Fairy Tale Structures in Contemporary International Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Ksenia Kuzminykh

Makale detayları

Fairy Tale Structures in Contemporary International Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Yazarlar:

Ksenia Kuzminykh

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

World Languages | Literature and Culture (Other)

Dergi:

Studien zur deutschen Sprache und Literatur Issue 53, pp.26-52

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Almanca (Kısaltma)

Document ID (Org No.):

2001355169

pISSN:

2619-9890

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 The article delves into the role of content and structural elements of fairy tales in shaping the discours and histoire levels of contemporary childrens and young adult literature. Central to the analysis is the proposition that the structural motifs identified by Vladimir Propp in his foundational monograph Morphology of the Fairy Tale persist within contemporary renditions of the genre, albeit adapted to reflect modern narrative innovations and aesthetic sensibilities. For instance, Uticha Marmons Frieda, Nikki und die Grenzkuh exemplifies a synthesis of traditional fairy tale components with the stylistic and thematic features of crime fiction. This hybridization is articulated through the dynamics of suspense, curiosity, and surprise, which resonate with the archetypal tripartite schema of fairy tales  home  adventure  homecoming  while recontextualizing these elements within the frameworks of contemporary storytelling. Parallel narrative architectures are discernible in Saša Stanišićs psychological young adult novel, Wolf, and Hannah Golds adventure novel, The Lost Whale. These works collectively underscore the inadequacy of traditional Proppian schemata to fully capture the intricacy and multidimensionality of contemporary childrens and young adult literature. The article thus argues for the modification of Propps frameworks to accommodate the increasingly complex narrative strategies and genre hybridity characterizing modern literary productions for children and young adults. Employing a close-reading methodology, the analysis focuses on the aforementioned works by Marmon, Stanišić, and Gold, chosen for their illustrative exemplification of the intersection between canonical fairy tale structures and contemporary narrative innovations.

 The article delves into the role of content and structural elements of fairy tales in shaping the discours and histoire levels of contemporary childrens and young adult literature. Central to the analysis is the proposition that the structural motifs identified by Vladimir Propp in his foundational monograph Morphology of the Fairy Tale persist within contemporary renditions of the genre, albeit adapted to reflect modern narrative innovations and aesthetic sensibilities. For instance, Uticha Marmons Frieda, Nikki und die Grenzkuh exemplifies a synthesis of traditional fairy tale components with the stylistic and thematic features of crime fiction. This hybridization is articulated through the dynamics of suspense, curiosity, and surprise, which resonate with the archetypal tripartite schema of fairy tales  home  adventure  homecoming  while recontextualizing these elements within the frameworks of contemporary storytelling. Parallel narrative architectures are discernible in Saša Stanišićs psychological young adult novel, Wolf, and Hannah Golds adventure novel, The Lost Whale. These works collectively underscore the inadequacy of traditional Proppian schemata to fully capture the intricacy and multidimensionality of contemporary childrens and young adult literature. The article thus argues for the modification of Propps frameworks to accommodate the increasingly complex narrative strategies and genre hybridity characterizing modern literary productions for children and young adults. Employing a close-reading methodology, the analysis focuses on the aforementioned works by Marmon, Stanišić, and Gold, chosen for their illustrative exemplification of the intersection between canonical fairy tale structures and contemporary narrative innovations.

 The article delves into the role of content and structural elements of fairy tales in shaping the discours and histoire levels of contemporary childrens and young adult literature. Central to the analysis is the proposition that the structural motifs identified by Vladimir Propp in his foundational monograph Morphology of the Fairy Tale persist within contemporary renditions of the genre, albeit adapted to reflect modern narrative innovations and aesthetic sensibilities. For instance, Uticha Marmons Frieda, Nikki und die Grenzkuh exemplifies a synthesis of traditional fairy tale components with the stylistic and thematic features of crime fiction. This hybridization is articulated through the dynamics of suspense, curiosity, and surprise, which resonate with the archetypal tripartite schema of fairy tales  home  adventure  homecoming  while recontextualizing these elements within the frameworks of contemporary storytelling. Parallel narrative architectures are discernible in Saša Stanišićs psychological young adult novel, Wolf, and Hannah Golds adventure novel, The Lost Whale. These works collectively underscore the inadequacy of traditional Proppian schemata to fully capture the intricacy and multidimensionality of contemporary childrens and young adult literature. The article thus argues for the modification of Propps frameworks to accommodate the increasingly complex narrative strategies and genre hybridity characterizing modern literary productions for children and young adults. Employing a close-reading methodology, the analysis focuses on the aforementioned works by Marmon, Stanišić, and Gold, chosen for their illustrative exemplification of the intersection between canonical fairy tale structures and contemporary narrative innovations.

 The article delves into the role of content and structural elements of fairy tales in shaping the discours and histoire levels of contemporary childrens and young adult literature. Central to the analysis is the proposition that the structural motifs identified by Vladimir Propp in his foundational monograph Morphology of the Fairy Tale persist within contemporary renditions of the genre, albeit adapted to reflect modern narrative innovations and aesthetic sensibilities. For instance, Uticha Marmons Frieda, Nikki und die Grenzkuh exemplifies a synthesis of traditional fairy tale components with the stylistic and thematic features of crime fiction. This hybridization is articulated through the dynamics of suspense, curiosity, and surprise, which resonate with the archetypal tripartite schema of fairy tales  home  adventure  homecoming  while recontextualizing these elements within the frameworks of contemporary storytelling. Parallel narrative architectures are discernible in Saša Stanišićs psychological young adult novel, Wolf, and Hannah Golds adventure novel, The Lost Whale. These works collectively underscore the inadequacy of traditional Proppian schemata to fully capture the intricacy and multidimensionality of contemporary childrens and young adult literature. The article thus argues for the modification of Propps frameworks to accommodate the increasingly complex narrative strategies and genre hybridity characterizing modern literary productions for children and young adults. Employing a close-reading methodology, the analysis focuses on the aforementioned works by Marmon, Stanišić, and Gold, chosen for their illustrative exemplification of the intersection between canonical fairy tale structures and contemporary narrative innovations.

Makale detayları

Fairy Tale Structures in Contemporary International Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Yazarlar:

Ksenia Kuzminykh

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

World Languages | Literature and Culture (Other)

Dergi:

Studien zur deutschen Sprache und Literatur Issue 53, pp.26-52

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Almanca (Kısaltma)

Document ID (Org No.):

2001355169

pISSN:

2619-9890

Fairy tales

crime fiction

tension structures

Frieda

Nikki und die Grenzkuh by Uticha Marmon

Wolfby Saša Stanišič

The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Ksenia Kuzminykh

Yayıncı: Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar: World Languages | Literature and Culture (Other)

Dergi: Studien zur deutschen Sprache und Literatur Issue 53, pp.26-52

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2025

Belge Dili: Almanca (Kısaltma)

Document ID (Org No.): 2001355169

pISSN: 2619-9890

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Ksenia Kuzminykh

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

World Languages | Literature and Culture (Other)

Dergi:

Studien zur deutschen Sprache und Literatur Issue 53, pp.26-52

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Almanca (Kısaltma)

Document ID (Org No.):

2001355169

pISSN:

2619-9890