Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-16-2024
Keywords
Disability studies, blindness, fairy tales, The Brothers Grimm, literature
Abstract
The Grimms use blindness to reinforce religious expectations, as both punishment for the wicked and as a transformative experience for the devout. This project looks closely at “Cinderella” and “Rapunzel”, along with “The White Bride and the Black Bride”, and “The Two Wanderers” to provide additional support. The Grimms reinforce the ableist power structures of the 19th century by revising the stories they collected by revising them to include overt religious morality. They comply with the growing Eugenics concepts of a “normal” body and use deviant bodies as tools for moral correction or divine retribution. This research examines how disability, racist color symbolism, and religion play a prominent role in the Grimms’ fairy tale work.
Recommended Citation
Stoddard, Hope, "An Eye for an Eye: Blindness in the Grimms’ Fairy Tales" (2024). Institute for Critical Disability Studies. 2.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/icds/2
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Language
English
Format
application/pdf