Fairest Reading Guide Daybook Possibilities Gail Carson Levine’s 2006 Fairest retells the fairy tale “Snow White.” Levine has written many well known fantasy and fairy tale stories, including Ella Enchanted, which takes place in the neighboring kingdom of Kyrria and retells the story “Cinderella.” Suggested Critical Reading Dr. Meghann Meeusen Western Michigan University “Consumption, Femininity, and Girl Power in Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted” by Elizabeth Reimer "Who's Wicked Now?: The Stepmother as FairyTale Heroine" by Christy Williams "Disenchanting the Fairy Tale: Retellings of ‘Snow White’ between Magic & Realism" by Vanessa Joosen "A Wave of the Magic Wand: Fairy Godmothers in Contemporary American Media" by Jeana Jorgensen “Domesticating Dreams in Walt Disney's Cinderella” by Naomi Wood These articles can be located using the Project Muse database on the library’s website. Many recent retellings are told from the point of view of the villain. Make a short bibliography of such retellings, noting what villains haven’t been granted such a tale. Write a short letter from one of the under represented villains, arguing that his/her story should be told. Choose a fairy tale and place it in a new setting (time/place). Describe or draw the new setting, explaining how it will affect the story. Try rewriting a fairy tale in a new genre, such as poetry, a comic, illustrations, collage, a song, etc. Describe the challenges in doing so. Visit the library to find a “Snow White” picture book. Copy your favorite image from it to place in your daybook and describe how this version compares to others. Make a list of references to fairy tales you hear/ see in everyday life, including in conversation, on television, in music, or on the web. Write about your observations. Watch a Disney movie based on a fairy tale and read the Grimms or Perrault version. How does the film modify the original and why? Rent the full length “Snow White” retelling Snow White and the Huntsman or Mirror, Mirror and compare these to Fairest or other versions of “Snow White.” Using contemporary news media, magazines, or other visual media, create a collage that speaks to the ideas of beauty in society. Write briefly about what you create. Background and Context Questions and Ideas for Consideration Beauty: What messages about beauty does the text send? Culture: Consider the unique culture of Aythora and the beliefs that are important to the people of this land. What kinds of values are represented and why? Villainy: Who is the villain of the story and why? How is villainy represented differently here than other fairy tales, and in what ways is it complicated (or not)? Wicked Queen and Fair Maiden: How does the story shift the dynamic between the two women of the story from other “Snow White” retellings? What does this text present in its depiction of the relationship between these two women? Manipulation: How does the Skulni’s manipulation shift perception of characters within the story in contrast to other versions of “Snow White”? Retelling: Why do authors retell an original tale; what is the purpose of doing so? Relationships: Compare Aza and Ijori’s relationship to other fairy tale romances. What does this say about relationships and gender portrayals in the text? Snow White: Levine uses subtle connection to the original tale and reworks them. What are some examples of this, and what is the effect on the story’s meaning?
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Fairest Reading Guide
Daybook Possibilities
Gail Carson Levine’s 2006 Fairest retells the fairy tale “Snow White.” Levine has written many well-‐known fantasy and fairy tale stories, including Ella Enchanted, which takes place in the neighboring kingdom of Kyrria and retells the story “Cinderella.”
Suggested Critical Reading
Dr. Meghann Meeusen Western Michigan University
“Consumption, Femininity, and Girl Power in Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted” by Elizabeth Reimer
"Who's Wicked Now?: The Stepmother as Fairy-‐Tale Heroine" by Christy Williams
"Disenchanting the Fairy Tale: Retellings of ‘Snow White’ between Magic & Realism" by Vanessa Joosen
"A Wave of the Magic Wand: Fairy Godmothers in Contemporary American Media" by Jeana Jorgensen
“Domesticating Dreams in Walt Disney's Cinderella” by Naomi Wood
These articles can be located using the Project Muse database on the library’s website.
Ø Many recent retellings are told from the point of view of the villain. Make a short bibliography of such retellings, noting what villains haven’t been granted such a tale. Write a short letter from one of the under represented villains, arguing that his/her story should be told.
Ø Choose a fairy tale and place it in a new setting (time/place). Describe or draw the new setting, explaining how it will affect the story.
Ø Try rewriting a fairy tale in a new genre, such as poetry, a comic, illustrations, collage, a song, etc. Describe the challenges in doing so.
Ø Visit the library to find a “Snow White” picture book. Copy your favorite image from it to place in your daybook and describe how this version compares to others.
Ø Make a list of references to fairy tales you hear/ see in everyday life, including in conversation, on television, in music, or on the web. Write about your observations.
Ø Watch a Disney movie based on a fairy tale and read the Grimms or Perrault version. How does the film modify the original and why?
Ø Rent the full length “Snow White” retelling Snow White and the Huntsman or Mirror, Mirror and compare these to Fairest or other versions of “Snow White.”
Ø Using contemporary news media, magazines, or other visual media, create a collage that speaks to the ideas of beauty in society. Write briefly about what you create.
Background and Context
Questions and Ideas for Consideration Beauty: What messages about beauty does the text send? Culture: Consider the unique culture of Aythora and the beliefs that are important to the people of this land. What kinds of values are represented and why? Villainy: Who is the villain of the story and why? How is villainy represented differently here than other fairy tales, and in what ways is it complicated (or not)? Wicked Queen and Fair Maiden: How does the story shift the dynamic between the two women of the story from other “Snow White” retellings? What does this text present in its depiction of the relationship between these two women? Manipulation: How does the Skulni’s manipulation shift perception of characters within the story in contrast to other versions of “Snow White”? Retelling: Why do authors retell an original tale; what is the purpose of doing so? Relationships: Compare Aza and Ijori’s relationship to other fairy tale romances. What does this say about relationships and gender portrayals in the text? Snow White: Levine uses subtle connection to the original tale and reworks them. What are some examples of this, and what is the effect on the story’s meaning?
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