How to Write a Fairy Tale for Russian 0090

Prepared by: Seth Graham (sbgraham@pitt.edu) and David J. Birnbaum (djbpitt+tales@pitt.edu)
Last modified: 2002-01-07
Location: http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/02-2/fairytale_guidelines.html

1. What We Mean by "Fairy Tale"

The term "fairy tale" as used in Russian 0090 refers to a type of story with a relatively strict and stable set of characteristics. Its plot structure, language, character types, and other features follow conventions (you could even say "rules") that clearly differentiate the fairy tale from other genres such as the fantasy story, the children's story, myth, and legend.

Your extra-credit fairy tale must be an original piece of writing. The length may vary, depending on the nature and complexity of your tale, but you should aim for approximately five (double-spaced) pages (the average length of the tales in Afanas'ev).

You have been reading examples and descriptions of fairy tales all semester, and you should use your knowledge of the readings as you compose your tale. This does not mean that you cannot be creative. What it does mean is that we expect your tale to demonstrate your familiarity with the fairy tale form as you have studied it in this class.

The most common problem with extra-credit fairy tale submissions is that they do not conform to fairy tale style. Students often submit stories that are creative and well written, but that are simply not fairy tales (fantasy stories or children's stories are especially common).

2. Planning and Writing Your Fairy Tale

Before beginning to write your tale, it is a good idea to map it out first. Decide on a setting (place and time) and an initial situation. List your characters and their relationships to each other. Define the complication or problem that disrupts the initial situation, and list the plot developments that will occur as that problem is addressed and resolved.

You are welcome to base your fairy tale on one of the tales we have read in Afanas'ev. If you do so, however, we suggest that you close the book before beginning to write, so your tale does not repeat the Russian tale line for line.

Most of the reading for this class has contained information you can use to help you write a good extra-credit fairy tale. In addition to the Russian tales themselves (your most important source), see the following sections of assigned or recommended readings for particularly useful descriptions of the major distinctive features of the fairy tale genre:

Max Luthi, The European Folktale: Form and Nature: chapters 1-3 (pp. 4-36) on one-dimensionality, depthlessness, and abstract style;
Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folktale: chapters II and III (pp. 19-65) (or just the excerpts in the Course Packet) on the functions of fairy tale characters;
Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment: see his descriptions of the main features of various tale types (youngest child, two brothers, brother and sister, animal groom/bride, stepmothers, etc.). His psychoanalytical readings of tales and tale types will probably not help you write your tale, but if you would like to incorporate his theoretical ideas into your tale, feel free to discuss it with an instructor.

Below are typical fairy-tale features to keep in mind as you plan and write your tale. No tale will perfectly illustrate every single one of these features, of course, but your tale (like all the tales we have read in Afanas'ev) should adhere to them fairly rigorously.

Note: Even if you are writing a parody that consciously violates a generic convention for humorous effect, you should do so in a way that nevertheless demonstrates knowledge of that convention. (Example: "Once upon a time there lived a merchant who had four sons. One day he realized that was one too many for a fairy tale, so he killed one of them with an axe.")

Plot structure

On the most basic level, the typical fairy-tale plot is:

Initial situation
Introduction of a complication/problem/task
Hero(ine) attempts to address the complication/problem/task
Successful resolution

Within this simple framework, of course, there are details and variables, but even those tend to fall within a range of predictable patterns. For example, the hero(ine) typically has to leave home in order to address the complication (rescue her little brother, find a wife, slay a dragon, capture the firebird, etc.).

You can refer to Propp's list of functions (in the Course Packet) to get an idea of the typical progression of fairy-tale events. Another good way to get an idea of the underlying structure of fairy tale plots is to (re)read the tales themselves. As we have read about and discussed different tale types, you have already noticed certain standard plot devices (e.g., the child in "youngest child" or "two sibling" tales has to be separated from the parents). One useful strategy you can use is to choose which type of tale you want to write, (re)read several examples of that type, and think about how they are similar. By doing this, you will get a sense of the plot "template," which you can then use as a guide as you write your original tale.

Characters

Fairy-tale heroines and heroes are human and mortal. They meet supernatural or magical creatures, and use magical objects, but the hero(in)es themselves do not have innate supernatural or magical powers.
Characters are nameless or have simple, generic names. Human characters are often referred to in terms of their profession, social position, or familial relation to other characters: prince, princess, king, queen, husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, youth, old man, old woman, merchant, peasant, priest, blacksmith, etc. Animals or other anthropomorphic characters usually do not have names (Burenushka the cow being an exception).
Characters' inner lives (emotions, psychology) are unimportant. In other words, we don't care how Ivan feels after the gray wolf eats his horse. We only care about what Ivan does next.
Characters' life histories before and after the tale are unimportant. This feature and the previous one are part of what Luthi (13-17) calls "depthlessness."
Every character in the tale has a specific function or functions, and is present in the tale only to perform that function (i.e., to act). See Propp for a detailed list of typical character functions in tales.

Language and Style

Formulaic lines. These are used mostly at the very beginning and very end of a tale. The best known lines in English-language fairy tales are, of course, "once upon a time" and "happily ever after," but this semester you have become familiar with Russian formulae such as "I drank beer at their wedding; it ran down my mustache, but never went in my mouth," or "for a long time or a short time." (For a particularly elaborate and rhymed ending formula, see "The Golden Slipper".)
Objects and characters are named, but not described in any detail. One-word adjectives are common ("golden apples," "brave youth," "dark forest," etc.). This is part of what Luthi refers to as "abstract style" (24).
Third-person narration. Usually the only time the narrator speaks in the first person is at the end of the tale (e.g., "I drank beer").
Past Tense. It is only natural that everything that comes after "once upon a time" will be narrated in the past tense.

Miscellaneous

Magic (creatures, objects, events). Remember, however, that in fairy tales, magical or supernatural occurrences are unremarkable, that is, the hero(ine) does not react any differently to such occurrences from how s/he would react to everyday events. (Luthi [4-10] refers to this quality as "one-dimensionality".)
Magic numbers, especially 3 and 7 and their multiples.

3. Strict Requirements and Deadlines

Fairy tales that fail to meet all of the requirements and deadlines discussed in this section will not be accepted. It is impossible to be fair to the large number of students in this course if we make exceptions in some cases but not others. Accordingly, there are no exceptions to the following requirements and deadlines; if you want to provide some leeway in case you run into unforeseen problems, such as computer crashes, set yourself an earlier "private" deadline.

You must have discussed your idea for a fairy tale in person (not by email or on the telephone) with one of the instructors at least one month before the due date, that is, by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 18. If you hand in an extra-credit assignment without having discussed it with one of the instructors by this deadline, no extra credit will be awarded. You may meet with us to discuss extra credit work as early in the semester as you would like, and you are encouraged not to wait until the last minute. If you arrive at 4:30 on March 18 and there are fifty people in line ahead of you, you may not make the 5:00 p.m. deadline.
Fairy tales must be submitted by 1:00 p.m on Wednesday, April 17 (the last day of lecture). Late submissions will not be accepted. To avoid missing a deadline because of problems beyond your control (one student was unable to receive extra credit last semester because he missed his bus!), please complete and print your fairy tale before the last minute. You may hand in tales as early in the semester as you would like either in person or by leaving them in an instructor's mailbox in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, 1417 CL.
All extra-credit assignments must normally be submitted on paper (that is, not electronically). If there is a reason that your assignment is better suited to electronic delivery (e.g., if you design a multi-media web site), please consult with one of the instructors in advance. Please don't rely on email submission as a strategy for saving time as the deadline draws near; all extra-credit assignments must be submitted on paper unless electronic submission has been approved by one of the instructors in advance.

The initial consultation is required because without it students sometimes wind up writing stories that do not demonstrate familiarity with the generic conventions of the fairy tale. Consultations help ensure that the student has an understanding of those conventions before the tale is written. We conduct initial consultations in person because what takes five minutes in person may take half an hour by email, and with over three hundred students in this course we would not be able to respond to email from everyone in a timely fashion. (Once your tale idea has been approved, you are welcome to send follow-up questions by email.)

We are extremely strict about deadlines because it is not fair to other students for us to extend deadlines in some cases and not others, and we cannot reasonably know whether "my computer crashed" represents the truth or an attempt to gain extra time. Please leave yourself enough time to recover from last-minute problems.

4. Technical Requirements

Your tales can lose points if they don't meet the following technical requirements:

Spelling and grammar must be substantially correct. This means that you should have checked your spelling and grammar before handing in your tale, and you should feel confident that they reflect careful writing and proofreading.
All tales must be typed or printed from a computer (i.e., not handwritten) and double-spaced on one side of the page only using (approximately) 10-12 point type and (approximately) one-inch margins all around. In other words, they should look like normal papers. Illustrations are welcome, but not required, and will not be considered for grading purposes.
All fairy tales must be fastened with a single staple in the upper left corner.
All tales must have a running header on every page, giving the student's name and the page number.

You are not required to pick up your fairy tale, but you may do so in person at the Department of Slavic Languages (1417 CL) after the deadline for submitting grades; alternatively, if you supply a large envelope with sufficient postage, we will mail your tale to you. You are also welcome to meet with us to discuss any aspect of your tale after you have retrieved it.

5. How Your Fairy Tale Will Be Evaluated

We will evaluate your fairy tale primarily according to how well it demonstrates your knowledge of the genre's typical features as we have studied them in Russian 0090. Creativity and writing skill will also be considered, but even the most entertaining, expertly-written tale will be evaluated poorly if it shows little understanding of the genre. Finally, your grade will be affected if you do not follow the technical requirements listed above.

Final requirement: ENJOY!