Folklore Outside the Lines - Guest Post by Kate Ristau
One
of the great things about folklore is that it is always evolving,
adapting, and changing — it never stays inside the lines. Stories that
your grandmother told you about fairies, ghosts, and graveyards might
make their way into your favorite television show. That’s what I love
about folklore, and that’s why I am became a folklorist. I loved how I
could be reading a young adult book, and come across a story I read in a
12th century text.
It’s happened more times than I can count. Take Mailnda Lo’s recent novel, Ash.
In Lo’s beautiful, somber novel, we read about Ash, a girl whose father
dies. She is abused by her wicked stepmother, and locked away. Sound
familiar? It is the tale of Cinderella. But what makes Lo’s
telling unique is how she approaches the story. Ash longs to be rescued
by the fairies — to escape the world of princes and castles. The twists
and turns of Lo’s story resonate with earlier tellings, but each time
she takes a step deeper into fairyland, we are forced to reconcile our
idea of what the story is and what the story could be.
Stories
like Cinderella continually re-enter our collective imagination. We’ve
even seen Snow White make a resurgence, next to several other Disney
characters in recent movies and TV series. But Disney does not own the
rights to these narratives. The stories have been around for centuries.
Some were captured by the Grimm brothers in the 19th century, while
others are even older.
What
makes these stories last so long? They each, in their own way, appeal
to something deep inside each of us. The stories and folktales that
linger are the ones that show us who we were, who we are, and who we
could be. In Cinderella, we see the horrible nature of the world, but we
also see the possibility and the power of one woman who fights against
injustice.
What do we see in Snow White, then? Well, Snow White shows
us even more about whom we are. You see, folktales and stories are
often adapted to meet the changing needs and understandings of the
current century. When Kristen Stewart took up Snow White’s fading flower
crown in 2012, we saw a girl who was gentle and kind: in touch with
nature, but also a powerful warrior. This matches up closely with our
current expectations and changing representation of women, and clearly
contrasts the Disney version of Snow White (1937), who sings a
song to the wishing well: “I’m wishing for the one I love to find me…”
The warrior is not part of this version of the princess. With Kristen
Stewart at the helm, the tale has changed once again.
And
so it is that old stories never die. Folklore never disappears. We see
old stories, old characters, old ideas in the strangest, most unexpected
places — teen novels, billboards, and car commercials. And that
couldn’t make me happier. Every time I see a familiar piece of folklore,
it’s like meeting an old friend; a friend who is constantly adapting,
changing, and blurring the lines.
BIO:
Kate Ristau
is an author and folklorist. She writes young adult and middle grade
fiction, along with grammar primers that won’t make you cringe. In her
ideal world, magic and myth combine to create memorable stories with
unforgettable characters. Until she finds that world, she'll live in
Portland, Oregon with her husband, her son, and her dog. If you can’t
find her there, you can find her at kateristau.com.
BLURB:
Áine
lives in the light, but she is haunted by darkness, and when her fey
powers blaze out of control, she escapes into the Shadowlands. But she
cannot outrun her past. Fire fey and a rising darkness threaten the
light, burning a path across the veil. Her fiery dreams come to life,
and with the help of Hennessy, an uninhibited Irish girl, Áine dives
into the flames to discover who she truly is. Her mother burned to keep
her secret safe, and now Áine wields the deadly Eta. She must learn to
fight in the shadows — or die in the flames. This is not a fairy tale.
Buy Link:
Author webpage:
Comments
Post a Comment