Ger10 Midterm 1
What events happened in 1940 for Disney?
1,200 employees; Walt didn't want unions,
Depiction of children in the 14th and 15th century
14th and 15th centuries: pictures of Virgin and Child become more profane, naturalistic
Depiction of children in the 16th century
16th century: no longer just Jesus, but children in everyday life dead child in art; dead children integrated into the family portrait but shown at the age when they died
Depiction of children in the 17th century
17th century: portraits of children on their own became numerous and commonplace
What times did the Grimms Brothers collect stories? (For the first edition)
1807-1815
In 1922, what did Disney do to his first works: Laugh-O-grams?
1922, he incorporated Laugh-O-grams Films, made Lafflets, animated jokes, and six fairy tales: Cinderella, Puss in Boots, The Four Musicians, Tommy Tucker's Tooth, Alice in Wonderland
What year were sound cartoons made by Disney? What was the first sound cartoon?
1928 Steamboat Willie
When was Pinocchio released?
1940
How many versions of Snow White did the Grimms collect?
7
What was Disney's first live action film?
Alice's Day at Sea
Folk tales often involve violence, what are come tales that depict that?
Bawdy tales (humorously sexual): a Greek tale in which a man wishes he could have sex with a woman 40 times and not be sore Thousandfurs: fathers with incestuous desires for their daughters Frog Prince: kissing vs. throwing against the wall Little Red Riding Hood: scatological (she escapes by pretending that she "needs to make a load") in a French version of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf dismembers grandmother
Bruno Bettelheim
Bettelheim believes that the story is about the unrestrained oral greed of the children; but: they were starving when they came to the witch's house In all tales, the children prevail, outwit their opponents; Bettelheim: assures the child that if the parent should want to harm him, he will not succeed Born in Austria, was Jewish, sent to Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps Released because of amnesty on Hitler's birthday emigrated to America in 1939, worked at University of Chicago Writer and child psychologist, worked with severely disturbed children Suffered from depression all his life, committed suicide Allegations of physical abuse (publicly humiliated, insulted, terrorized, and beat children) Won National Book Award for his fairy tale work; fairy tales are spiritual explorations
Local Legend Characteristics
Brief, linear plot Realistic element, insist that this is a true story Mention specific time and place Explains a particular natural feature: dangerous rock in the river Rhine: Loreley sings; a strange imprint on big rock = the devil's footprint; big mountain = carried there by a giant; storm = Wild Hunt origin legend: story how the month February lost two of its days playing cards Horror: supernatural elements are commented upon and are the cause of fear and horror, ghosts, giants, dwarves, devil No happy ending Irreversible wounds, death; sad consequences and limited possibilities; fairy tale: no magic that cannot be undone; legend: inexorable fate Much more invested in ethics: evil deed is punished, in the fairy tale, deceit can lead to success
Hansel and Gretel: 1812: printed version:
Christian element: children twice call upon God for help the old woman is introduced as a witch
How did religions (primarily Christianity and Protestantism) see Original Sin in children?
Christianity: St. Augustine (354): humans are born with original sin: garden with weeds that need to be rooted emphasis on original sin particularly strong in Protestant circles
Date of release of first Grimms fairy tales story
Christmas season of 1812 (December 20 to be exact)
Disney: 1947-1953
Cinderella, biggest success since Snow White Began thinking about a Mickey Mouse park
When did Snow White premiere?
December 21, 1937;
What are some problems that arise when finding the origins of fairy tales?
Existence for thousands of years; passed from generation to generation; we don't quite know how old these tales are, no method of verification constant transformation is part of the nature of this genre polygenesis = same tale originates in different places diffusion: one place of origin, but tale travels contamination and contagion, spread like a virus
Date of Snow White Film release
First feature: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, premiered on December 21, 1937
Who "wrote" these fairy tales? Who were they mainly written for? (the audience)
Folktales are written from a lower-class perspective: always favors the youngest, weakest, underdog; the lower agrarian classes ethnographers who collected oral tales in the twentieth century found that owners of large farms don't tell these stories, but farmhands do kings are imagined in middle class terms; a king counts his sheep every day; king has 12 plates, cannot invite the 13th fairy
How were storytellers able to remember the folk tales from memory?
Formulaically: certain building blocks to help storyteller remember (ex: Once upon a Time...)
Charles Perrault
France, late 17th century, fairy tales had become popular in the 1690s Administrator, participated in the Quarrels of the Ancients and Moderns, he was a modernist omitted the raucous humor of these sources, sexually modest, socially decent irony, reflect manners of courtly society, polished tales
Timeline of Schooling
In Middle Ages and the early modern period, children are initiated into the world of work, by 1900, children in school, removing them from labor market until the eighteenth century, schools are run by churches
Jacob Grimms Biography
Jacob had to take on family responsibilities at the age of 11, Jacob studiesd law, but not really interested Became research assistant; he copied and compared different versions of medieval manuscripts to see which one was more accurate; In 1806, Jacob became a clerk in the Hessian war office, Napoleonic wars became librarians for the Margrave of Cassel in 1808; Jacob stayed in the position until 1813...when there was a fire, Jacob rushed to rescue books, wrapping them in linen Jacob sent on diplomatic mission to Paris in 1813 where he had to translate documents, later sent on another mission to Paris to retrieve stolen art Turned down offers to become professors in Bonn, continued to work as librarians; Jacob started a history of the German language Jacob remained unmarried and lived with his brother and sister-in-law 1826 son Jacob born and died; three surviving children University of Göttingen- Jacob as professor of philology 1833 Jacob appointed Privy Councilor to the King of Hanover 1848 Revolution; Jacob a member of Parliament, but resigned soon Jacob received Prussia's Pour le Merit and the Cross of the Legion of Honor 1863 Jacob dies;
Depiction of children during the Middle Ages
MIDDLE AGES: no concept of childhood, children were not cut off from the world of the adults, living conditions did not allow for separate spaces for children
What was the mortality rate of children linked to?
Mortality rate linked to wet nursing and abandonment
Fairy tale themes (w/ details)
Most important story line: overcoming difficulties, critical, even life-threatening situations (Hansel and Gretel: conflicts with parents, poverty and hunger, mortal enemy) Make-believe solutions to real-life problems Speaks to all the big questions: birth/infertility Rapunzel: there once were a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child), sibling rivalry, child abandonment, marriage, death, religion, afterlife, old age (Bremen Town Musicians: what happens when you are too old to work; Processes of growth, maturation: Sleeping Beauty is 15 when she falls asleep, i.e., she becomes an adult in this period of isolation; becoming a king means self-realization favors the youngest, weakest happy ending; pattern of danger and redemption, fairy tale practically synonymous with wish-fulfillment, usually wedding and gaining a kingdom/climbing socially; happy ending is a European feature (African tales frequently lack happy ending)
What were Disney's first "films"
Newman Laugh-O-Grams, made one of those per week`
How likely was survival of children in the past? About how many died?
One fifth to one quarter of all children died before they reached the age of ten Chances of survival better in the country than in town
How were folk tales addressed?
Orally: (fairy tales are younger, were written down, but drew on older, oral stories) kept alive through oral tradition of story telling --> sewing parties formulaic: certain building blocks to help storyteller remember (ex: Once upon a Time...) huge flexibility and adaptability
What are some issues that fairy tales fail to discuss?
Politics and sexuality
Depiction of children in the 18th century
Shift from primary concern with spiritual well-being to development of child; psychological interest in childhood Children's literature as a special genre Children as innocent, fresh from the hand of god; children compared to angels,
Disney: 1953-1959
Sleeping Beauty, 1959, wanted drawings based on unicorn tapestries at the Cloisters museum
Disney: 1941-1947
Studio was losing money, began firing people Disney made films that show sailors how to identify enemy aircraft
Fairy tales characteristics (w/ details)
Supernatural elements are accepted as normal: hero converses with talking animals without batting an eyelash magic, prophecy Death Death is not real (in the local legend, death is real): characters die and come back to life off with all their heads except mine (Tatar): the parents of the hero die, the enemies of the hero die, but the hero never dies for the heroine, death is a transit route to a new life (Sleeping Beauty) Time Time is not real Sleeping Beauty sleeps for 100 years and is just as young as ever in local legends, people wake up from a long sleep and are disoriented, die quickly (Rip van Winkle, upon waking, learns that his wife and friends are dead) fairy tale time: there is a mountain in Pomerania, every 100 years a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on it; when the entire mountain is worn away by this, the first second of eternity is over
Folk Tale Theme
Supernatural: tales involving the supernatural, magic (animals speak; gather the bones of a dead person, boil them in the cauldron and they're alive again) Magic Violence
What popular film was released in 1932?
Three Little Pigs, Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf
How many were hired by 1927?
Two dozen
When was it common for children to attend school?
agricultural work is seasonal: schooling concentrated in winter months
Wilheim Grimm Biography
born on February 24, 1786 Father died in 1796, when Wilhelm was nine years old Wilhelm's health got worse, strange heartbeats; electric cure: bound to a stool with chains, Turned down offers to become professors in Bonn, continued to work as librarians; Wilhelm kept revising the fairy tales Wilhelm married in 1825, Wilhelm was almost 40 when he married; married three years after his sister had left the house both accepted positions at the University of Göttingen Wilhelm as librarian; later on Wilhelm got pneumonia, almost died; he became a professor after this to make sure his wife is provided for should he die Wilhelm died in 1859
Food as a metaphor (Cannibalism)
cannibalism and starvation as omnipresent themes: the hero needs something to eat or someone wants to eat the hero
What themes that are in Hansel and Gretel are also in in myths?
cannibalism: Cronos eats all his children except Zeus because they plan to overthrow him
Basile
early seventeenth century He was born near Naples in 1576; middle-class family, settled in Venice Became a soldier and started to write poetry --> appointed to a position at the court of Mantua as an administrator Basile was a member of literary academies and a courtier but with middle class background
Hansel and Gretel: Version 1857
embellished: this was part of the attempt to address young readers rather than other scholars; greater clarity, add transitions; logical development of plot; eliminate vulgarity; introduced diminutives; adds characterization cute motifs: a white bird leads the children to the witch's house; introduced more Christian motifs: father becomes more caring, stepmother more coldhearted and cruel the witch is an ogress who wants to eat the children rationalization of abandonment;
What do tales greatly emphasis that makes the audience relate to them?
emphasize poverty and great need (Hansel and Gretel)
How did Disney learn how to animate?
he got a book "Animated Cartoons: How They are Made"
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff
her sister Jenny, Annette is most famous female poet of nineteenth-century Germany; Wilhelm had dream about her: cloaked in dark purple flame, pulled out single hairs and threw them like arrows, they could have made him blind
Clemens Brentano
in Grimm brothers--> Studies with Friedrich Carl von Savigny, a historian of the law, who made his library available to them and introduced them to Clemens Brentano
Children in the Greek and Roman World
many children were exposed or abandoned (20-40%) children who were not abandoned were loved Wet-nursing universal among the upper classes Roman law code: deformed children are to be put to death
Where was it common to have schools? Who paid for them?
more schools in towns than rural areas Parents pay a fee
Hansel and Gretel: Second edition of 1819
now the mother is a stepmother (many women died in childbirth, i.e., there were many stepmothers) stepmother created to exculpate the biological mother;
Sleeping Beauty Version in Neapolitan by Giambattista Basile, 1634
o 50 stories, Pentamerone, 5th story of the 5th day: "Sun, Moon, and Talia": § the wise men tell the king that his daughter will be in great danger because of a little piece of flax, o she sees an old woman who is spinning; "a little piece of flax got under her fingernail and she fell dead to the ground" o a king is hunting, his falcon flies into a palace, he climbs inside, finds Talia, the married king sleeps with her while she is asleep, but then forgets about it for two years Talia gives birth to two babies ("after nine moths Talia unloaded a pair of babies"), the Sun and the Moon; she awakens because one sucks on her finger and the poisonous splinter is dislodged o a king is hunting, his falcon flies into a palace, he climbs inside, finds Talia, the married king sleeps with her while she is asleep, but then forgets about it for two years Talia gives birth to two babies ("after nine moths Talia unloaded a pair of babies"), the Sun and the Moon; she awakens because one sucks on her finger and the poisonous splinter is dislodged o The king remembered her, started visiting her and they formed a strong bond o the king's wife learns of the children and orders them cooked and served to her husband, the cook substitutes a lamb o the wife wants Talia thrown in the fire king has his wife thrown in the fire, marries Talia o common motif: the mother of prince charming is a child-devouring ogre; here, it's the wife o Tale about adultery and rape; about marital infidelity
Grimms' version of Sleeping Beauty
o German title: Little Thorn Rose o Infertility motif: The announcement that the Queen is pregnant is by a frog who creeps out of the water o One fairy is not invited because the king has only twelve gold plates o an evil fairy who wishes death upon the child; another fairy changes the curse to sleep (no other villain, the ogre disappears from the story) o Bloody death of suitors (in Perrault's version there are no other suitors): o a tale about courtship: it has to be the right time and the right person, "true love waits" = trivialization
Depiction of children in the Gothic period
o Gothic period: the naked child = symbolizes the soul, often sexless · interest in childhood begins in the thirteenth century
Oldest version of Sleeping Beauty
o Roman de Perceforest, in French, 14th century, first printed in 1528, connected to the King Arthur cycle, § Troilus rapes Zellandine in her deep coma, and she delivers a child without waking up, she had pricked her finger on a spindle and a piece of flax was still stuck in the finger, the child sucks her finger, flax falls out o Frayre de Joy es Sor de Placer, 1350 (Catalan), anonymous, Frayre de Joy also rapes the catatonic Sor de Placer during her trance-like slumber
Adaptations of Sleeping Beauty
o Tennyson poems based on The Sleeping Beauty (1830) o ballet by Tchaikovsky o Czech film, Rosa is to supposed to marry a prince, this would protect her against the curse, but she falls in love with the brother
Sleeping Beauty: Perrault: La Belle au Bois Dormant
o starts with infertility: o Seven fairies: eighth fairy was not invited because people thought she was dead; there is no golden casket for her o Gifts: The youngest ordained that she should be the most beautiful person in the world; the next that she should have the temper of an angel; the third that she should do everything with wonderful grace; the fourth, that she should dance to perfection; the fifth that she should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth that she should play every kind of music with the utmost skill. the eighth fairy wishes the princess dead, a young fairy converts it to sleep and causes everyone else (except king and queen) to fall asleep out of concern for the princess; protects the castle from prying eyes o prince does not kiss her, but falls to his knees: marries her first, then they have children: Dawn and Day o the prince keeps his new wife a secret, shuttles between the two homes because: he was afraid of his mother, for she came of a race of ogres, and the king had only married her for her wealth o when his father dies and he becomes king, he brings his wife to his palace, but then has to leave to go to war: mother wants to eat kids and sleeping beauty o the prince returns sooner than expected; the mother throws herself into a vat of vipers, snakes, toads and serpents o Perrault changes: cannibalism is much more acceptable in courtly society (because more exotic) than rape, adultery, and bigamy
Diffusion definition
one place of origin, but tale travels
Disney: 1955-1965
plan to build park in Florida 1984 Disney's son-in-law was ousted, Michael Eisner as new CEO
What are some examples of cruel punishments in folk tales? What were these cruel punishments based on?
putting someone in a barrel that is studded with nails and rolling them down the hill, burn the evil witch at the stake [based on historical practices]
2011 film Sleeping Beauty
reintroduces the theme of rape of an unconscious woman: Lucy is hired as a waitress who has to serve food in lingerie; she is given tea with a sleeping potion, an older man takes advantage of her while she sleeps; ends with the older man also drinking the tea and dying
Polygenesis definition
same tale originates in different places
Where was Disney's first office? What was his first purchase for that office?
set up an office over Kansas City Street Car Barn, bought a Universal movie camera and a tripod
What film tools were used to film Snow White?
six different levels and a multiplane camera, drawings move past the camera at various speeds and distances, three-dimensional effect
What happened during Disney debt?
started making portrait photos of children, educational film on dental care Disney relocated to LA
Hansel and Gretel: Basile's Nennillo and Nennella
stepmother hates taking care of children: father takes children into the woods: motif of ashes: there came by chance a Prince to hunt in that wood. boy is raised by the prince
How was the mortality rate of children reduced?
through scientific discoveries; Jenner discovers smallpox vaccine
Dorothea Viehmann
wife of apothecary, her mother was daughter of a professor of philology
Walt Disney Biography
worked very hard, smoked a lot and used a lot of profanity. A volatile, overbearing and demanding boss Came from a relatively poor family Parents Elias and Flora Father self-righteous; mother deferential Walter born on December 5, 1901 Marceline, Missouri: Little town Walt started going to school when he was 8 Kansas City Star delivery route Los Angeles: Early Cartoons
Snow White: The Young Slave by Basile
§ Lilla wins a contest where children have to jump over a rose bush without touching a single leaf, but secretly she had touched one leaf and eaten the evidence; three days later, she is pregnant § Lilla sends her daughter Lisa from Naples to the fairies who each give her a charm, but one falls, twists her foot and hurls a curse at Lisa § when Lisa is seven, a comb sticks in her hair, she falls into a coma and is preserved for many years in a casket of crystal in a distant room of the palace § the mother dies of grief, but gives the key to the room to her brother who tells his wife not to enter the room § she thinks that her husband is having an affair with the girl; in a jealous rage, she drags the girl by the hair out of the room, the comb is dislodged, the girl wakes up
Johann Karl August Musäus (German) version of Snow White
§ beautiful Richilde is given a magic mirror, it answers all questions but goes blind if the owner leads an immoral life § Richilde has an affair with a married man; his wife dies of grief § she becomes a stepmother and tries to kill the stepdaughter with a poisoned apple (poisoned by a Jewish doctor), soap, and a letter
Snow White: Scottish version: Lasair Gheug (pronunciation: Lasar Geeoog), the King of Ireland's Daughter
§ the competition between the women is about inheritance, not sexual jealousy § stepmother was kind to her stepdaughter until she learns about the inheritance laws which give almost everything to the daughter and next to nothing to her § an old woman promises to help her; they kill the king's greyhound and make him think that Lasair did it; they do this again with a horse, then with the queen's oldest son § then the queen pretends to be sick and asks for Lasair's heart which will cure her; the King kills a pig and gives the queen its heart [motif of cannibalism] § he takes his daughter to the forest and cuts off a finger as punishment for killing the greyhound etc § she meets a cat in the forest who turns out to be an enchanted prince, they marry; § meanwhile her stepmother learns that she is still alive and sends her a box with grains of ice; upon opening it, the ice is in her forehead and she drops dead § her husband puts her in a leaden casket, which he keeps locked up in a room § he remarries, the new wife opens the door to the forbidden room, picks the grain of ice from the forehead, the first wife is resuscitated § the new wife says that she might as well go home, but is convinced to stay § Lasair's father learns what really happened, the evil stepmother is burned and the father marries the second wife
Dortchen Wild
· 14-year old Dortchen Wild, Hansel and Gretel; Six Swans, The Singing Bone; Frog Prince, Frau Holle, Rumpelstiltskin, King Thrushbeard, All Fur; married Wilhelm, self-sacrificing, cared for her parents, cared for her sister's children when sister died
Depiction of children in the 12th century
· medieval art until about the twelfth century did not know childhood or did not attempt to portray it, no child morphology; --> children as adults · mid 12th century (Gothic period) Nativity, angels portrayed as adolescents, Jesus does not have the proportions of a baby
Hansel and Gretel: · Ölenberg manuscript
(1810) o the mother is still the actual mother o no direct speech, very little description o children have no names (little brother, little sister) o Hansel is to be fattened like a pig, shows her a bone instead of his finger
