Unlike Any Other Fairytale

Bluebeard is unlike any other fairytale I have ever read. The majority of fairytales that I have come across usually do not contain the same graphic nature as Bluebeard. Before I discovered this tale, I thought Little Red Riding Hood was the most explicit tale because it contained a malicious wolf and had undertones of rape. However, even Little Red Riding Hood does not trump what lies behind the door for Bluebeard’s wife/fiancé in some versions of the tale. The version of tale that I like the most is the Charles Perrault’s Bluebeard because in my opinion it is the most explicit version of the fairytale. When the young bride enters the forbidden room she sees that “the floor was covered with clotted blood and that the blood reflected the bodies of several dead women hung up on the wall.” I am a huge fan of horror films and therefore I enjoyed reading the horror film like content. For the first time, I felt a little scared while reading a fairytale.

While Perrault’s tale was my favorite, my least favorite tale was the Brothers Grimm’s Fitcher’s Bride. I actually like all versions that I read of Bluebeard, but given the assignment I have to choose one. The reason I like the Fitcher’s Bride the least is because I felt as though it was the least probable story. While I understand that fairytales are not literal, the fact the sorcerer captured three sisters in the same exact fashion is moderately disappointing. The sorcerer “was a poor, weak beggar and had a basket on his back, as if to collect palms. He asked for something to eat, and when the eldest girl went to the door and was about to hand him a piece of bread, he just touched her and she jumped into the basket.” This process is repeated again for the next two sisters. What makes this especially disappointing to me is the last of the three daughters is supposed to be the critical thinker and she is captured in the same manner as her sisters.