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Showing posts with the label Australian fairy tale society

Reprinting, Revising or Remodeling?

Should Ernst’s works (or any oral or literary fairy tales)  be reprinted, revised or modified to meet the needs and preferences of a twenty-first century audience? We know t he re-working of fairy tales is common. When the Brothers Grimm published their first volume of   Kinder- und Hausmärchen [ Children and Household Tales ](Grimm, 1812) containing eighty-six numbered and collected fairy and folktales they could not have foreseen the variety of adaptations of the tales two hundred years later.     Hundreds of versions in different languages, audio books, cartoons, anime, horror and interactive worlds  now exist.   It could be argued that Grimm’s Fairy Tales should not enjoy continuing popularity in an era where the riddle of Rumpelstiltskin’s name could be easily solved using a search engine (Gollob, 2012) but they continue to be adapted for our era. In 2012, in readiness for the two hundred year anniversary of the publication of the Grimm’s first collection, a number of new fil

Inaugural Australian Fairy Tale Conference

I am sitting in my office (nice and warm) trying to remember where I am up to in my thesis. Winter is such a nice time to be in a study! I'm sure if I sit here long enough it will all become clear! The truth is I am up to 'painful' editing and critiquing. It was a delight to escape from the joys of persuasive writing about rules and laws to the enchantment of fairy tales. Refining my presentation of Olga's work in a monologue that touches on her life and her contribution to Australian children's literature was an opportunity to present to a different audience, one that could be labelled 'my community' and work with professional storyteller Teena. Teena told for the first time the story of the 'Fire Elves' and though we had emailed and talked on the phone we didn't rehearse together.  When I met Teena for the first time two hours before our presentation I instinctively knew she would be fantastic. Teena drew us into the story softly

Welcome to the Australian Fairy Tale Society

Exciting to hear about the formation of a  national not-for-profit society focussed on collecting, preserving, discussing, sharing, and creating Australian fairy tales. Australian fairy tales reflect our unique environment -  don't expect handsome princes on white stallions to rescue fair maidens. Shy stalwart bushmen who are at ease in the bush and mindful of old 'hags' are more adept at such challenges. Mermaids swim in the Yarra river, not to lure men to their doom, but with a different attitude, nurturing and protecting those humans living in communities close by.  Rather than the Big Bad Wolf, in one instance a small girl meets a bunyip who admires her goodness and scholarly achievements and rather than eat her up lectures her on the dangers of alcohol. These characters created by Westbury, Ernst, Whitfeld and Lockeyear are just a small sample of those waiting to be heralded. I am planning a trip to Sydney for the inaugural Australian Fairy Tale Society Conference (