Editing Brothers Grimm (section)

== ''Children's and Household Tales'' ==
{{Main|Grimms' Fairy Tales}}

=== Background ===
[[File:Arthur Rackham Little Red Riding Hood+.jpg|thumb|The Grimms defined "[[Little Red Riding Hood]]", shown here in an illustration by [[Arthur Rackham]], as representative of a uniquely German tale, although it existed in various versions and regions.<ref name="Txxxviff" />]]The rise of [[romanticism]], [[romantic nationalism]], and trends in valuing popular culture in the early 19th century revived interest in fairy tales, which had declined since their late 17th-century peak.<ref name="Jean" /> [[Johann Karl August Musäus]] published a popular collection of tales called {{lang|de|[[Volksmärchen der Deutschen]]}} between 1782 and 1787;<ref name="Haase2008">{{Harvnb|Haase|2008|p=138}}</ref> the Grimms aided the revival with their folklore collection, built on the conviction that a national identity could be found in popular culture and with the common folk ({{lang|de|Volk}}). They collected and published their tales as a reflection of German cultural identity. In the first collection, though, they included [[Charles Perrault]]'s tales, published in Paris in 1697 and written for the [[salon (gathering)|literary salons]] of an aristocratic French audience. Scholar Lydie Jean says that Perrault created a myth that his tales came from the common people and reflected existing folklore to justify including them—even though many of them were original.<ref name="Jean" />

The brothers were directly influenced by Brentano and von Arnim, who edited and adapted the folk songs of {{lang|de|[[Des Knaben Wunderhorn]]}} (''The Boy's Magic Horn'' or [[cornucopia]]).<ref name="Haase2008" /> They began the collection with the purpose of creating a scholarly treatise of traditional stories, and of preserving the stories as they had been handed from generation to generation—a practice threatened by increased industrialization.<ref name="Txxxff" /> [[Maria Tatar]], professor of German studies at [[Harvard University]], argues that it is precisely the handing from generation to generation and the genesis in the [[oral tradition]] that gives folk tales important mutability. Versions of tales differ from region to region, "picking up bits and pieces of local culture and lore, drawing a turn of phrase from a song or another story, and fleshing out characters with features taken from the audience witnessing their performance."<ref>{{Harvnb|Tatar|2004|pp=xxxvi}}</ref>

But Tatar argues that the Grimms appropriated as uniquely German stories, such as "[[Little Red Riding Hood]]", that had existed in many versions and regions throughout Europe, because they believed that such stories reflected Germanic culture.<ref name="Txxxviff">{{Harvnb|Tatar|2004|pp=xxxviii}}</ref> Furthermore, the brothers saw fragments of old religions and faiths reflected in the stories, which they thought continued to exist and survive through the telling of stories.<ref name="Murphy3ff">{{harvnb|Murphy|2000|pp=3–4}}</ref>
=== Methodology ===
When Jacob returned to Marburg from Paris in 1806, their friend Brentano sought the brothers' help in adding to his collection of folk tales, at which time the brothers began to gather tales in an organized fashion.<ref name="Z(1988)2ff" /> By 1810 they had produced a manuscript collection of several dozen tales, written after inviting storytellers to their home and transcribing what they heard. These tales were heavily modified in transcription; many had roots in previously written sources.<ref name="H579">{{Harvnb|Haase|2008|p=579}}</ref> At Brentano's request, they printed and sent him copies of the 53 tales that they collected for inclusion in his third volume of {{lang|de|Des Knaben Wunderhorn}}.<ref name="Pitt" /> Brentano either ignored or forgot about the tales, leaving the copies in a church in [[Alsace]] where they were found in 1920 and became known as the Ölenberg manuscript. It is the earliest extant version of the Grimms' collection and has become a valuable source to scholars studying the development of the Grimms' collection from the time of its inception. The manuscript was published in 1927 and again in 1975.<ref>{{Harvnb|Zipes|2000|p=62}}</ref>

The brothers gained a reputation for collecting tales from peasants, although many tales came from middle-class or aristocratic acquaintances. Wilhelm's wife, Henriette Dorothea (Dortchen) Wild, and her family, with their nursery maid, told the brothers some of the more well-known tales, such as "Hansel and Gretel" and "[[Sleeping Beauty]]".<ref name="J177ff" /> Wilhelm collected some tales after befriending [[August von Haxthausen]], whom he visited in 1811 in [[Westphalia]] where he heard stories from von Haxthausen's circle of friends.<ref name="Z(1988)11ff">{{Harvnb|Zipes|1988|pp=11–14}}</ref> Several of the storytellers were of [[Huguenot]] ancestry, telling tales of French origin such as those told to the Grimms by [[Marie Hassenpflug]], an educated woman of French Huguenot ancestry,<ref name="H579" /> and it is probable that these informants were familiar with Perrault's {{lang|fr|[[Histoires ou contes du temps passé]]}} (''Stories from Past Times'').<ref name="Jean">{{Harvnb|Jean|2007|pp=280–282}}</ref> Other tales were collected from [[Dorothea Viehmann]], the wife of a middle-class tailor and also of French descent. Despite her middle-class background, in the first English translation she was characterized as a peasant and given the name {{lang|de|Gammer Gretel}}.<ref name="Txxxff" /> At least one tale, ''Gevatter Tod (Grim Reaper''), was provided by composer [[Wilhelmine Schwertzell]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schnack |first=Ingeborg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L3QTAQAAMAAJ&q=wilhelmine+schwertzell |title=Lebensbilder aus Kurhessen und Waldeck 1830-1930 |date=1958 |publisher=N.G. Elwert |language=de}}</ref> with whom Wilhelm had a long correspondence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=29. Juli─01. September ¤ WTB: • Willingshäuser Malersymposium • - Künstlerkolonie Willingshausen |url=https://www.malerkolonie.de/index.php/id-29-juli01-september-wtb-willingshaeuser-malersymposium.html |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=www.malerkolonie.de}}</ref>

[[File:Walter Crane12.jpg|thumb|Stories such as "[[Sleeping Beauty]]", shown here in a [[Walter Crane]] illustration, had been previously published and were rewritten by the Brothers Grimm.<ref name="Jean" />]]

According to scholars such as Tatar and Ruth Bottigheimer, some of the tales probably originated in written form during the [[Middle Ages|medieval period]] with writers such as [[Giovanni Francesco Straparola|Straparola]] and [[Boccaccio]], but were modified in the 17th century and again rewritten by the Grimms. Moreover, Tatar writes that the brothers' goal of preserving and shaping the tales as something uniquely German at a time of [[Convention of Artlenburg|French occupation]] was a form of "intellectual resistance", and in so doing they established a methodology for collecting and preserving folklore that set the model followed later by writers throughout Europe during periods of occupation.<ref name="Txxxff">{{Harvnb|Tatar|2004|pp=xxxiv–xxxviii}}</ref><ref name="B175ff">{{Harvnb|Bottigheimer|1982|pp=175}}</ref>

=== Writing ===
From 1807 onward, the brothers added to the collection. Jacob established the framework, maintained through many iterations; from 1815 until his death, Wilhelm assumed sole responsibility for editing and rewriting the tales. He made the tales stylistically similar, added dialogue, removed pieces "that might detract from a rustic tone", improved the plots, and incorporated psychological motifs.<ref name="Z(1988)11ff" /> Ronald Murphy writes in ''The Owl, the Raven, and the Dove'' that the brothers, particularly Wilhelm, also added religious and spiritual motifs to the tales. He believes that Wilhelm "gleaned" bits from [[Germanic paganism|old Germanic faiths]], Norse mythology, Roman and [[Greek mythology]], and biblical stories that he reshaped.<ref name="Murphy3ff" />

Over the years, Wilhelm worked extensively on the prose; he expanded and added detail to the stories to the point that many of them grew to twice the length they had in the earliest published editions.<ref name="T(2004)xiff">{{Harvnb|Tatar|2004|pp=xi–xiii}}</ref> In the later editions Wilhelm polished the language to make it more enticing to a bourgeois audience, eliminated sexual elements, and added Christian elements. After 1819 he began writing original tales for children (children were not initially considered the primary audience) and adding didactic elements to existing tales.<ref name="Z(1988)11ff" />

Some changes were made in light of unfavorable reviews, particularly from those who objected that not all the tales were suitable for children because of scenes of violence and sexuality.<ref name="T(1987)15ff">{{Harvnb|Tatar|1987|pp=15–17}}</ref> He worked to modify plots for many of the stories; for example, "[[Rapunzel]]" in the first edition of {{lang|de|Kinder- und Hausmärchen}} clearly shows a sexual relationship between the prince and the girl in the tower, which he edited out in subsequent editions.<ref name="T(2004)xiff" /> Tatar writes that morals were added (in the second edition a king's regret was added to the scene in which his wife is to be burned at the stake) and often the characters in the tale were amended to appear more German: "every [[fairy]] ({{lang|de|Fee}}), prince ({{lang|de|Prinz}}) and princess ({{lang|de|Prinzessin}})—all words of French origin—was transformed into a more Teutonic-sounding enchantress ({{lang|de|Zauberin}}) or wise woman ({{lang|de|weise Frau}}), king's son ({{lang|de|Königssohn}}), king's daughter ({{lang|de|Königstochter}})."<ref>{{Harvnb|Tatar|1987|p=31}}</ref>

=== Themes and analysis ===
[[File:Hansel-and-gretel-rackham.jpg|thumb|left|"Hansel and Gretel" (1909), illustrated by [[Arthur Rackham]], was a "warning tale" for children.<ref name="D91ff" />]]The Grimms' legacy contains legends, [[novella]]s, and folk stories, the vast majority of which were not intended as children's tales. Von Arnim was concerned about the content of some of the tales—such as those that showed children being eaten—and suggested adding a subtitle to warn parents of the content. Instead the brothers added an introduction with cautionary advice that parents steer children toward age-appropriate stories. Despite von Arnim's unease, none of the tales were eliminated from the collection; the brothers believed that all the tales were of value and reflected inherent cultural qualities. Furthermore, the stories were didactic in nature at a time when discipline relied on fear, according to scholar [[Linda Dégh]], who explains that tales such as "[[Little Red Riding Hood]]" and "Hansel and Gretel" were written as "warning tales" for children.<ref name="D91ff">{{Harvnb|Dégh|1979|pp=91–93}}</ref>

The stories in {{lang|de|Kinder- und Hausmärchen}} include scenes of violence that have since been sanitized. For example, in the Grimms' original version of "[[Snow White]]", the Queen is Little Snow White's mother, not her stepmother, but still orders her Huntsman to kill Snow White (her biological daughter) and bring home the child's lungs and liver so that she can eat them; the story ends with the Queen dancing at Snow White's wedding, wearing a pair of red-hot iron shoes that kill her.<ref>Zipes (2014) – translation of the 1812 original edition of "Folk and Fairy Tales"</ref> Another story, "[[The Goose Girl]]", has a servant stripped naked and pushed into a barrel "studded with sharp nails" pointing inward and then rolled down the street.<ref name="NG" /> The Grimms' version of "[[The Frog Prince (story)|The Frog Prince]]" describes the princess throwing the frog against a wall instead of kissing him. To some extent the cruelty and violence may reflected the medieval culture from which the tales originated, such as scenes of witches burning, as described in "[[The Six Swans]]".<ref name="NG" />

[[File:Rumpelstiltskin-Crane1886.jpg|thumb|300px|"[[Rumpelstiltskin]]", shown here in an illustrated border by [[Walter Crane]], is an example of a "spinning tale".]]Tales with a spinning [[motif (folkloristics)|motif]] are broadly represented in the collection. In her essay "Tale Spinners: Submerged Voices in Grimms' Fairy Tales", Bottigheimer argues that these stories reflect the degree to which spinning was crucial in the life of women in the 19th century and earlier. Spinning, particularly of [[flax]], was commonly performed in the home by women. Many stories begin by describing the occupation of their main character, as in "There once was a miller", yet spinning is never mentioned as an occupation; this appears to be because the brothers did not consider it an occupation. Instead, spinning was a communal activity, frequently performed in a {{lang|de|Spinnstube}} (spinning room), a place where women most likely kept the oral traditions alive by telling stories while engaged in tedious work.<ref name="B142ff">{{Harvnb|Bottigheimer|1982|pp=142–146}}</ref> In the stories, a woman's personality is often represented by her attitude toward spinning; a wise woman might be a spinster and Bottigheimer writes that the [[Spindle (textiles)|spindle]] was the symbol of a "diligent, well-ordered womanhood".<ref>{{Harvnb|Bottigheimer|1982|p=143}}</ref> In some stories, such as "[[Rumpelstiltskin]]", spinning is associated with a threat; in others, spinning might be avoided by a character who is either too lazy or not accustomed to spinning because of her high social status.<ref name="B142ff" /><!-- this needs more work; or develop in the KHM article -->

The Grimms' work have been subjected to feminist critique. For example, [[Emma Tennant]] writes:
{{blockquote|But the worst of it was that two men—the Brothers Grimm—listened to these old tales told by mothers to their daughters; and they decided to record them for posterity. ... But the Brothers Grimm could understand only the tales of courage and manliness and chivalry on the part of the boys. The girls were relegated to virtues—Patient Griselda; or sheer physical beauty—Sleeping Beauty; Beauty and the Beast. Always we must read that our heroine is a Beauty.<ref>{{cite book|first=Emma|last=Tennant|authorlink= Emma Tennant |title=Tess|publisher= [[Flamingo (imprint)|Flamingo]]|date=1994|isbn= 978-0006546825|chapter=On the art of the spinster}}</ref>}}

The tales were also criticized for being insufficiently German, which influenced the tales that the brothers included and their use of language. But scholars such as Heinz Rölleke say that the stories are an accurate depiction of German culture, showing "rustic simplicity [and] sexual modesty".<ref name="NG" /> German culture is deeply rooted in the forest ({{lang|de|wald}}), a dark dangerous place to be avoided, most particularly the old forests with large oak trees, and yet a place where Little Red Riding Hood's mother sent her daughter to deliver food to her grandmother's house.<ref name="NG" /><!-- either something got lost here or it needs expansion -->

Some critics, such as Alistair Hauke, use [[Analytical psychology|Jungian analysis]] to say that the deaths of the brothers' father and grandfather are the reason for the Grimms' tendency to idealize and excuse fathers, as well as the predominance of female villains in the tales, such as the [[wicked stepmother]] and stepsisters in "Cinderella".<ref>{{Harvnb|Alister|Hauke|1998|pp=216–219}}</ref> However, this disregards the fact that they were collectors, not authors of the tales.{{fact|date=August 2024}}<!--The tag applies not to the fact that the Grimms 'were collectors, not authors of the tales', but to the argument that this disproves Hauke's position. An editor's making an objection of their own, however sensible we may find it, is original research.--> Another possible influence is found in stories such as "[[The Twelve Brothers]]", which mirrors the brothers' family structure of several brothers facing and overcoming opposition.<ref>{{Harvnb|Tatar|2004|p=37}}</ref> Some of the tales have autobiographical elements, and according to Zipes the work may have been a "quest" to replace the family life lost after their father died. The collection includes 41 tales about siblings, which Zipes says are representative of Jacob and Wilhelm. Many of the sibling stories follow a simple plot where the characters lose a home, work industriously at a specific task, and in the end find a new home.<ref>{{Harvnb|Zipes|1988|pp=39–42}}</ref>

=== Editions ===
Between 1812 and 1864, {{lang|de|Kinder- und Hausmärchen}} was published 17 times: seven of the "Large edition" ({{lang|de|Große Ausgabe}}) and ten of the "Small edition" ({{lang|de|Kleine Ausgabe}}). The Large editions contained all the tales collected to date, extensive annotations, and scholarly notes written by the brothers; the Small editions had only 50 tales and were intended for children. [[Ludwig Emil Grimm|Emil Grimm]], Jacob and Wilhelm's younger brother, illustrated the Small editions, adding Christian symbolism to the drawings, such as depicting Cinderella's mother as an angel and adding a Bible to the bedside table of Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother.<ref name="Z218ff" />

[[File:Kinder title page.jpg|thumb|300px|Frontispiece and title-page, illustrated by [[Ludwig Emil Grimm]] of the 1819 edition of {{lang|de|[[Grimms' Fairy Tales|Kinder- und Hausmärchen]]}}]]
[[File:Grimm - Deutsche Sagen, 1912 - 2558595 F.jpeg|thumb|upright|''Deutsche Sagen'', 1912]]

The first volume was published in 1812 with 86 folk tales,<ref name="J177ff">{{Harvnb|Joosen|2006|pp=177–179}}</ref> and a second volume with 70 additional tales was published late in 1814 (dated 1815 on the title page); together the two volumes and their 156 tales are considered the first of the (annotated) Large editions.<ref name="Michaelis-Jena" /><ref name="Z(2000)276ff">{{Harvnb|Zipes|2000|pp=276–278}}</ref> A second expanded edition with 170 tales was published in 1819, followed in 1822 by a volume of scholarly commentary and annotations.<ref name="Pitt" /><ref name="T(1987)15ff" /> Five more Large editions were published in 1837, 1840, 1843, 1850, and 1857. The seventh and final edition of 1857 contained 211 tales—200 numbered folk tales and 11 legends.<ref name="Pitt" /><ref name="T(1987)15ff" /><ref name="Z(2000)276ff" />

In Germany {{lang|de|Kinder- und Hausmärchen}}, commonly ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' in English, was also released in a "popular poster-sized {{lang|de|Bilderbogen}} (broadsides)"<ref name="Z(2000)276ff" /> format and in single-story formats for the more popular tales such as "Hansel and Gretel". The stories were often added to collections by other authors without respect to copyright as the tales became a focus of interest for children's book illustrators,<ref name="Z(2000)276ff" /> with well-known artists such as [[Arthur Rackham]], [[Walter Crane]], and [[Edmund Dulac]] illustrating. Another popular edition released in the mid-19th century included elaborate [[etching]]s by [[George Cruikshank]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Haase|2008|p=73}}</ref><!-- redo again here --> Upon the brothers' deaths, the copyright went to Wilhelm's son Hermann Grimm, who continued the practice of printing the volumes in expensive and complete editions, but after 1893, when copyright lapsed, various publishers began to print the stories in many formats and editions.<ref name="Z(2000)276ff" /> In the 21st century, {{lang|de|Kinder- und Hausmärchen}} is a universally recognized text. Jacob's and Wilhelm's collection of stories has been translated to more than 160 languages; 120 different editions of the text are available for sale in the US alone.<ref name="NG">{{cite web |last=O'Neill |first=Thomas |title=Guardians of the Fairy Tale: The Brothers Grimm |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/article.html |work=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]] |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |access-date=18 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323164919/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/article.html |archive-date=23 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>