Stereotypical Female Roles in Selected Traditional Fairy Tales and Their Modern Adaptations

Abstract

This master thesis deals with stereotypical female roles in three selected fairy tales: Cinderella, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. A brief history of the development of the genre is introduced in the theoretical part of the thesis, together with the overview of the most influential literary theories applicable on fairy tales. Feminist criticism is discussed in a greater detail, since it is the essential theory for the analysis of the tales. Particular examples of gender-biased portrayals of women in the fairy tales are discussed in the analytical part of the thesis, followed by the comparison of the traditional tales with the modern, alternative versions of the selected fairy tales.