A collection of revised fairy tales and fables from around the globe

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Authors
Thatcher, Emma
Advisor
Lovelace, Sean
Issue Date
2021-05
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (B.?)
Department
Honors College
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Abstract

The majority of Americans are familiar with fairy tales such as Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, and the Three Little Pigs, etc. They’re commonly presented in children’s books and woven into popular culture—Disney is a well-renowned example. Although there are excellent lessons to be gleaned from these stories, this small section of Western European-derived tales are often the extent of the exposure an American citizen experiences in perspective of the globally stretching fabulist realm. Much more waits to be gleaned culturally and morally from reading non-Western European fairy and folk tales. Stories, from the fabulist genre specifically, accordingly reveal a society’s core values because they showcase what behaviors and knowledge they desire to pass on to their young people. Exclusively including Western European fairy tales in American literature education is a detriment to our development as well-rounded people. In order to aid in amending this situation, I have crafted a collection of thirty-one stories (all from different countries) whose breadth extends to the far reaches of the world. Each story was written or dictated by someone originally from each respective country to ensure story authenticity. Additionally, I have revised each story to at least the base structural level to provide readers with clear and easy-flowing literature that reads like any other modern story. May this collection expand and deepen your understanding of the rich and diverse cultures that exist in both our world’s past and present.