The feminist perspective
One of the most important portrayals and issues in Rapunzel and its appropriations is the portrayal of the female character and female sexuality as an element of the plot.
In contemporary society how females are viewed and how texts are read, the feminist reading, has changed greatly from the time when fairy tales were born.
Consequently there are many elements in fairy tales which can be offensive to the mindset of today. In appropriations of fairy tales it is common to see females portrayed in different ways to make the story more acceptable to its new context.
One of the issues in many fairy tales is that of the damsel in distress, which can be considered as undermining the strength of a female character if one reads with a feminist perspective. Many appropriations change this to empower a female protagonist.
Another element is that of the evil sorceress, witch, stepmother, queen etc. A large proportion of villains in the more popular fairy tales are female and in appropriations the female villain can sometimes experience a kind of justification in their character portrayal.
Female sexuality can sometimes be alluded to in fairy tales but then be glossed over in retellings for children, which can detract from some of the meaning in the tale.
In contemporary society how females are viewed and how texts are read, the feminist reading, has changed greatly from the time when fairy tales were born.
Consequently there are many elements in fairy tales which can be offensive to the mindset of today. In appropriations of fairy tales it is common to see females portrayed in different ways to make the story more acceptable to its new context.
One of the issues in many fairy tales is that of the damsel in distress, which can be considered as undermining the strength of a female character if one reads with a feminist perspective. Many appropriations change this to empower a female protagonist.
Another element is that of the evil sorceress, witch, stepmother, queen etc. A large proportion of villains in the more popular fairy tales are female and in appropriations the female villain can sometimes experience a kind of justification in their character portrayal.
Female sexuality can sometimes be alluded to in fairy tales but then be glossed over in retellings for children, which can detract from some of the meaning in the tale.