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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

This chapter consists of five (5) parts namely, 1.) Introduction, which

presents the purpose and rationale of the study; 2.) Statement of the Problem,

which states the general and specific problems of this study; 3.) Scope and

Delimitation, which specifies the coverage and limitations of the study;

4.)Significance of the study, which discusses the benefits that would be

derived from the result of the study and enumerates the people who would

benefit from them; and 5.) Definition of terms, which presents the conceptual

and operational definitions of the important terms used in the study.

INTRODUCTION

“Every fairy tale comes with the same warning: Good children should

never go in the woods alone. Stray from the path and who knows what you’ll

encounter. Those kids in the fairy tales who go into the woods, they don’t

come back the same. They’re always changed in some fundamental way.

Sometimes for the better, more often for the worse. That’s the common

misconception about fairy tales: They rarely have a happy ending.”

-Jones, Ep. 3 Riverdale (2018)

Fairy tales, also known as wonder tales or marchen are sub-genre of

folktales involving magical, fantastic or wonderful episodes, characters,

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events, or symbols. They function to entertain, inspire and enlighten us. In

these episodic narratives, the main characters are usually humans who often

follow a typical pattern usually a heroic quest that is resolved by magic. The

fact that these wonder tales still appeal to us attests to their richness and

effectiveness as a symbolic or artistic communication ( Zipes, 2001).

A fairy tale is usually a children’s story about magical and imaginary

beings and kingdoms in faraway lands. Thompson (1972) defined fairy tales

as “stories about fantastical elements, or people and about an individual

completing a quest, or task”. Fairy Tale as a literary genre can be defined

easily by its structure rather than its actual content. Like all folktales, they are

narratives that are not believed to be true, often in timeless settings in

generic, unspecified places, with one dimensional character..

Fairy Tales started out in a form of oral tradition before it was written,

printed then adapted into film versions. The literary fairy tale became a trend

during the 17th century where it was developed as a parlor game by

aristocratic women. Time passed and fairy tales changed plots, motifs and

elements with one another and with the tales of foreign lands where they

came from (Zipes, 2008).

The Grimm Brothers were those who try to preserve the feature of

these oral tales yet it was printed and been considered reworked to fit the

written form. Their works influenced other collectors, both inspiring them to

collect tales, and led them to believe that the fairy tales of a county were

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particularly representative of it, to the neglect of cross-cultural references

(Tatar, 2004).

For centuries, it had grown, developed and shaped by generation to

generation. Because of its popularity, it had been adapted into different

versions but the modern versions are the most popular because of the plot

twists being implied by the film makers which became an interest to young

people (Lee, 2013).

The researcher is an avid fan of the greatest fairy tale of all time:

”Hansel and Gretel”. The researcher used five different versions of the tale in

the study: “Johnnie and Grizzle”, “The Babes in the Wood”, “Baba Yaga”,”The

Rose Tree” and the Grimm’s version of the tale which is entitled “Hansel and

Gretel”. Thus, the researcher used formalistic approach and utilized

comparative study into drawing out similarities and differences of the tale’s

versions.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study analyzed the different versions of Hansel and Gretel.

Specifically, it answered the following:

1. How do the different versions similar and different in presenting the:

a. Plot

b. Characters

c. Settings

d. Themes

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SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This study titled “Redefining Happiness in Happy Endings: A

Comparative Analysis on the Different Versions of Hansel and Gretel used

five different verions of Hansel and Gretel namely: “Johnnie and Grizzle”, “The

Babes in the Wood”, “Baba Yaga”, “Hansel and Gretel” (Grimm’s Version) and

“The Rose Tree” These versions were selected randomly because of the

differences they have in presenting the characters, plot, setting and themes.

These versions are compared and analyzed through content analysis and the

way they are adapted in such versions.

The study was delimited to create a comparison of the text’s similarities

and differences of the different versions of fairy tales, specifically, in the plot,

characterization of Hansel and Gretel, setting and thematic analysis.

Formalistic Approach was used in analyzing and determining the

versions’ similarities and differences in presenting fairy tale elements in terms

of characters, setting, plot and themes. Comparative study is employed to

create a comparison of the tales’ similarities and differences.

SIGIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study entitled Redefining Happy Endings: A Comparative Analysis

on the Different Versions of Hansel and Gretel may be significant to the

following:

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To the English Department, to provide better understanding of the

essence and importance of fairy tales and to get a better grasp on the

employment of literary approaches into identifying such underlying meanings

in these tales. This study hopes to be a helpful tool in better appreciation of

literature specifically in the genre of fairy tales and be an aid in doing further

comparative researches for the literature program.

To the readers, this study may help the reader gain more knowledge

and understanding of the fairy tales’ importance in literature. Moreover, this

study could aid them in their future literary research and would inspire them to

use fairy tale materials and to develop their analytic skills by comparing

studies and to drawing out different meanings.

Finally, to the researcher, this study hopes to answer the

researcher’s problems and to fully dig deeper into more details about fairy

tales and to develop the researcher’s critical and analytical skills in

comparative study in literature. This study also aims to develop the

researcher’s appreciation of fairy tales.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For better understanding of this study, the following terms were defined

conceptually and operationally.

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Characters are the persons represented in a narrative work who are

interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular qualities. (Abrams,

1999)

Operationally, this referred to the individuals in fairy tales particularly

the siblings Hansel and Gretel who performed the action and spoke in

dialogue that moves the story in a plot line and the characters that are

analyzed in this study.

Comparative Study is a type of study in which one is assigned two or

more subjects to compare and contrast the details in both subjects (Cowen,

2006).

Operationally, it referred to the applied process of comparing all

versions to draw out similarities and differences of the classic and modern

versions of fairy tales in this study.

Fairy tales is a story literary or folk that has a sense of the numinous,

the feeling or sensation of the supernatural or the mysterious. It is a story that

happens in the past tense, and a story that is not tied to any specifics. Fairy

tales are sometimes spiritual, but never religious (Propp, 1986).

Operationally, the term “fairy” tale referred more to the fantastic and

magical setting or magical influences within a story, rather than the presence

of the character of a fairy within that story. This also refers to the different

versions of Hansel and Gretel that are analyzed in this study.

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Formalistic Approach a type of literary theory and analysis which

originated in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the second decade of this century

and mainly focuses on the formal patterns and technical devices of literature

to the exclusion of its external patterns such as the author’s biography

(Abrams, 1999).

Operationally, this referred to the approach used in the study that

mainly focused in analyzing the plot, characters, settings and themes of the

selected versions.

Happy Endings are endings in a fictional work in which everything

turns out for the best of the protagonists and everyone except the villains. It

consists of their survival and successful completion of their quest (Evans,

1997).

Operationally, this referred to the conclusion where Hansel and Gretel

defeated the witch, found their way back home and lived a new life happily.

Plot is constituted by the events and actions in the story and are

rendered and ordered to achieve a particular artistic and emotional effects

(Abrams, 1999)

Operationally, this referred to the series of events in the story and

versions of Hansel and Gretel.