Grimm's tales

Há um tempão, recebi do amigo Oswaldo Ribeiro o link para o Coursera, um site de cursos de extensão on-line promovidos por umas universidades norte-americanas bem invocadas. Passeando por lá, descobri um curso sobre Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World e, bem, não resisti.

A bronca é que o bicho é meio puxado, já que estou na reta final da qualificação do mestrado. São 10 semanas e o plano de aula é ler um livro por semana e escrever um curto ensaio sobre o danado. O primeiro da lista foi o Grimm's Tales, na tradução dos irmãos Crane (na verdade, a Lucy traduziu e o Thomas ilustrou).

Segue pra vocês o primeiro ensaio. O limite são 320 palavras, fechei em 313.

***


Grimm's Tales ensure its universal character as they approached the oral literature in at least a very relevant aspect: the repetition. First, we have repetition as a discursive resource in stories. Throughout their journey, the characters are always performing the same task several times before achieving some success (usually three times), as in Rabbit's Bride, Clever Grethel, The Goose Girl and other stories.

Or, there is a recurring pattern in the actions of the characters. An Example is the mercenary in Six Soldiers of Fortune, who finds his adventure fellows always the same way: they show a different behavior that draws attention to the protagonist, reveal an extraordinary capacity and then join him. Despite its nature absolutely fantastic, this use of repetition in Grimm Tales reminds us of the monotony of everyday life, full of routines, and how things do not always succeed the first time.

There is also a kind of repetition in the story that is told, according to the nature of protagonists. These can be divided into three groups: nobles, commoners and animals or things that behave like humans.

The noble stories always involve an extraordinary mission that culminates in a marriage or a conquer, as in The Raven, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Snow White. The stories of commoners tend to have an uplifting message, exalting virtues, or recovery of cunning, like Hansel and Grethel, or Clever Grethel and Hans in Luck. The stories with anthropomorphized animals or objects highlight aspects of human nature, usually turn negative, as in The Death Of The Hen, Cat And Mouse In Partnership or The Straw The Coal, And The Bean.

Finally, we have a more subtle repetition, which is the repetition of symbols, or functions performed by these symbols in the stories. It doesn't matter what kind of object is used, they always have similar functions in different stories, reassuring their universal simbology.

***

Perdoem aí a pobreza do meu inglês. Podem corrigir-me à vontade.