Berfug Apaydin
February 29th, 2012
Ms. Solak
English and Literature
Get Out The Borders
Once upon a time… Isn’t this opening sounds so familiar for you? This is how those stories that are called fairytales begins with. Humans believe that fairytales are written hundreds years ago but there isn’t a certain time or place locates in those types of stories. Fairytales are mainly covers unrealistic and miraculous affairs to make the reader throw into it. As dictionary also states, fairytales are “a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending.”[1] The author of the Princesses’ Forum Linda Kavanagh, is simply protesting the idea of women dependency on men to survive in her short story by including a famous fairytale characters. To reveal the message of how stereotypical image of women and men change through the time and place, Linda Kavanagh indicates character development and uses satirical tone, modern language and content.
First of all, The Princesses’ Forum differs from the classic fairytales in so many ways such as providing how time changing has effects on the character development. The story is written with a satirical and a little bit humorous tone to protest the idea of gender differences and marriage forced upon women in the fairytales. Author simply using famous fairytale characters and their backgrounds to attract the reader’s attention to the purpose of the text. If the text had been written in a different time, the perspectives of characters would have been changed just like in the Princesses’ Forum. “I’m not particularly keen to have some idiot come along and try to annexe my territory to his, under the guise of having fallen madly in love with me.” (page 36) said Sleeping Beauty. This is one of the examples that confirms the reader about how women became awareness of their rights and shrewd. Cinderella is also another example of to show how world conditions make the character and their perspectives changed. In the classic fairytale Cinderella falls in love with a prince who get her shoe back to her house. In the short story she says “ Imagine selecting your life partner on the basis of her shoe size? How could self respecting woman cope with a man like that?”(page 34) She points out that how women are different than in the 18th century. Moreover, Princes whom are tired of carrying the responsibility of looking so brave and fearless to their princesses, are also confessed how they really feel. “ I’m tired of always feeling under pressure to be brave and fearless. I get awfully scared sometimes, but I’ve never been able to tell anyone else. I thought I was the only man who ever felt that way.”(page 38) Finally, if time and place changes, story changes and readers can observe this by the character development.
Secondly, in some how author’s perspectives, culture and the atmosphere that they live in have shaped almost all of the stories. The author may or may not want to reveal his/her ideas into story but generally readers can identify those little pieces while reading. As stated before, The Princesses’ Forum written with a satirical tone and some characters are simply reflecting the author’s feminist view especially Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. “ ‘Kingdom’ repeated Cinderella. ‘ Now, there’s a word I object to. Why shouldn’t it be Queendom?’” Also while reading the story, readers can easily identify that the text is written by a woman because of the feminist tone in some of the character’s speech. The roles of women and men have been changing since these fairytales were written. In the short story characters are reflecting the roles of women in the 21th century. “ ‘That’s because men wrote the stories’ said Cinderella, ‘ It makes them feel good to have women fighting among themselves for male attention.” One of the view that author strongly protest is the idea of stereotyping and she points that both of the sides, men and women were used to suffer in those fairytales. “ ‘I think we’re all victims of stereotyping’ said Red Riding Hood’ ” (page 36) The usage of word victim is a powerful way to represent the suffering from stereotyping since they are tired of trying to satisficed the society’s expectations.
Thirdly, language and tone has a significant role on the story. Word choices and structure of the writing creates the language and the type of the language identifies the tone and then the tone let the reader know author’s attitude on that issue and his/her purpose. Harsh language indicates that author is protesting the image has been created by the society. Linda Kavanagh uses slang words such as “idiot, macho, and fool.” The dialogues are written as if it’s a real speech between the characters also author is trying to demonstrate her remonstrance with modifying the famous fairytales characters who are known by all of the world and by the word choice and writing style. “ But princesses have to marry, and it has to be a prince.”(page 36) She stresses the words have and has which are “used to express certainty, necessity, and obligation.”[2] Especially in that part, she openly reveals her attitude by a bitter tone to the reader. Again in the Sleeping Beauty speech, “ But it’s actually the plot of our stories in reverse”(page 37) and also in the Snow White’s respond “ We’re tired of behaving the way stereotyped princesses are supposed to. We’re going to behave as we want from now on.”(page 38) is clearly observed that by using our and we in italics, the author tries to create group identity and takes the reader in it since the word of ‘we’ represent all of the women in the world not just the characters in the story. So that, the author addressing to all women and men who are the victims of stereotyping.
To sum up, Princesses’ Forum by Linda Kavanagh mainly protesting how unrealistic fairytales creates a stereotyped image of women and men. The culture, traditions and society’s values have been changing a lot since 17th century so that the text is completely changing based on those elements. The usage of modern language, satiric tone and the structure of the story differs it from the classic fairytales and makes it extraordinary.
References
[1] “Fairy Tale.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairy%2520tale>.
[2] “Have To.” ENGLISH PAGE. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.englishpage.com/modals/haveto.html>.
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