A Study of Fairy Tales Part 5

III. THE FAIRY TALE AS A SHORT-STORY

The fairy tale, then, which in an objective sense, from the standpoint of literature, has proved itself subject-matter of real worth, must be a cla.s.sic, must have the qualities of mind and soul, must possess the power to appeal to the emotions, a power to appeal to the imagination, and it must have a basis of truth and a perfection of form. But in addition to possessing these characteristics, because the fairy tale is a special literary form,--the short-story,--as literature it must stand the test of the short-story.

The three main characteristics of the short-story, as given by Professor Brander Matthews in his _Philosophy of the Short-Story_, are originality of theme, ingenuity of invention, and brevity, or compression. A single effect must be conceived, and no more written than contributes to that effect. The story depends for its power and charm on (1) characters; (2) plot; and (3) setting. In _The Life and Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson_, by Graham Balfour, Stevenson has said, concerning the short-story:--

"There are, so far as I know, three ways, and three ways only, of writing a story. You may take a plot and fit characters to it, or you may take a character and choose incidents and situations to develop it, or lastly--you must bear with me while I try to make this clear.... You may take a certain atmosphere and get action and persons to express and realize it. I'll give you an example--_The Merry Men_.

There I began with the feeling of one of those islands on the west coast of Scotland, and I gradually developed the story to express the sentiment with which the coast affected me."

According to the method by which the story was made, the emphasis will be on character, plot, or setting. Sometimes you may have a perfect blending of all three.

(1) Characters. The characters must be unique and original, so that they catch the eye at once. They dare not be colorless, they must have striking experiences. The Elephant's Child, Henny Penny, Medio Pollito, Jack of the Beanstalk, the Three Pigs, the Three Bears, and Drakesbill--the characters of the fairy tales have no equal in literature for freshness and vivacity. The very mention of the thought brings a smile of recognition; and it is for this reason, no doubt, that leading men in large universities turn aside from their high scholarly labors, to work or play with fairy tales. Besides the interesting chief characters, moreover, there are many more subordinate characters that are especially unique: the fairies, the fairy G.o.dmothers and wise women, the elves of the trees, the dwarfs of the ground, the trolls of the rocks and hills, and the giants and witches. Then that great company of toilers in every occupation of life bring the child in touch with many novel phases of life. At best we are all limited by circ.u.mstances to a somewhat narrow sphere and like to enter into all that we are not. The child, meeting in his tale the shoemaker, the woodcutter, the soldier, the fisherman, the hunter, the poor traveler, the carpenter, the prince, the princess, and a host of others, gets a view of the industrial and social conditions that man in simple life had to face. This could not fail to interest; and it not only broadens his experience and deepens his sympathy, but is the best means for acquiring a foundation upon which to build his own vocational training. This acquisition is one contribution of literature to industrial work. Those characters will appeal to the child which present what the child has noticed or can notice. They should appear as they do in life, by what they say and by what they do. This, in harmony with the needs of the young child, makes the tales which answer to the test of suitability, largely dramatic.

(2) Plot. The characters of the tales can be observed only in action.

Plot is the synthesis of the actions, all the incidents which happen to the characters. The plot gives the picture of experience and allows us to see others through the events which come to them. According to Professor Bliss Perry, the plot should be entertaining, comical, novel, or thrilling. It should present images that are clear-cut and not of too great variety. It should easily separate itself into large, leading episodes that stand out distinctly. The sequence of events should be orderly and proceed without interruption. The general structure should easily be discerned into the beginning, the middle, and the end. Various writers of tales have their particular ways of beginning. Andersen loses no time in getting started, while Kipling begins by stating his theme. The old tales frequently began with the words, "Once upon a time," which Kipling modified to "In the High and Far-Off times, O Best Beloved," etc. Hawthorne begins variously with "Once upon a time", or, "Long, long ago"; or, "Did you ever hear of the golden apples?" etc.--Hawthorne has been omitted in this book because, so far as I can discover, he furnishes no tale for the kindergarten or first grade. His simplest tale, _Midas and the Golden_ _Touch_, properly belongs in the second grade when told; when read, in the fourth grade.--The introduction, in whatever form, should be simple and to the point. It should give the time and place and present the characters; and if good art it will be impatient of much preliminary delay. The great stories all show a rise of interest culminating in one central climax; and after that, sometimes following on its very heels, the conclusion where poetic justice is meted out.

This climax is a very important feature in the tale, so important that it has been said, "The climax is the tale." It is the point where interest focuses. It makes the story because it is where the point of the story is made. In a good story this point always is made impressive and often is made so by means of surprise. The conclusion must show that the tale has arrived at a stopping place and in a moral tale it must leave one satisfied, at rest.

If the folk-tale is good narration, in answer to the question, "What?"

it will tell what happened; in answer to the question, "Who?" it will tell to whom it happened; in answer to the question, "Where?" it will tell the place where, and the time when, it happened; and in answer to the question, "Why?" it will give the reason for telling the story, it will give the message, and the truth embodied in its form. As narration the tale must have truth, interest, and consistency. Its typical mood must be action and its language the language of suggestion. This language of suggestion appears when it shows an object by indicating how it is like something else; by telling what we feel when we see the object; and by telling what actions of the person or object make it hateful or charming. We learn to know Andersen's Snow Man through what the Dog says of him.

Description, in the sense of a static, detailed delineation of various qualities of objects, has no place in the child's story, for it bores the child, who is very persistent in wanting the main theme uninterrupted. But description that has touches of movement and action or that lays emphasis on a single effect and has point, distinctly aids visualization, and produces a pleasing result, as we have seen in Kipling's _Elephant's Child_. The young child of to-day, trained in nature study to look upon bird, tree, and flower with vital interest, to observe the color and the form of these, gains a love of the beautiful that makes him exclaim over the plumage of a bird or tint of a flower. To him beauty in the tale must make a direct appeal which the child unfamiliar with these things might not feel. _The Wonderful Adventures of Nils_ makes an appeal to the modern child which could not possibly have been felt by the child living before 1850. The modern child brought up on phonics is sensitive to sound also, and open to an appreciation of the beauty of the individual word used in description. This description, when it occurs, should be characterized mainly by aptness and concreteness.

Having observed the general characteristics of the narrative contained in the plot, let us examine the structure of a few tales to see: What is the main theme of the plot and how it works itself out; what are the large, leading episodes, and how they culminate in the climax; and what is the conclusion, and how closely it follows the climax.

_The Story of Three Pigs_

I. _Introduction_. Time. Place. Characters: Mother and Three Pigs. Mother gone.

II. _Rise_.

1. First Pig's venture with a man with a load of straw.

Builds a straw house. (Wolf enters.) Wolf comes and destroys him.

2. Second Pig's venture with a man with a load of furze.

Builds a furze house.

Wolf comes and destroys him.

3. Third Pig's venture with a man with a load of bricks.

Builds a brick house.

Wolf comes. (Climax.)

III. _Conclusion_. Third Pig outwits the Wolf.

At the turnip-field in Mr. Smith's home-field.

At the apple tree in Merry-Garden.

At the fair at Shanklin.

At his own brick house.

Evidently the climax here is when the Wolf comes to the third Pig's brick house. After that things take a turn; and the final test of strength and cleverness comes at the very end of the tale, at Little Pig's brick house.

Grimm's _Briar Rose_ is a model of structure and easily separates itself into ten large episodes.

_Briar Rose_

1. _The Introduction_.

2. The Christening Feast.

(a) The Fairies and their gifts.

(b) The wicked Fairy and her curse.

3. The King's decree.

4. Princess Rose's birthday.

(a) Princess Rose's visit to the old tower.

(b) Princess Rose and the wicked Fairy spinning.

(c) The magic sleep.

5. The hedge of briars.

6. The Prince and the old Man.

7. The Prince and the opening hedge.

8. The Prince in the castle. (Climax.)

9. The awakening.

10. The wedding. (Conclusion.)

The climax here is the Prince's awakening kiss. The blossoming of the hedge into roses prepares for the climax; and the conclusion--the awakening of all the life of the castle and the wedding--follow immediately after.

(3) Setting. The third element of the short-story that is essential to its power and charm is setting. The setting is the circ.u.mstances or events which surround the characters and action. The setting occupies a much more important place in the tale than we realize, for it is the source of a variety of sensations and feelings which it may arouse. It gives the poetic or artistic touch to a tale. In the old tale the setting is given often in a word or two which act like magic, to open to our eyes a whole vision of a.s.sociations. The road in the _Three Pigs_, the wood in _Red Riding Hood_, the castle in the _Sleeping Beauty_--these add charm. Often the transformation in setting aids greatly in producing effect. In _Cinderella_ the scene s.h.i.+fts from the hearth to the palace ballroom; in the _Princess and the Pea_, from the comfortable castle of the Queen to the raging storm, and then back again to the castle, to the breakfast-room on the following morning.

In _Snow White and Rose Red_ the scene changes from the cheery, beautiful interior of the cottage, to the snowstorm from which the Bear emerged. In acc.u.mulative tales, such as _The Old Woman and her Pig_, _Medio Pollito_, and _The Robin's Christmas Song_, the sequence of the story itself is preserved mainly by the change of setting. This appears in the following outline of _The Robin's Christmas Song_, an English tale which is the same as the Scotch _Robin's Yule-Song_, which has been attributed to Robert Burns. This tale ill.u.s.trates one main line of sequence:--

_The Robin's Christmas Song_

1. _Introduction_. A sunny morning. Waterside. A Gray p.u.s.s.y.

A Robin came along.

2. _Rise_.

p.u.s.s.y said, ... "See my white fur."

Robin replied, ... "You ate the wee mousie."

_Change in setting_. Stone wall on border of the wood. A greedy Hawk, sitting.

Hawk said, ... "See the speckled feather in my wing."

Robin replied, ... "You pecked the sparrow," etc.