전래동화 다시쓰기/다시읽기에 나타난 젠더 재현: 「백설 공주」를 중심으로 (Gender Representation in Rewriting/Rereading Fairy Tales: “Snow White”)

This study explores gender roles and gender representation in fairy tales and their newly-rewritten works, focusing on “Snow White.” Since Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault collected and published fairy tales, the stories have been objects to be molded, remolded, rewritten and interpreted continuously. Writers have realized fairy tales have stereotyped characters that don’t change easily but the structure is so elastic and multi-layered that it could be rewritten according to the various purposes.
“Snow White” is one of the most favored fairy tales and was released as an animation Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt Disney Productions in 1937. The images which Disney designed in that film have been carved in our mind deeply and reinforced stereotypical aspects of Snow White and the Wicked Stepmother. In 2012, two films based on “Snow White” were released: Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. One of the purposes these films have is to give a new and active role to Snow White who is relatively passive and obedient in the fairy tale and Disney film. In these movies, Snow White is reborn as a warrior against the evil power of the Queen/stepmother. Snow White’s meaningful rebellion is to win back her father’s throne which was robbed by the wicked Queen.
However, the representation in fairy tale characters cannot escape on the track of the stereotypes. The daggar or the sword given to Snow White seems to be heavy for her to lift in her own war. She still stands behind the prince, the seven dwarfs and the huntsman while fighting, even though she wears pants or silver armor as a mark of her active will. In addition, the evil Queen/wicked stepmother is defeated by Snow White who is an heir of patriarchy. Through these superficial changes of representation of female characters, we realize that readers should “assert their own proprietary rights to meaning” (Hasse 363) by newly-written fairy tales and active reinterpretation of the tales.

This study explores gender roles and gender representation in fairy tales and their newly-rewritten works, focusing on “Snow White.” Since Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault collected and published fairy tales, the stories have been objects to be molded, remolded, rewritten and interpreted continuously. Writers have realized fairy tales have stereotyped characters that don’t change easily but the structure is so elastic and multi-layered that it could be rewritten according to the various purposes.
“Snow White” is one of the most favored fairy tales and was released as an animation Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt Disney Productions in 1937. The images which Disney designed in that film have been carved in our mind deeply and reinforced stereotypical aspects of Snow White and the Wicked Stepmother. In 2012, two films based on “Snow White” were released: Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. One of the purposes these films have is to give a new and active role to Snow White who is relatively passive and obedient in the fairy tale and Disney film. In these movies, Snow White is reborn as a warrior against the evil power of the Queen/stepmother. Snow White’s meaningful rebellion is to win back her father’s throne which was robbed by the wicked Queen.
However, the representation in fairy tale characters cannot escape on the track of the stereotypes. The daggar or the sword given to Snow White seems to be heavy for her to lift in her own war. She still stands behind the prince, the seven dwarfs and the huntsman while fighting, even though she wears pants or silver armor as a mark of her active will. In addition, the evil Queen/wicked stepmother is defeated by Snow White who is an heir of patriarchy. Through these superficial changes of representation of female characters, we realize that readers should “assert their own proprietary rights to meaning” (Hasse 363) by newly-written fairy tales and active reinterpretation of the tales.