Who's the Fairest of Them All? Defining and Subverting the Female Beauty Ideal in Fairy Tale Narratives and Films through Grotesque Aesthetics

Author

Leah Persaud, The University of Western OntarioFollow

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Comparative Literature

Supervisor

Dr. Angela Borchert

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the ways in which women and beauty are depicted in the fairy tales of Giambattista Basile, the Grimm Brothers, and 21^st century fairy tale films. A dominant beauty ideal in the genre has established a splitting of female characters into strict dichotomies that reinforce beauty and good moral behaviour while also propagating antagonistic female relationships. The use of spectacle to highlight the physical rewards of beauty and the violent punishments of ugly women have created a stable pattern in the genre that is maintained regardless of time period or context. It is the aim of this thesis to pursue an aesthetic approach to the tales that focuses on the beauty ideal, anxiety, spectacle, and the grotesque, to explore the ways in which this seemingly static genre has been able to challenge the impossible ideals of beauty it overtly emphasizes.

Recommended Citation

Persaud, Leah, "Who's the Fairest of Them All? Defining and Subverting the Female Beauty Ideal in Fairy Tale Narratives and Films through Grotesque Aesthetics" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 3244.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3244