Fairy Tales

 

"Willy Schermelé Goldilocks and the three bears 1957 ill pag 6" by janwillemsen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

As explained in the 'Conventions of fairy tales' section, a fairy story always includes a number of important elements.

When reading through this section, keep in mind the Joseph Jacobs story which has been slightly adapted here by Heidi Anne Heiner -

GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS

In the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, these include: 

GOOD CHARACTERS

Do you think this story has a good character?  Remember a 'good character' does not need to be perfect, so even though Goldilocks is not very good at all she can still be seen as the likeable character in this tale.

"Willy Schermelé Goldilocks and the three bears 1957 ill pg 3" by janwillemsen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

THE BADDY

Do you think this story has baddies?  Do you think it is the three bears?  They may be seen as the baddies because they scare our good character but they're really not bad, they've just had their house burgled!!

"Willy Schermelé Goldilocks and the three bears 1957 ill pag 10a" by janwillemsen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 (Source of picture: Something Surprising)

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

Can you think of any supporting characters in this story?

MAGIC

Bears who talk and live in a house are a magical element of the Goldilocks story.

"Willy Schermelé Goldilocks and the three bears 1957 ill pag 6 b" by janwillemsen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

 

OBSTACLE OR TASK

A fairy tale usually includes an obstacle or task which the characters must tackle with to reach their happy ending.  What do you think the obstacle or task is in this story?

"Willy Schermelé Goldilocks and the three bears 1957 ill pag 9" by janwillemsen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Do you think this version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears has a happily ever after ending?

 

MORAL

What do you think is the moral message of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story? 

 

The SurLaLune website includes lots of information about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, including details of the history of the story.

You can read Joseph Jacobs' version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears on the SurLaLune website.

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child is an American anthology animated television series that premiered March 26, 1995, on HBO. Narrated by Robert Guillaume, the series aired 39 episodes from 1995 to 2000, and is currently airing on the HBO Family digital cable television channel in the United States since 1999.

Each episode details a classic fairy tale, but in the style of greatly different cultures or with feminist leanings with characters voiced by famous actors, comedians, singers, political activists, stunts, and other famous celebrities of varying cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicity.