Some folklorists prefer to use the German term Märchen or "wonder tale" to refer to the genre rather than fairy tale, a practice given weight by the definition of Thompson in his 1977 [1946] edition of The Folktale:
"...a tale of some … See more

Two theories of origins have attempted to explain the common elements in fairy tales found spread over continents. One is that a single point of … See more

Many fairy tales feature an absentee mother, as an example "Beauty and the Beast", "The Little Mermaid", "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Donkeyskin", where the mother is … See more

Although the fairy tale is a distinct genre within the larger category of folktale, the definition that marks a work as a fairy tale is a source of considerable dispute. The term itself comes … See more

The oral tradition of the fairy tale came long before the written page. Tales were told or enacted dramatically, rather than written down, and handed down from generation to … See more

Originally, adults were the audience of a fairy tale just as often as children. Literary fairy tales appeared in works intended for adults, but in the 19th and 20th centuries the fairy tale became … See more

Literary
In contemporary literature, many authors have used the form of fairy tales for various reasons, … See more