Hansel and Gretel: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Hansel-and-gretel-rackham.jpg|thumb|Illustration by [[Arthur Rackham]], 1909]] |
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"'''Hansel and Gretel'''" ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|n|s|əl}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɑː|n|s|əl}} and {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|r|ɛ|t|əl}}; {{lang-de|Hänsel und Gretel}}<ref>In [[German names|German]], the names are [[hypocorism|diminutives]] of [[Johannes]] ("John") and [[Margaret (name)|Margarete]] ("Margaret"), respectively</ref>) is a well-known [[fairy tale]] of [[Germany|German origin]], recorded by the [[Brothers Grimm]] and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a [[Cannibalism|cannibalistic]] witch living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children save their lives by outwitting her. The tale has been adapted to various media, most notably the opera ''[[Hänsel und Gretel (opera)|Hänsel und Gretel]]'' (1893) by [[Engelbert Humperdinck (composer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]] and a stop-motion animated feature film made in the 1950s based on the opera. Under the [[Aarne–Thompson classification system]], "Hansel and Gretel" is classified under Class 327. |
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==Story== |
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(The following summary is based on an 1853 version, discussed by [[Iona Opie|Iona]] and [[Peter Opie]] in 1972.) |
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Hansel and Gretel are young children whose father is a woodcutter. When a great famine settles over the land, the woodcutter's abusive second wife decides to take the children into the woods and leave them there to be by themselves, so that she and her husband will not starve to death because the children eat too much. The woodcutter opposes the plan but finally and reluctantly submits to his wife's scheme. They are unaware that in the children's bedroom, Hansel and Gretel have overheard them. After the parents have gone to bed, Hansel sneaks out of the house and gathers as many white pebbles as he can, then returns to his room, reassuring Gretel that God will not forsake them. |
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The next day, the family walks deep into the woods and Hansel lays a trail of white pebbles. After their parents abandon them, the children wait for the moon to rise and then they follow the pebbles back home. They return home safely, much to their stepmother's horror. Once again provisions become scarce and the stepmother angrily orders her husband to take the children farther into the woods and leave them there to die. Hansel and Gretel attempt to gather more pebbles, but find the doors locked and find it impossible to escape from their house. |
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[[File:1903 Ludwig Richter.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration by [[Ludwig Richter]], 1842]] |
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The following morning, the family treks into the woods. Hansel takes a slice of bread and leaves a trail of [[bread crumbs]] to follow home. However, after they are once again abandoned, the children find that birds have eaten the crumbs and they are lost in the woods. After days of wandering, they follow a beautiful white bird to a clearing in the woods and discover a large cottage built of [[gingerbread]] and cakes, with window panes of clear sugar. Hungry and tired, the children begin to eat the rooftop of the candy house, when the door opens and a "very old woman" emerges and lures them inside, with the promise of soft beds and delicious food. They comply, unaware that their hostess is a [[hag|wicked witch]] who waylays children to cook and eat them. |
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The next morning, the witch locks Hansel in an iron cage in the garden and forces Gretel into becoming a slave. The witch feeds Hansel regularly to fatten him up, but Hansel cleverly offers a bone he found in the cage (presumably a bone from the witch's previous captive) and the witch feels it, thinking it is his finger. Due to her blindness, she is fooled into thinking Hansel is still too thin to eat. After weeks of this, the witch grows impatient and decides to eat Hansel "be he fat or lean." |
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The witch prepares the oven for Hansel, but decides she is hungry enough to eat Gretel, too. She coaxes Gretel to open the oven and prods her to lean over in front of it to see if the fire is hot enough. Gretel, sensing the witch's intent, pretends she does not understand what she means. Infuriated, the witch demonstrates and Gretel instantly shoves the witch into the oven and slams and bolts the door shut, leaving "The ungodly witch to be burned to ashes", with the witch screaming in pain until she dies. Gretel frees Hansel from the cage and the pair discover a vase full of treasure and precious stones. Putting the jewels into their clothing, the children set off for home. A swan ferries them across an expanse of water and at home they find only their father; his wife died from unknown causes. Their father had spent all his days lamenting the loss of his children and is delighted to see them safe and sound. With the witch's wealth, they all live happily ever after. |
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==History and analysis== |
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[[File:Hosemann-4.jpg|thumb|275px|Illustration by [[Theodor Hosemann]]]] |
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[[Jacob Grimm|Jacob]] and [[Wilhelm Grimm]] heard "Hansel and Gretel" from Wilhelm's friend (and future wife) Dortchen Wild<ref name="Opie237"/> and published it in ''[[Kinder - und Hausmärchen]]'' in 1812.<ref>{{harvnb|Tatar|2002|p=44}}{{clarify|reason=cite missing source|date=April 2012}}</ref> In the Grimm tale, the woodcutter and his wife are the children's biological parents and share the blame for abandoning them. In later editions, some slight revisions were made: the wife is the children's stepmother, the woodcutter opposes his wife's scheme to abandon the children and religious references are made.<ref>{{harvnb|Tatar|2002|p=45}}{{clarify|reason=cite missing source|date=April 2012}}</ref> |
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The fairy tale may have originated in the medieval period of the [[Great Famine of 1315-1317|Great Famine]] (1315–1321),<ref>{{cite book | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=zm6rHKiFw2YC&lpg=PA180&dq=hansel%20and%20gretel%20great%20famine%201315&pg=PA180#v=onepage&q=hansel%20and%20gretel%20great%20famine%201315&f=false | title=The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year | publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide | date=Oct 8, 2013 | accessdate=23 October 2013 | author=Raedisch, Linda | pages=180}}</ref> which caused people to do some desperate deeds like abandoning young children to fend for themselves, or even resorting to cannibalism. |
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Folklorists [[Iona Opie|Iona]] and [[Peter Opie]] indicate in ''The Classic Fairy Tales'' (1974) that "Hansel and Gretel" belongs to a group of European tales especially popular in the Baltic regions, about children outwitting [[ogre]]s into whose hands they have involuntarily fallen. The tale bears resemblances to the first half of [[Charles Perrault]]'s "[[Hop-o'-My-Thumb]]" (1697) and [[Madame d'Aulnoy]]'s "[[Finette Cendron]]" (1721). In both tales, the Opies note, abandoned children find their way home by following a trail. In "Clever Cinders", the Opies observe that the heroine incinerates a giant by shoving him into an oven in a manner similar to Gretel's dispatch of the witch and they point out that a ruse involving a twig in a Swedish tale resembles Hansel's trick of the dry bone. Linguist and folklorist [[Edward Vajda]] has proposed that these stories represent the remnant of a coming-of-age rite-of-passage tale extant in [[Proto-Indo-European society]].<ref>{{harvnb|Vajda|2010}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Vajda|2011}}</ref> A house made of confectionery is found in a 14th-century manuscript about the [[Cockaigne|Land of Cockayne]].<ref name="Opie237">{{harvnb|Opie|Opie|1974|p=237}}</ref> |
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The fact that the mother or stepmother dies when the children have killed the witch has suggested to many commentators that the mother or stepmother and the witch are metaphorically the same woman.<ref name="Max64">{{harvnb|Lüthi|1970|p=64}}</ref> A Russian folk tale exists in which the evil stepmother (also the wife of a poor woodcutter) asks her hated stepdaughter to go into the forest to borrow a light from her sister, who turns out to be [[Baba Yaga]], who is also a cannibalistic witch. Besides highlighting the endangerment of children (as well as their own cleverness), the tales have in common a preoccupation with food and with hurting children: the mother or stepmother wants to avoid hunger, while the witch lures children to eat her house of candy so that she can then eat them.<ref name="Tatar54">{{harvnb|Tatar|2002|p=54}}{{clarify|reason=cite missing source|date=April 2012}}</ref> Another tale of this type is the French fairy tale ''[[The Lost Children (French fairy tale)|The Lost Children]]''.<ref name="Delarue">{{harvnb|Delarue|1956|p=365}}</ref> The Brothers Grimm also identified the French ''Finette Cendron'' and ''Hop o' My Thumb'' as parallel stories.<ref name="Tatar72">{{harvnb|Tatar|2002|p=72}}{{clarify|reason=cite missing source|date=April 2012}}</ref> |
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==Adaptations== |
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{{unreferenced section|date=January 2013}} |
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* It was adapted to an opera [[Hänsel und Gretel (opera)|Hänsel und Gretel]] by Engelbert Humperdinck, first performed in [[Weimar]] on December 23, 1893. |
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* "Hansel and Gretel" was first adapted for television by the [[BBC]], who broadcast it on December 23, 1937. |
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* In 1982, ''[[Hansel and Gretel (1982 film)|Hansel and Gretel]]'' was a TV special directed by [[Tim Burton]] for [[The Disney Channel]] with [[Andy Lee]] and [[Alison Hong]] as the title characters, [[Jim Ishida]] and [[Michael Yama]] as the Wicked Witch. |
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* In 1987 movie adaptation of ''Hansel and Gretel'' featured [[Hugh Pollard (actor)|Hugh Pollard]] and [[Nicola Stapleton]] as the title characters, with [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]], [[Emily Richard]] and [[Cloris Leachman]] as the Witch. |
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* In 2002 there was a [[Hansel and Gretel (2002 film)|movie adaptation]] of the classic story. There were a few new characters such as the fairy sandman. |
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* Hansel and Gretel is featured in ''[[Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics]]'' under its ''Grimm Masterpiece Theater'' season. |
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* Hansel and Gretel appeared in ''[[Sesame Street]]'' with Hansel performed by [[Peter Linz]] in Season 36, [[Heather Asch]] in Season 37 and [[Matt Vogel (puppeteer)|Matt Vogel]] in recent episodes while Gretel was performed by [[Noel MacNeal]] in Season 36, [[Leslie Carrara-Rudolph]] in Season 37 and [[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]] in recent episodes. |
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* In the 2011 animated film ''[[Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil]]'', Hansel and Gretel, voiced by [[Bill Hader]] and [[Amy Poehler]] respectively, are portrayed as two fat German children who have been kidnapped by an evil witch, thought to be the main antagonist. It is later revealed that Hansel and Gretel are actually the real villains of the film, as they pretended to be kidnapped in order to coerce the heroes into making the goodies that will make them powerful. |
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* [[Mickey Mouse|Mickey]] and [[Minnie Mouse|Minnie]] starred as Hansel and Gretel in a cartoon shown in ''[[Disney's House of Mouse]]''. |
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* Hansel and Gretel appear in the TV series ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon A Time]]'' played by [[Quinn Lord]] and [[Karley Scott Collins]]. Hansel and Gretel are gathering kindling as their father cuts wood, but the father disappears. The [[Queen (Snow White)|Evil Queen]] captures the children and, in return for their being returned to their father, orders them to visit the Blind Witch (who lives in a gingerbread house) and retrieve a satchel. The witch is thrown in the oven and the children return with the satchel, containing a poisoned apple. The children are offered a home but would rather be with their father, so the Queen throws them out. The Queen has their father but refuses to release him. In Storybrooke, the children Nicholas and Ava Zimmer are homeless after their mother's death while their biological father is a [[mechanic]] named Michael Tillman in Storybrooke and reluctant to be a parent. Later, when Emma was taking them to Social Services in Boston, she pretends that her car breaks down and calls him. When he arrives to tow her car, she tells him to at least see them before making a decision. He takes them in after all. |
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* In 2013, Paramount Pictures released the movie ''[[Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters]]'' with Hansel played by [[Jeremy Renner]] and Gretel played by [[Gemma Arterton]]. It finds the brother and sister team all grown up and after witches that prey on young children using steampunk-esque weaponry. During the movie, they learn that their mother was a Grand White Witch and Gretel is therefore a witch herself with their immunity to the powers of Evil Witches being a hex cast by their mother. |
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* [[Hansel & Gretel (2013 film)|Hansel & Gretel]], a 2013 direct-to-DVD mockbuster produced by The Asylum and directed by Anthony Ferrante, starred by Dee Wallace, Brent Lydic and Stephanie Greco. |
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* Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft, a 2013 version distributed by Lionsgate and directed by David DeCoteau, starred by Eric Roberts, Vanessa Angel, Booboo Stewart and Fivel Stewart. |
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* [[Howard Waldrop]] adapted the story for "Kindermarchen," (2007) a story which institutionalized the children's departure from home in a horrific way. |
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* [[Hansel_and_Gretel_(2007_film)|Henjel Gwa Geuretel]], a 2007 South Korean horror film directed by Pil-Sung Yim. |
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* In 2009 Lazy Bee Scripts came out with ''Hansel and Gretel'', a short musical. http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/Scripts/script.aspx?iSS=928 |
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* The 1954 cartoon [[Bewitched Bunny]] featured Bugs Bunny saving Hansel and Gretel from the Wicked Witch by pretending to be a truant officer. |
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* [http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/hansel-and-gretel-by-liam-scarlett 2013 ballet] for the [http://www.roh.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet Royal Ballet] updates the story to the 1950s America, and draws on contemporary reports of children imprisoned for years, such as Austria's [[Fritzl case]]. The ballet premiered in the Royal Opera House's [http://www.roh.org.uk/services/venue-hire/the-linbury-studio-theatre-and-foyer Linbury Studio] in Covent Garden, London, with a site-specific set designed by [http://www.linburyprize.org.uk/linbury-prize/committee/jon-bausor Jon Bausor]. The dark, adult-orientated production opened to mixed reviews.<ref>http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/may/12/hansel-gretel-scarlett-royal-ballet-review</ref><ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/dance-review-hansel-and-gretel-linbury-studio-theatre-royal-opera-house-8608726.html</ref><ref>http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/10/liam-scarletts-brilliantly-torrid-hansel-and-gretel-is-the-stuff-of-nightmares-3748063/</ref><ref>http://dancetabs.com/2013/05/royal-ballet-hansel-and-gretel-london/</ref> |
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==See also== |
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{{Portal|Children's literature}} |
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* "[[Brother and Sister]]" |
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* [[Buttercup (fairy tale)|"Buttercup"]] |
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* "[[Foundling-Bird]]" |
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* "[[Frau Trude]]" |
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* [[The Golden Stag (fairy tale)|"The Golden Stag"]] |
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* "[[Molly Whuppie]]" |
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* "[[Vasilissa the Beautiful]]" |
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* [[The Witch (fairy tale)|"The Witch"]] |
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* [[Muma Pădurii]] |
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* [[Baba Yaga]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist|3}} |
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==Bibliography== |
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{{refbegin}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Delarue|first=Paul|title=The Borzoi Book of French Folk-Tales|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.]] |year=1956|ref=harv}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Lüthi|first=Max|title=Once Upon A Time: On the Nature of Fairy Tales|publisher=Frederick Ungar Publishing Co.|year=1970|ref=harv}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Opie|first=Iona|authorlink=Iona Opie|last2=Opie|first2=Peter|authorlink2=Peter Opie|year=1974|title=The Classic Fairy Tales|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=0-19-211559-6|ref=harv}} |
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* {{cite speech|last=Vajda|first=Edward| authorlink = Edward Vajda|title=The Classic Russian Fairy Tale: More Than a Bedtime Story|date=May 26, 2010|event=The World's Classics|location=[[Western Washington University]]|ref=harv}} |
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* {{cite speech|last=Vajda|first=Edward|authorlink=Edward Vajda|title=The Russian Fairy Tale: Ancient Culture in a Modern Context|date=February 1, 2011|event=Center for International Studies International Lecture Series|location=[[Western Washington University]]|ref=harv}} |
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{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
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{{wikisource|Hansel and Gretel}} |
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{{Commons category|Hansel and Gretel}} |
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* [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2591/2591-h/2591-h.htm#2H_4_0020 Project Gutenberg e-text] |
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* [http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/hanselgretel/index.html SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages: The Annotated Hansel and Gretel] |
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* [http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/10/27/original-versions-of-classic-fairy-tales/ Original versions and psychological analysis of classic fairy tales, including Hansel and Gretel] |
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* [http://www.hanselandgretel.ca The Story of Hansel and Gretel] |
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* [http://www.boffo.com/2010/07/bays-co-to-produce-hansel-and-gretel-in-3d.html?ref=ssp Variety] "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article |
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* [http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/michael-bays-institute-fires-hansel-and-gretel-3d-19364 The Wrap] "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article |
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* [http://www.screendaily.com/news/production/hansel-and-gretel-headed-for-live-action-3d-update/5016246.article Screendaily] "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article |
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* [http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/07/20/hansel-and-gretel-3-d-avatar/ Entertainment Weekly News Brief] "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article |
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* [http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/07/26/hansel-and-gretel-in-3d-beyond-product-placement/ Entertainment Weekly Interview] "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article |
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* [http://bookses.com/b?id=537bbc7b5222de07410000c4 Collaboratively illustrated story] on [http://bookses.com Project Bookses] |
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{{Brothers Grimm}} |
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{{Hansel and Gretel}} |
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[[Category:Brothers Grimm]] |
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[[Category:Cannibalism in fiction]] |
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[[Category:European fairy tales]] |
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[[Category:Fictional duos]] |
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[[Category:Fictional German people]] |
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[[Category:Witchcraft in fairy tales]] |
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[[Category:Characters of European folklore]] |
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[[Category:Hansel and Gretel| ]] |
Revision as of 13:23, 29 January 2015
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Hansel-and-gretel-rackham.jpg/220px-Hansel-and-gretel-rackham.jpg)
"Hansel and Gretel" (/ˈhænsəl/ or /ˈhɑːnsəl/ and /ˈɡrɛtəl/; German: Hänsel und Gretel[1]) is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic witch living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children save their lives by outwitting her. The tale has been adapted to various media, most notably the opera Hänsel und Gretel (1893) by Engelbert Humperdinck and a stop-motion animated feature film made in the 1950s based on the opera. Under the Aarne–Thompson classification system, "Hansel and Gretel" is classified under Class 327.
Story
(The following summary is based on an 1853 version, discussed by Iona and Peter Opie in 1972.)
Hansel and Gretel are young children whose father is a woodcutter. When a great famine settles over the land, the woodcutter's abusive second wife decides to take the children into the woods and leave them there to be by themselves, so that she and her husband will not starve to death because the children eat too much. The woodcutter opposes the plan but finally and reluctantly submits to his wife's scheme. They are unaware that in the children's bedroom, Hansel and Gretel have overheard them. After the parents have gone to bed, Hansel sneaks out of the house and gathers as many white pebbles as he can, then returns to his room, reassuring Gretel that God will not forsake them.
The next day, the family walks deep into the woods and Hansel lays a trail of white pebbles. After their parents abandon them, the children wait for the moon to rise and then they follow the pebbles back home. They return home safely, much to their stepmother's horror. Once again provisions become scarce and the stepmother angrily orders her husband to take the children farther into the woods and leave them there to die. Hansel and Gretel attempt to gather more pebbles, but find the doors locked and find it impossible to escape from their house.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/1903_Ludwig_Richter.jpg/220px-1903_Ludwig_Richter.jpg)
The following morning, the family treks into the woods. Hansel takes a slice of bread and leaves a trail of bread crumbs to follow home. However, after they are once again abandoned, the children find that birds have eaten the crumbs and they are lost in the woods. After days of wandering, they follow a beautiful white bird to a clearing in the woods and discover a large cottage built of gingerbread and cakes, with window panes of clear sugar. Hungry and tired, the children begin to eat the rooftop of the candy house, when the door opens and a "very old woman" emerges and lures them inside, with the promise of soft beds and delicious food. They comply, unaware that their hostess is a wicked witch who waylays children to cook and eat them.
The next morning, the witch locks Hansel in an iron cage in the garden and forces Gretel into becoming a slave. The witch feeds Hansel regularly to fatten him up, but Hansel cleverly offers a bone he found in the cage (presumably a bone from the witch's previous captive) and the witch feels it, thinking it is his finger. Due to her blindness, she is fooled into thinking Hansel is still too thin to eat. After weeks of this, the witch grows impatient and decides to eat Hansel "be he fat or lean."
The witch prepares the oven for Hansel, but decides she is hungry enough to eat Gretel, too. She coaxes Gretel to open the oven and prods her to lean over in front of it to see if the fire is hot enough. Gretel, sensing the witch's intent, pretends she does not understand what she means. Infuriated, the witch demonstrates and Gretel instantly shoves the witch into the oven and slams and bolts the door shut, leaving "The ungodly witch to be burned to ashes", with the witch screaming in pain until she dies. Gretel frees Hansel from the cage and the pair discover a vase full of treasure and precious stones. Putting the jewels into their clothing, the children set off for home. A swan ferries them across an expanse of water and at home they find only their father; his wife died from unknown causes. Their father had spent all his days lamenting the loss of his children and is delighted to see them safe and sound. With the witch's wealth, they all live happily ever after.
History and analysis
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Hosemann-4.jpg/275px-Hosemann-4.jpg)
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm heard "Hansel and Gretel" from Wilhelm's friend (and future wife) Dortchen Wild[2] and published it in Kinder - und Hausmärchen in 1812.[3] In the Grimm tale, the woodcutter and his wife are the children's biological parents and share the blame for abandoning them. In later editions, some slight revisions were made: the wife is the children's stepmother, the woodcutter opposes his wife's scheme to abandon the children and religious references are made.[4]
The fairy tale may have originated in the medieval period of the Great Famine (1315–1321),[5] which caused people to do some desperate deeds like abandoning young children to fend for themselves, or even resorting to cannibalism.
Folklorists Iona and Peter Opie indicate in The Classic Fairy Tales (1974) that "Hansel and Gretel" belongs to a group of European tales especially popular in the Baltic regions, about children outwitting ogres into whose hands they have involuntarily fallen. The tale bears resemblances to the first half of Charles Perrault's "Hop-o'-My-Thumb" (1697) and Madame d'Aulnoy's "Finette Cendron" (1721). In both tales, the Opies note, abandoned children find their way home by following a trail. In "Clever Cinders", the Opies observe that the heroine incinerates a giant by shoving him into an oven in a manner similar to Gretel's dispatch of the witch and they point out that a ruse involving a twig in a Swedish tale resembles Hansel's trick of the dry bone. Linguist and folklorist Edward Vajda has proposed that these stories represent the remnant of a coming-of-age rite-of-passage tale extant in Proto-Indo-European society.[6][7] A house made of confectionery is found in a 14th-century manuscript about the Land of Cockayne.[2]
The fact that the mother or stepmother dies when the children have killed the witch has suggested to many commentators that the mother or stepmother and the witch are metaphorically the same woman.[8] A Russian folk tale exists in which the evil stepmother (also the wife of a poor woodcutter) asks her hated stepdaughter to go into the forest to borrow a light from her sister, who turns out to be Baba Yaga, who is also a cannibalistic witch. Besides highlighting the endangerment of children (as well as their own cleverness), the tales have in common a preoccupation with food and with hurting children: the mother or stepmother wants to avoid hunger, while the witch lures children to eat her house of candy so that she can then eat them.[9] Another tale of this type is the French fairy tale The Lost Children.[10] The Brothers Grimm also identified the French Finette Cendron and Hop o' My Thumb as parallel stories.[11]
Adaptations
- It was adapted to an opera Hänsel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck, first performed in Weimar on December 23, 1893.
- "Hansel and Gretel" was first adapted for television by the BBC, who broadcast it on December 23, 1937.
- In 1982, Hansel and Gretel was a TV special directed by Tim Burton for The Disney Channel with Andy Lee and Alison Hong as the title characters, Jim Ishida and Michael Yama as the Wicked Witch.
- In 1987 movie adaptation of Hansel and Gretel featured Hugh Pollard and Nicola Stapleton as the title characters, with David Warner, Emily Richard and Cloris Leachman as the Witch.
- In 2002 there was a movie adaptation of the classic story. There were a few new characters such as the fairy sandman.
- Hansel and Gretel is featured in Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics under its Grimm Masterpiece Theater season.
- Hansel and Gretel appeared in Sesame Street with Hansel performed by Peter Linz in Season 36, Heather Asch in Season 37 and Matt Vogel in recent episodes while Gretel was performed by Noel MacNeal in Season 36, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph in Season 37 and Stephanie D'Abruzzo in recent episodes.
- In the 2011 animated film Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil, Hansel and Gretel, voiced by Bill Hader and Amy Poehler respectively, are portrayed as two fat German children who have been kidnapped by an evil witch, thought to be the main antagonist. It is later revealed that Hansel and Gretel are actually the real villains of the film, as they pretended to be kidnapped in order to coerce the heroes into making the goodies that will make them powerful.
- Mickey and Minnie starred as Hansel and Gretel in a cartoon shown in Disney's House of Mouse.
- Hansel and Gretel appear in the TV series Once Upon A Time played by Quinn Lord and Karley Scott Collins. Hansel and Gretel are gathering kindling as their father cuts wood, but the father disappears. The Evil Queen captures the children and, in return for their being returned to their father, orders them to visit the Blind Witch (who lives in a gingerbread house) and retrieve a satchel. The witch is thrown in the oven and the children return with the satchel, containing a poisoned apple. The children are offered a home but would rather be with their father, so the Queen throws them out. The Queen has their father but refuses to release him. In Storybrooke, the children Nicholas and Ava Zimmer are homeless after their mother's death while their biological father is a mechanic named Michael Tillman in Storybrooke and reluctant to be a parent. Later, when Emma was taking them to Social Services in Boston, she pretends that her car breaks down and calls him. When he arrives to tow her car, she tells him to at least see them before making a decision. He takes them in after all.
- In 2013, Paramount Pictures released the movie Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters with Hansel played by Jeremy Renner and Gretel played by Gemma Arterton. It finds the brother and sister team all grown up and after witches that prey on young children using steampunk-esque weaponry. During the movie, they learn that their mother was a Grand White Witch and Gretel is therefore a witch herself with their immunity to the powers of Evil Witches being a hex cast by their mother.
- Hansel & Gretel, a 2013 direct-to-DVD mockbuster produced by The Asylum and directed by Anthony Ferrante, starred by Dee Wallace, Brent Lydic and Stephanie Greco.
- Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft, a 2013 version distributed by Lionsgate and directed by David DeCoteau, starred by Eric Roberts, Vanessa Angel, Booboo Stewart and Fivel Stewart.
- Howard Waldrop adapted the story for "Kindermarchen," (2007) a story which institutionalized the children's departure from home in a horrific way.
- Henjel Gwa Geuretel, a 2007 South Korean horror film directed by Pil-Sung Yim.
- In 2009 Lazy Bee Scripts came out with Hansel and Gretel, a short musical. http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/Scripts/script.aspx?iSS=928
- The 1954 cartoon Bewitched Bunny featured Bugs Bunny saving Hansel and Gretel from the Wicked Witch by pretending to be a truant officer.
- 2013 ballet for the Royal Ballet updates the story to the 1950s America, and draws on contemporary reports of children imprisoned for years, such as Austria's Fritzl case. The ballet premiered in the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio in Covent Garden, London, with a site-specific set designed by Jon Bausor. The dark, adult-orientated production opened to mixed reviews.[12][13][14][15]
See also
- "Brother and Sister"
- "Buttercup"
- "Foundling-Bird"
- "Frau Trude"
- "The Golden Stag"
- "Molly Whuppie"
- "Vasilissa the Beautiful"
- "The Witch"
- Muma Pădurii
- Baba Yaga
References
- ^ In German, the names are diminutives of Johannes ("John") and Margarete ("Margaret"), respectively
- ^ a b Opie & Opie 1974, p. 237
- ^ Tatar 2002, p. 44 [clarification needed]
- ^ Tatar 2002, p. 45 [clarification needed]
- ^ Raedisch, Linda (Oct 8, 2013). The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year. Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 180. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ Vajda 2010
- ^ Vajda 2011
- ^ Lüthi 1970, p. 64
- ^ Tatar 2002, p. 54 [clarification needed]
- ^ Delarue 1956, p. 365
- ^ Tatar 2002, p. 72 [clarification needed]
- ^ http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/may/12/hansel-gretel-scarlett-royal-ballet-review
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/dance-review-hansel-and-gretel-linbury-studio-theatre-royal-opera-house-8608726.html
- ^ http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/10/liam-scarletts-brilliantly-torrid-hansel-and-gretel-is-the-stuff-of-nightmares-3748063/
- ^ http://dancetabs.com/2013/05/royal-ballet-hansel-and-gretel-london/
Bibliography
- Delarue, Paul (1956). The Borzoi Book of French Folk-Tales. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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(help) - Lüthi, Max (1970). Once Upon A Time: On the Nature of Fairy Tales. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co.
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(help) - Opie, Iona; Opie, Peter (1974). The Classic Fairy Tales. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-211559-6.
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(help) - Vajda, Edward (May 26, 2010). The Classic Russian Fairy Tale: More Than a Bedtime Story (Speech). The World's Classics. Western Washington University.
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(help) - Vajda, Edward (February 1, 2011). The Russian Fairy Tale: Ancient Culture in a Modern Context (Speech). Center for International Studies International Lecture Series. Western Washington University.
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(help)
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Project Gutenberg e-text
- SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages: The Annotated Hansel and Gretel
- Original versions and psychological analysis of classic fairy tales, including Hansel and Gretel
- The Story of Hansel and Gretel
- Variety "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article
- The Wrap "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article
- Screendaily "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article
- Entertainment Weekly News Brief "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article
- Entertainment Weekly Interview "Hansel & Gretel in 3D" News Article
- Collaboratively illustrated story on Project Bookses