1. According to Tatar, what are the main themes in the Snow White tales?
2. According to Zipes, what was the function of oral fairy/folk tales? How were oral
fairy tales ‘violated’ (changed) as they became a literary form? How did this
change their function and circulation (i.e., in terms on class)? By the end of the
19th century, what were the ‘crucial functions’ of the fairy tale, according to the
Zipes reading? What does Zipes mean by the term ‘self-figuration’? How does
Disney exemplify self-figuration in his version of Snow White (i.e., in relation to
the main characters, including the dwarfs)? Overall, does Zipes see Disney as a
villain or hero in terms of his relationship to fairy tales? Why? Do you agree with
the author?
3. According to Cashdan, what accounts for the absence or death of the mother
figure in Snow White and similar tales in terms of its relation to history, familial
relations, and the development of the self? What other classic fairy tales have
vanity as a primary theme? According to this reading, what might the dwarfs
symbolize (multiple answers)? How does the story of Snow White both counter
and reinforce social attitudes towards beauty (i.e., the flawed idea that superficial youthful beauty should be valued over all else, especially for women)?
4. According to Bettelheim, what do hunters symbolize in fairy tales? How is this
reflected and subverted in Snow White? Where does cannibalism figure into Snow White? What purpose does it serve? What do dwarfs symbolize in this tale? Why might there be seven of them? Discuss the symbolism of the apple, according to
Bettelheim. Overall, do you agree with his analysis? Why or why not?
5. According to the video analysis, what is the real villain of Snow White? Explain
this in relation to larger social norms and structures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T0M4nm94t0
https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm053.html
https://thedreaming.moteofdust.com/1999/10/10/snow-glass-apples/
https://poets.org/poem/snow-white-and-seven-dwarfs