon alone has references to Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault)--I wondered what other character types from the genre may have some precedent in fairy tales. Then I started thinking about the Dark Magical Girl character.

Not every magical girl story has a Dark Magical Girl, but they do crop up in a lot of works. To name a few, there's Fate Testarossa from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Rue/Kraehe from Princess Tutu, and countless others that would be too numerous to name. In general they tend to be more cynical, darker counterparts to the main protagonists, who tend to come from relatively more stable environments. Whatever magic they possess also may be more sinister, at least initially.

Tying in somewhat to the story of Cinderella is the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index fairy tale type "The Kind and Unkind Girls" (ATU 480). Many of the stories of this type involve a rivalry between two stepsisters, one being favored by the stepmother due to being the latter's biological daughter. The general idea in most versions of the tale is that both girls encounter a magical being at separate points in time. The kind girl helps the magical being in some way, at which point the magical being gives her a magical ability or magical presents. Meanwhile, the unkind girl refuses to help the magical being and is cursed in some fashion, or, worse, killed. The kind girl meanwhile usually ends up marrying a prince, or a similar character. One of the more popular versions of this story, "Diamonds and Toads," has the kind girl gain the ability to have a jewel or flower fall from her mouth when she speaks, while the unkind girl is cursed to have toads and snakes fall from hers. And while the kind girl does marry a prince, the unkind one is kicked out of her house and dies alone in the woods. (Insert something about Revolutionary Girl Utena's comment about how a girl who cannot become a princess is doomed to be a witch.)

Typically in these fairy tales, the unkind girl is never shown to be a real threat to the kind one; the ultimate threat is the stepmother, who uses her daughter as a means to an end. In contrast, Dark Magical Girls tend to have, well, magic that helps them attack the magical girl protagonist. In this regard, they're the Heavy in the plot, while the witch/mother-like figure/real enemy waits in the background (as is the case in a lot of magical girl shows--the Raven and Rue, Precia and Fate, Fine and Chris in Symphogear etc.). Sometimes the Dark Magical Girl will be a major threat, though--like the Princess of Disaster in Pretear (who is loosely-inspired by the Evil Queen in Snow White).

In The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (1976), Bruno Bettelheim argues that the stepmother as a character is a way for children to process the negative traits of their own mothers, while still idealizing the good qualities of them. With that in mind, the unkind sister and the Dark Magical Girl can be viewed as a way of processing/externalizing the negative traits that a girl can have, being cruel, rebellious, and uncaring. They also embody their fears, too--the fear of being alone, rejected, and doomed to fail.

Of course, nowadays, Dark Magical Girls have a tendency to be redeemed and reconcile with/befriend the main magical girl, something the kind and unkind girls never seem to do in the fairy tales. Maybe it's just emblematic of society deciding that killing a girl off for being a little rude is a bit unfair. She's just a kid trying to find her place in the world, too, after all.

#magical girl #magical girl lyrical nanoha #puella magi madoka magica #princess tutu #senki zesshou symphogear #dark magical girl #fate testarossa #homura akemi #rue kuroha #princess kraehe #chris yukine #cinderella #diamonds and toads #kind and unkind girls #fairy tales #hans christian andersen #brothers grimm #charles perrault #bruno bettelheim #the uses of enchantment #random thoughts #text #read more

[kabishkat19]

The Grimm Legends (Updated)

More updated character designs and story lines to come.

#the grimm legends #grimm fairytales #grimm fairy tales #grimm brothers #fairy tale illustration #dark fairy tale #fairy tale art #character artworks #character designs #hansel and gretel #little red riding hood #jack and the beanstalk #digital artwork #original series #folklore #red riding hood

[tsnbrainrot]

Heath Ledger + Letterboxd Reviews

↳ April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008

#heath ledger #letterboxd #films #roar (1997) #10 things i hate about you #two hands #the patriot #a knight's tale #the four feathers #ned kelly #the order #lords of dogtown #the brothers grimm #brokeback mountain #casanova #candy #candy (2006) #i'm not there #the dark knight #the imaginarium of doctor parnassus #i am heath ledger #guys i spend wayyyy too much time on letterboxd #anyways queueing this in march but here's a heath ledger bday post. be sad with me 💔💔

[best-childhood-book]

#best childhood book #poll #things not seen #five children #the chronicles of ancient darkness #running out of time #all of a kind family #matt cruse #a tale dark and grimm #upon a marigold #betsy tacy #ida b

[frithams]

"You must think that’s a hell of a long time. Personally, I think that’s a hell of a bird.”

PS. I did not write directly in this book, they are clear post-its

#study #studyblr #grad student #study with me #study study study #productivity #australia #frithams #CSIT #dark academia #chaotic academia #Grimms Fairy Tales #Heaven Sent #bookblr #classic #txt

[lapluieellepleut]

#a tale dark and grimm #netflix a tale dark and grimm #netflix #la pluie elle pleut art

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote YES if you have finished the entire book.

vote NO if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

#fantasy #books #A Tale Dark and Grimm #Adam Gidwitz #poll #result: no #l: English

[adarkrainbow]

Spooky season fairytales (5)

We have looked at movies (or additional material) exploring individual fairytales that could fit the spooky season. For the candy and the witchy, we looked at Hansel and Gretel. For the apples and the disguises, Snow White. For the monsters and horror, Little Red Riding Hood. But now let's take a look at those stories that are definitively dark, spooky, horrifying stories... But that use several fairytales together at once.

Let's start with...

Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm.

Aka probably the most disturbing fairytale movie you will have ever seen. And not even fully disturbing on purpose... I mean, there are many moments intended to be disturbing, but there's just as many that were disturbing by accident. But this movie marked an entire generation and gave nightmares to many, many people. Be ready... for disturbing stuff.

The plot of the story is quite simple to explain, but it hides deeper things. The story is basically an alternative history exploring a different incarnation of the brothers Grimm, now poor crooks trying to make a life in a Germany ravaged by the Napoleonian wars by being fake "ghost/witch/goblin" hunters, using their folkloric knowledge to play on the terror of villagers. It all backfires on them, however, when the French authorities send them to "investigate" a problem of missing girls in a remote village - a series of mysterious disappearances the villagers explain with a bunch of superstitions and folktales. The two brothers will then discover that some fairytales are real, and evil lurks within the woods...

Now, there is ONE thing, one VERY important thing to know to understand the nature of this movie. This movie was the result of a sterile and useless war that disappointed everyone - and this is why you have in effect a movie that could have been great, but is just... okay, alright, with some very good, some very bad... and a LOT of disturbingness. This movie is a Terry Gilliam product, a Terry Gilliam fantasy film, and if you know his other works, you'll recognize his brand. His exploration of the themes of dreams, belief, escapism, hope in front of corruption, despair, the death of the imagination and tyranny ; his style of oniric, surrealistic fantasy superposing creepy and dark creatures with extravagant and comical characters resulting in disturbing comedy and absurd horror and unsettling wonders. We are talking of the man behind Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchaunsen, Time Badits, The Zero Theorem, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, etc etc... And this movie still bears the mark of his imagination, mind and style, and you can see how he twisted fairytales into a horrifying nightmare. But it is only half of a Gilliam film.

Because the other half was the result of another man imposing with brute power, a lot of anger, and a lot of money, his own ideas upon the piece. Bob Weinstein, yes, of the Weinstein brothers. He was a producer of the movie, and the kind of producer that was going to direct, write and do everything with the movie. Weinstein's idea of the piece was basically what would later be known as "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters". This movie was that Weinstein wanted "The Brothers Grimm" to be. While Gilliam wanted a movie in line with his "Time Bandits", his "Brazil", his "Fisher King" and... well his Gilliam brand. But Weinstein wanted more action, more battle scenes, only big-name actors, he wanted all the women to be sexy... Heck, Bob Weinstein refused to have Gilliam's choice of Johnny Depp playing William Grimm, because he wasn't "commercial" enough, and when he was replaced by Matt Damon, Gilliam wanted Damon to wear a prosthetic nose so he looked more like the historical Grimm, only for Weinstein to refuse again because it would have ruined his "good looks". Similarly, for the main female role of Angelika Gilliam wanted Samantha Morton, but the Weinstein brothers (yes both of them) refused because she wasn't sexy, and insisted on having a sexy actress - in this case Lena Headey.

This movie was a constant, constant battle, feuds and struggles with no end - and it was so frustating that Terry Gilliam, out of spite and despair at seeing his project ruined, went on to make a separate movie while "The Brothers Grimm" was done (and this movie was the very disturbing and unfamous "Tideland", which is a good reflection of what Gilliam's state of mind was at the time). In the end, in Gilliam's own word, he managed to make a movie that wasn't what the Weinstein brothers wanted, and in such a way it was good... but he also couldn't make the movie he wanted either, and so nobody won here. And you can feel that indeed this movie is tugged between two directions, stuck between two roads, halfway between "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" and "The Company of Wolves", a monstrous hybrid between "Snow White and the Huntsman" and "Pan's Labyrinth".

But it still has its own horror, its own charm, you can see the movie that was intended to be made, that was half-made - and it still marked the history of fairytale cinematic adaptatons with some of the creepiest, most nightmarish ideas and imageries that ever were. This movie is probably the most disturbed adaptation of "The Gingerbread Man" you'll have ever seen, and the HORSE! By all gosh, you think Little Red Riding Hood's wolf was bad, WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE BIG BAD HORSE! This is a nightmare-fuel movie, people. And I do not sugar-coat this.

Next on our list would be the 2015's "Tale of Tales" movie, an Italian product (with French and British help and participation). This movie is, to my knowledge, the only movie adaptation of Basile's Pentamerone, and since it couldn't possibly cover the hundred and so stories, three were selected and readapted to fit into a greater ensemble: The Enchanted Doe, The Flea, and The Flayed Old Lady.

Together, these three stories were reinterpreted and woven to focus on the Maiden-Mother-Crone archetype (the girl-princess in The Flea, the mother-queen in The Enchanted Doe, the old women of The Flayed Old Lady), and thus explore women's relationships to men in their most negative lights ; but moreso, the movie was designed around the themes of extreme and dangerous desires - the theme of obsession.

This movie is beautifully shot and designed, with incredible sets, excellent practical special effects and gorgeous costumes - but this movie is also very mature, very sad and very dark. One thing that needs to be known is that the original Pentamerone is a comedic work. Its fairytales are all pieces of vulgar humor and extravagant farces, filled with slapstick-gore scenes and lots of sexual jokes. It wasn't the oniric folk-wonder of the Grimms, it wasn't the refined and elegant terror interwoven with modern and delicate miracles of Perrault and d'Aulnoy - these were "laugh-out-loud" and "burst-your-gut" stories of old women pissing and ogres farting loudly and husbands cheating on their wives and bad people scamming idiots before being strongly beaten up...

What this movie did was take back the stories, and remove all the humor and extravagance of it. And as the saying goes, when you remove the laugh track of a sitcom, you get an uncomfortable tragedy. This movie still has the gore, the sex, the crazy or foolish characters, the caricatures and the bizarre... But without the humor and the jokes, it all becomes sadness and horror, it becomes distubring and grotesque. In a way, this movie at the same time works as the antithesis of Basile's original work, and yet as a very faithful adaptation since, while it betrays the original intentions, it brings to light what the stories are fundamentaly made of and the themes it was driven by.

It also helps understanding the aesthetic of the movie to know that one of the main inspirations for this piece were the drawings and paintings of Goya.

And the final piece of this post would be Adam Gidwitz's "A Tale Dark and Grimm".

Now, you might be aware of a certain Netflix animated adaptation that was released not so long ago. Aka this one:

But it will not appear on this list - or rather I will mention it by extension of the original book, which is the one I wanted featured on this list.

Because very simply - the original novel is actually "darker and grimmer" than the series adaptation. Gidwitz's novel and the Netflix series both begin with a a heavy dose of dark humor, creepy slapstick and child-level jokes - but the novel relied on a progression. Tale after tale, with each new chapter in Hansel and Gretel's life, as they grew from children to adulsts, the stories got gloomier and more serious, and the humor became scarse and more cynical. There was really a neat and clear evolution from a "big laughs" goofy-gory show in the first chapters to a teary tragedy/sinister epic in the end. But with the Netflix series? They decided to emphasize the humor and jokes a lot to give the story a truly "cartoony" feeling, and they kept jokes and humor all throughout stories which originally did not have any...

So overall, while everybody called the show "dark", in truth I found it much more light-hearted and kid-friendly than the original novel X) And for this spooky season, I truly advise you go read the ORIGINAL book.

[EDIT: My friend @lapluieellepleut warned me I might have been a bit misleading with this description so I will insist: the original novel is still aimed at kids and pre-teens. Aka... this is a children's novel. This is not an adult read, not even a full teenager one. It is still a simple, sweet, funny story, though with morbid humor and trying to highlight the brutality and darkness of the Brothers Grimm fairytales. But... don't expect a Stephen King novel or a Shakespearian tragedy. Its still a kid tale. If you want something more adult in tone, go look at The Book of Lost Things - "A Tale Dark and Grimm" would be for the age range below The Book of Lost Things.]

If you have read it already, the book had two sequels to form a trilogy. The first one is "In a Glass Grimmly", which is just as good as the original ; and the second sequel (third part of the trilogy) is "The Grimm Conclusion"... Which I did not read. I heard it isn't as good as the others and the quality drops, but I'll give you more info once I actually read it.

Oh, and if you are ever in France or able to read French, do yourself a favor and pick the French edition of this book, aka, this one:

"The terrifying tale and bloody fate of Hansel and Gretel". On top of having perfectly creepy shadow-puppet silhouettes full page illustrations, it also uses a color-code for the text (mixing night-black and blood-red) similar to what for example The Neverending Story used. Truly emphasizes the creepiness and darkness of the novel - while making it even more obvious the humoristic part and more jarring the jokes.

#spooky season fairytales #spooky season #dark fairytales #horror fairytales #fairytale movies #tale of tales #pentamerone #the brothers grimm #terry gilliam #a tale dark and grimm

[an-theduckin]

EVERYONE GO WATCH A TALE DARK AND GRIMM ON NETFLIX RIGHT FUCKING NOW!! /NF

ITS LITERALLY SO COOL, IT ONLY HAS LIKE 10 EPISODES THO. I LOVE HOW IT HAS THE CHARM OF AN INNOCENT KIDS FILM WHILE ALSO BEING SUPER DARK. I LOVE LOVE THE NARRATOR BIRDS, AND ESPECIALLY WILLIAM. I LOVE HOW THEY ARENT JUST NARRATING FOR NO PURPOSE, AND THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A BACKSTORY AND A REASON ON WHY THEYRE NARRATING IT (I WONT SPOIL IT THO) ITS LITERALLY SO GOOD BRO LIKE PLEASE WATCH IT I WANNA TALK ABOUT IT WITH SOMEONE PLEASE PLEASE

NOT GONNA CALL OUT ANYONES NAMES CUZ THAT MIGHT MAKE U FEEL FORCED TO WATCH IT BUT. IF YOURE MY MUTUAL, PLWASE I WANNA RAMBLE IT TO U PLEASE I LOVE IT SO MUCH WATCH IT PLEASE

#an_theduckin #my text post #a tale dark and grimm #netflix series #film reccs #my ramblings

[ashandthorns]

📚🎻🌷”The Storyteller’s Treasury”

✨Introducing: A new collaborative project between Marlowe Lune and Old Growth Alchemy!

✨The Storyteller's Treasury is a celebration of beloved fairy tales and the feeling of slipping into a land once upon a time. In this ongoing project, @oldgrowthalchemy and @marlowelune will guide you on an enchanting (and delicious) journey into the lore that continues to resonate through the centuries, and it begins with: The Storyteller themself.

✨The artwork above for “The Storyteller’s Treasury” will be August’s Postcard of the Month for the Merry Blackbird Postcard Society! Crow Collector and Raven Dandies will receive a 5x7 postcard of this piece!

✨Old Growth Alchemy has brewed up a companion tea to accompany you on many a long night by the storyteller's fire listening to tales spun from your favorite books of old. The Storyteller will be available exclusively through their monthly tea club, the Old Growth Alchemy Tea Guild, as August's member blend. The Guild opens on August 1 and closes August 5 to new members, so follow along to be alerted when the membership is open once more! A mystery blend in the theme of fairy tales will also be available to select tiers, so stay tuned for more to come.

#tea #tea lover #tea time #books #booksbooksbooks #dark acadamia aesthetic #dark academia #old books #books & libraries #fairytales #fairy tale vibes #fairytale #fairy tale #fairy tales #grimm #grimm fairy tales #storytelling #storyteller #marlowe lune #old growth alchemy #andrew lang #antiquarian #antique books #vintage illustration #arthur rackham #golden age of illustration

[angelaanimates]

If you want to read a dark, gothic fantasy for the season I must suggest Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid. I did like three drawings this weekend because I am obsessed (but I’ll only share one at a time 😝).

#ava reid #juniper & thorn #marlinchen #gothic romance #dark fantasy #grimms fairy tales #artists on tumblr #illustration #artstagram #bookish #character art #illustration art #character design #book fanart #bookstagram

[lynxxjay]

me when I'm invested in too much different things that I don't know what to make fanart of first

#SML #trolls #a tale dark and grimm #httyd books #hazbin hotel #wonka #dc superhero girls #and then I end up just drawing my ocs lol #don't question my intrests #monkie kid #cuphead show #tpot

[kabishkat19]

Princesses🖤 (Disney vs Grimm legends)

#the grimm legends #grimm fairytales #fairy tale art #disney #disney princesses #dark fairy tale #character designs #character artworks