US IB English-Grimms' Tales for Young and Old: The Complete Stories: Jakob & Wilhelm Grimm

The Grimm Brothers: An Interpretation of Capitalistic Demands and Desires

Within the mystical world the Grimm Brothers created in their legendary fairy tales, components of Marxism, particularly the teachings of Karl Marx, exist and were purposefully written into the stories lines by the brothers to provide subversive criticism of the capitalistic society in Germany during the 1800s. Marx's principles of female commodification, worker exploitation and dehumanization, as well as worker rebellion to create a classless, or communist, society, within the context of Marxist literary criticism, will be highlighted in this paper to establish the correlation between Marx's teachings and the mindset of the Grimm Brothers when they created the fairy tales. There is an undeniable class distinction within the Grimm fairy tales, namely “The Maiden Without Hands,” “The Juniper Tree,” and “The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear,” and the brothers chose to write these particular stories in a light that exemplified the class struggle the Grimm family encountered, as well as other less fortunate families, within Germany during the early to mid 1800s. Through an analysis of these three stories, as well as the cultural, political, and social aspects of Germany at the time, this paper will provide evidence that suggests the Grimm Brothers had a particular agenda while altering German folklore and crafting their own stories.

These struggles German citizens faced, consisting of class discrimination and social limitation, stemmed from the distress and financial hardships that resulted from the early stages of the Industrial Era (“The Industrial Revolution and the Social Question”). As machinery and technological advances began to take the place of many individuals, unemployment rose, resulting in families being less able to survive financially, especially in rural areas. There were also troubles between workers and bosses due to the lack of workers’ rights protection, which ultimately led to exploitation and more defined class structures (“The Industrial Revolution and the Social Question”). The brothers were aware of these class structures and how citizen morale was being affected, and therefore felt compelled to write their tales in a way that captured their personal perspective about German society.

As seen through the eyes of both Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, components of Marxism exist within society and are purposefully written into the stories to bring light to these issues. The societies existing within the fairy tales are commodity based; goods and services are involuntarily exchanged between the lower and higher socio-economic classes, and thus perpetuate the cycle of financial inequality and struggle. The “monsters” in the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales are seen as the laborers who must comply with the higher socio-economic classes (e.g. the royals/rich within the society), and damsels function as objects that must be exchanged in order to keep society moving forward. The brothers symbolically represented the teachings of Marx in their fairy tales, even though Marx and Engels did not publish their ground breaking analysis of capitalistic societies until after some of the tales were published.

To read the full article, click HERE.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=senior_theses

On September 28, 1983, the discovery of a previously unknown tale by Wilhelm Grimm was reported on the front page of The New York Times. "After more than 150 years," the Times noted, "Hansel and Gretel, Snow-White, Rumpelstiltskin, and Cinderella will be joined by another Grimm fairy-tale character." The story of dear Mili was preserved in a letter Wilhelm Grimm wrote to a little girl in 1816, a letter that remained in her family's possession for over a century and a half. It tells of a mother who sends her daughter into the forest to save her from a terrible war. The child comes upon the hut of an old man, who gives her shelter, and she repays his kindness by serving him faithfully for what she thinks are three days. Actually, thirty years have passed, but Mili has remained safe, and with the old man's blessing there is still time for a tender reunion with her mother. As for the pictures that interpret Dear Mili―hailed by School Library Journal as "gorgeous"―they were a milestone in Maurice Sendak's career, the work of a master at the height of his powers.
(Amazon.com)

(Detail of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm from a 1837/38 lithograph of the “Göttingen Seven.” CARL ROHDE/PUBLIC DOMAIN)

The brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm were German scholars known for their fairy tales and for their work in the study of different languages, which included the creation of "Grimm's law."

Jakob Karl Grimm was born on January 4, 1785, in Hanau, Germany. His brother, Wilhelm Karl Grimm, was born on February 24 of the following year. They were the oldest surviving sons of Philipp Grimm, a lawyer who served as Hanau's town clerk. As small children they spent most of their time together; aside from a brief period of living apart, they were to remain together for the rest of their lives. Their even-tempered personalities made it easy for them to work together on projects. The main difference in their personalities seems to have been that Jakob, the healthier of the two, had more taste for research work, and it was he who worked out most of their theories of language and grammar. Wilhelm was physically weaker but was a somewhat warmer person and more interested in music and literature. He was responsible for the pleasant style of their collection of fairy tales.

The brothers first attended school in Kassel, Germany, and then they began legal studies at the University of Marburg. While there, however, the inspiration of a professor named Friedrich von Savigny awakened in them an interest in past cultures. In 1808 Jakob was named court librarian to the King of Westphalia in Wilhelmshöhe, Germany. In 1816 he became librarian in Kassel, where Wilhelm had been employed since 1814. They were to remain there until 1830, when they obtained positions at the University of Göttingen.
Read more: https://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Grimm-Brothers.html#ixzz6WDotNrHR

IN 1837, JACOB AND WILHELM Grimm, the brothers most well known for their eponymous collection of fairy tales, were kicked out of their home. They had been working as professors at the famous University of Göttingen, Germany, when the King of Hanover, who ruled the area, demanded they and other academics swear an oath of loyalty.