American Literature

Published on October 2, 1838, Hans Christian Andersens The Wild Swans quickly made its way to childrens hearts and fairytale books, and continues to be a well-loved story even by todays children. Its plot rings with the familiarity of Europes stereotype in the 1800s that of a selfless, innocent female protagonist and an aggressive, powerful male romantic interest, normally acting as the rescuer and hero. In this story, the protagonist is a fifteen-year-old princess named Elisa, and the hero is a king of a faraway kingdom.

1. Why is this the case
The Wild Swans mirrors the predefined concepts of what a man and a woman must be like in order to be acceptable in their era. Europe in the earlier 19th Century (1800s) was a straitlaced society, torn by the stir of uprisings and civil unrest from the masses. The upper crusts of society were revered still, and their influence on the arts and literature paved the way for the genteel behavior highly favored in ladies. Being genteel consisted of, but is not limited to, the virtues of patience, innocence, modesty, caution, prudence and steadfast enduranceall of which Elisa possesses, as shown as the story progresses. Women were also expected to be beautiful in order to catch the eyes of the men.

But the most prominent trait in women of that era was their subservience to men. The men were expected to be the pillars of society, and generally regarded as superior to women, who were the fairer sex. They are portrayed as strong and decisive, and generally get what they want, especially in women. Often in the stories, they are seen as the persistent ones, and are given the obligation to save a damsel in distress.

2. What can we learn from this
Such stereotypes present in traditional literature often escape the attention of the children, who are usually more concerned over the resolution and ending of the tale rather than the individual characteristics of the characters. However, experts have deemed it harmful for a child to grow up with a fairytale-like preconception of the world. There develops a tendency to compare real people to the fairytale ideal, basing the standards upon fantasy personalities.

For example, the recurrence of beautiful heroines in fairytales, like Elisa whom the King considered to be the most beautiful girl he ever saw, tends to let children place an emphasis on beauty as a factor for a good, happy future. The rewards for being subservient would give the child the notion that constant obedience would be the best recourse in any circumstance. The portrayal of men as strong individuals could both give boys an unearned sense of importance and girls a propensity to lean on them and their judgment. There is also the fear that by comparing and judging based on the ideal, a child found lacking of the qualities would feel less entitled to be something great in the eyes of his peers.

3. How can such stereotypes be handled when dealing with folk literature with children
This author believes that in order for such stereotypes to be weeded out before they take root in the childrens minds, there has to be a shift in focus from the ending to the characters good traits. There is also a need for the child to understand what is being read, and to think it over instead of accepting the story as gospel truth. To do so, an adult whom the child respectswhether a parent, guardian, or educatormust be on hand to assist the child in digesting what he has read in the book.

In The Wild Swans, for example, it could be pointed out to the child, through guided questions and subtle pauses to emphasize certain elements of the tale, that the story was about the courage and determination of Elisa to free her brothersand not about the ending where she could finally speak freely again. And instead of glossing over the physical attributes and gender stereotyping, the adult must contrive to explain to the child that those aspects in the story are merely of secondary importance and that the success of the characters did not solely depend on their outer appearances but on something deeper inside them.