fandomhigh | Traditional Fairy Tales, Class Two

Monday, January 15, Period 2

The table in the center of the room was filled with breakfast pastries and hot drinks, there were stacks of books close at hand for the students to borrow for their readings assignments, and Aziraphale looked quite cheerful as he sat in his armchair and waited for the class to arrived.

"Good morning, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your first week of classes. Today we'll begin our discussion of the basic character archetypes found in fairy tales. Your assigned reading was Jack the Giant Killer and Molly Whuppie. Following the lecture, we'll discuss the central characters in these two stories, and how they fit into the roles of hero and villain."

LECTURE: "With a few exceptions, every fairy tale contains two central figures: the hero or heroine, and the villain. These characters can take many forms, from innocent child to clever thief, from evil stepmother to hungry wolf, but the central conflict of a fairy tale often evolves around the idea of the hero outwitting the villain. The hero may have a quest to fulfill, a puzzle to solve, or a difficult situation to escape. They may act out of self-defense, altruism, love, or necessity -- sometimes even out of greed or fear. Heros display a common set of characteristics -- in general, they are quick-witted, creative, and bold. Villains are not always evil, but are in general selfish and greedy, and usually act out of a desire to fulfill personal needs or an often baseless dislike of the hero."

DISCUSSION: "Take a look at the two stories from your assigned reading. Identify the hero and villain in each one, and then explain what motivates their actions. In your opinion, why is the villain villainous, and why does the hero act heroically?

"I would also like you to take a little time at the end of class to meet with the members of your project groups. I'll be expecting proposals for your final project in a few weeks, and I'll try to give you time during each class to meet with one another."

ASSIGNMENT: "For next week, read Mr Fox and John the True."

[ooc: For those who are new to Aziraphale's classes, there is always a spread of breakfast pastries and hot drinks, which you are free to mod. Also, the room is always arranged with comfortable chairs and couches for seating, rather than desks. ~~Please wait for the~~ OCD threads are now up, and class is in session.]

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The giants in both stories were acting within their natures, but some of them were pretty nasty, so I guess the giants would have to be considered villains."

"Much as I like the guy, Jack wasn't a hero - he was a trickster and a conman, motivated by self-interest. He did things that ended up being considered heroic, but he wasn't trying. I mean, look at it. Most of the giants he killed for money, or to save his own skin, and while he did give the fair ladies a chance to escape, all he did was give them the keys. He didn't actually help them. You know he hooked up with the prince because anyone that stupidly generous was bound to pay off in the end. And he did. Once he was a knight, he had to keep killing giants - it was what they'd come to expect of him, and I also think there was a big dash of wanting adventure. It was only at the very end that he acted out of a desire to protect someone, when he promised the old man he'd risk his life to save the Duke's daughter, maybe because there wasn't anyone but him who could. His heroism was mostly incidental, an added bonus," here Jack grinned, "but he was very, very good, and you have to give him points for that."

He paused before going on to the second. "Molly was clever and quick and she did what she had to do to keep her sisters safe. Nothing else was more important than that. Everything she did was to protect them, and I think that does makes her a hero. The king was the real villain, because he used Molly, trading on her love for her sisters to steal things he was too cowardly to get for himself."

"I was worried about the ladies too. Couldn't someone have given them a good meal after that, at least? And what about the mess the giant made?" Evie asked, shaking her head. "And what did the Duke's daughter say about that? Although I suppose she was just glad not to be enchanted any more. But really, there's not much romance in this fairy tale romance, is there?"

"Well, Jack certainly got around a bit, with all the mirth and merriment he indulged in." He grinned at Evie. "And he did do the traditional thing for his time and get married at the end. But yeah, it was kind of lacking in the hearts and flowers department."

"It's a cheat, is what it is." Evie looked disgruntled, but smiled back at Jack. "The moral is the story is be smart and clever. And does anyone really need a story to tell them that? I don't think so."

Aziraphale smiled when Jack was finished speaking. "What do you think might be the use of a story that portrays a hero who seems to be working for personal gain rather than out of altruism or self-defense?"

[ooc: Apologies, I deleted the wrong tag. :( ]

Jack frowned, giving it some thought. "Warning," he finally said. "Maybe. Or maybe to point out that in most situations motivation isn't important, it's what you achieve. I mean, the people weren't any less safe from the giants than they would have been if Jack," he smiled, "had been operating from pure altruism."

[no worries! easily fixed:)]

Traditional Fairy Tales, Class Two

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