1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. Contemporary Literature

Fairy Tale

By Mark Flanagan, About.com

Definition: Fairy tales are simple stories of humans and their dealings with magical beings such as fairies, dragons, and wizards. Originally intended for children, the fairy tale has in certain instances involved into longer and more sophisticated narratives of supernatural events. The term embodies folktales such as "Snow White" and "Cinderella," many of which were originally collected in the early 19th century by the Brothers Grimm in "Grimm's Fairy Tales."
Examples: Before it was popularized by Walt Disney, "Cinderella" originally was a folktale from Germany, preserved by the brothers Grimm in the early 19th century.

More Literary Terms Defined
 
 

Explore Contemporary Literature

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. Contemporary Literature
  4. Literary Terms
  5. Fairy Tale

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.