Fairy Tales
Fairy tales, or M�rchen (the German word preferred by scholars to designate
this genre), are fiction. Taking place in a wonderland filled with magic and
strange characters, they are believed by neither narrator nor audience. Although
the supernatural abounds in M�rchen, few of them have to do with fairies.
Although M�rchen deal with a great range of subject matter (as stories such as �Cinderella,��Snow
White,� or �Jack and the Beanstalk�
demonstrate), a typical plot involves an underdog hero or heroine who is put
through great trials or must perform seemingly impossible tasks, and who with
magical assistance secures his or her birthright or a suitable marriage partner.
Frequently, such stories begin �Once upon a time� and end �And they lived
happily ever after.� Often (especially in the United States) called �Jack Tales�
after the name commonly given to the hero, M�rchen have become popular stories
for children, although originally adults and children alike enjoyed them.
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