Tales transmit values like solidarity, freedom, respect and goodness; and antivalues like physical abuse, injustice and social discrimination. Systematizing such ideas in the traditional versions of classic children´s stories and comparing them with present-day edtions has been the main objective of the doctoral thesis that Purificación Salmerón Vílchez read in July in the Faculty of Education Sciences of the University of Granada.
To carry out this research work, she selected tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, The three little pigs, Puss in Boots, Ugly Duckling and The brave tin soldier, until a total of hasta thirty three. Among five and six versions of them have been studied, including the originals by Grimm brothers and Andersen, and the latest editorial acquisitions. “Social and ethical values like freedom, ethics or tolerance are present in all of them; antivalues do not dissapear with the passing of time, but they do soften”, Salmerón points out.
However, there are values such as the ecological or sex-equality ones that only appear in the new versions. So, in The Rebellious Cinderella of Ediciones SM, the protagonist holds a party where she wins the love of a prince who is going to leave the court searching for something genuine. According to Leonor Buendía, “the part of the hero in old versions is being substituted for the heroine, attributing to her the same values before attributed to men”.
Social context
New versions soften the gruesome and macabre scenes of the originals. Villains are not so cool and cruel neither. “The circumstances and the social context that condition them are taken into account”, Salmerón points out. The Wolf could be a well-meaning ecologist and show a more susteinable way for the environment to Little Red Riding Hood.
Leonor Buendía, Professor of Research Methods in Education, admits that she would like teachers, families and publishing houses to bear in mind studies like this of the University of Granada when it comes to “select stories with which we are going to transmit certain values to children”.
After this descriptive work, in which tale´s values and antivalues are defined according to cathegories, this group will favor research works to go deeply into the way children interpretate tales in different evolutionary stages.
Reference: Leonor Buendía Eisman. Phone number: 679-431761.
E-mail: lbuendia@ugr.es
Purificación Salmerón Vílchez. Phone number: 652-254605. E-mail: psalmero@ugr.es