Choosing a fairy tale to begin my version of the story was very difficult. All of my favorite fairy tales come from the Disney versions of the classic stories. I wanted to select a story that I knew in its pure and true form, not just a story that I loved because of the Hollywood version. As a child, I remember my parents reading Hansel and Gretel to me, and I always enjoyed it. I wanted to take that story and spin it in a completely new direction.
Upon thinking about it, I knew I wanted Hansel and Gretel to fall in love with one another instead of being siblings. The witch’s character needed to be an older woman, maybe someone who would be jealous of Gretel. That is how Cookie was born. The character of Cookie is known for seducing men with her sweetness and baked goods, hence the name choice. Much like this character, the witch in the classic story seduces children to eat them with sweets covering her house in the woods. To make Cookie fit into the plot, I decided to make her somewhat of a cougar, and what better setting to place a cougar than in Hollywood? She would seduce Hansel, Hansel would leave her for the younger and more beautiful Gretel, and Cookie would turn witch-like and seek revenge.
In my version, Cookie represents the typical crone witch. She is older, knows her areas of power and uses them to her advantage, and takes a young hero under her wing. However, when Hansel fails the test and falls in love with Gretel, Cookie turns even more witch-like. Gretel represents the maid- a young and beautiful girl for whom the hero falls. Hansel’s journey is much like the hero’s journey in that he leaves home at a young age to pursue something greater, he has help along the way, he encounters a conflict, and the conflict is resolved, ending with his new life with the girl whom he loves.
In accordance to Propp’s 31 functions, my story would fall under the following categories: Interdiction, Reconnaissance, Delivery, Trickery, Arrival, Claim, Task, Solution, Transfiguration, and Punishment. In some of these cases, it could be argued that Gretel is the hero and fits into these categories better than Hansel. For example, during the Arrival, Task, and Solution, Gretel is portrayed as the hero, since she is the one who arrives at the penthouse, completes the task of killing Cookie, and therefore saves Hansel.
One fairy tale aspect that is lacking from my version of the story is the element of magic. I debated on this issue while writing, trying to decide if magic fit into the story and setting I was trying to create. In the end, I wanted the story to seem real and plausible, and I felt that adding magic would take away from the value of my version. However, this resulted in some elements of typical fairy tales to be lacking, such as magical intervention or a magical item to aid the hero in his/her struggle.
When thinking about how I wanted to add digital elements into my paper, I knew that I wanted a wide variety. I did not want all photos or all links to articles. Therefore, I added in a little bit of everything. The first digital element was a photograph of a man lying beside a swimming pool with the Hollywood sign in the background. I chose this particular image for many reasons, the first being that it was black and white. I wanted an image that would paint the picture for Hollywood at that time, and I felt that the colorless and simplicity of this photo did just that. I also liked that it showed the kind of carefree lifestyle many people of Hollywood were living, people such as Cookie.
The second image is different from the first in that it is a drawing rather than a photograph. This drawing resonates with the original fairy tale, and I thought it was important to stay connected to the original root from which this adaptation began. The drawing shows the witch luring Hansel and Gretel to her home with the sweets and candy that covered the outside of her house. The reader will soon learn that Cookie does the same thing with men; she lures them to her with her charm and sweet-seeming nature. I chose this particular drawing because I liked some of the details that I saw in it. For instance, Gretel is looking at the witch, who has crept out of her house to watch the children. Hansel, however, is too busy eating the sweets to take notice of anything else, much like in my story. I also liked that the house was very colorful, but the surrounding natural elements were dark. I felt that this coloring foreshadowed the actions of my story, and that is why I chose this particular drawing.
My third digital element is a link to a biography about Charles Manson. I feel that it is extremely important not to make any assumptions about my readers and their knowledge about 1960s people and culture. Since I made a reference to a specific person and instance, I thought it was important to provide additional information lest the reader not be familiar with Charles Manson. I feel that the website I used is a trustworthy and informational one.
My final digital addition was another animated picture that was published in the original telling of the story by the Grimm brothers. This picture shows Hansel locked in a cage with Gretel and the witch on the outside. The witch passes something, which I assumed was food or bread, through the cage to Hansel as Gretel looks on. I thought this was appropriate since the way that Cookie initially begins her seduction is by offering Hansel a cookie. This mirrors the problem in my adaptation; Gretel feels that Cookie has Hansel in an emotional cage that he cannot escape by himself. This picture perfectly displays both the real image of a cage from the original story and the metaphorical one in my own adaptation.
Overall, I believe that my story gives a totally new perspective and twist to a classic tale, and I greatly enjoyed the creative process of bringing it to life.
Upon thinking about it, I knew I wanted Hansel and Gretel to fall in love with one another instead of being siblings. The witch’s character needed to be an older woman, maybe someone who would be jealous of Gretel. That is how Cookie was born. The character of Cookie is known for seducing men with her sweetness and baked goods, hence the name choice. Much like this character, the witch in the classic story seduces children to eat them with sweets covering her house in the woods. To make Cookie fit into the plot, I decided to make her somewhat of a cougar, and what better setting to place a cougar than in Hollywood? She would seduce Hansel, Hansel would leave her for the younger and more beautiful Gretel, and Cookie would turn witch-like and seek revenge.
In my version, Cookie represents the typical crone witch. She is older, knows her areas of power and uses them to her advantage, and takes a young hero under her wing. However, when Hansel fails the test and falls in love with Gretel, Cookie turns even more witch-like. Gretel represents the maid- a young and beautiful girl for whom the hero falls. Hansel’s journey is much like the hero’s journey in that he leaves home at a young age to pursue something greater, he has help along the way, he encounters a conflict, and the conflict is resolved, ending with his new life with the girl whom he loves.
In accordance to Propp’s 31 functions, my story would fall under the following categories: Interdiction, Reconnaissance, Delivery, Trickery, Arrival, Claim, Task, Solution, Transfiguration, and Punishment. In some of these cases, it could be argued that Gretel is the hero and fits into these categories better than Hansel. For example, during the Arrival, Task, and Solution, Gretel is portrayed as the hero, since she is the one who arrives at the penthouse, completes the task of killing Cookie, and therefore saves Hansel.
One fairy tale aspect that is lacking from my version of the story is the element of magic. I debated on this issue while writing, trying to decide if magic fit into the story and setting I was trying to create. In the end, I wanted the story to seem real and plausible, and I felt that adding magic would take away from the value of my version. However, this resulted in some elements of typical fairy tales to be lacking, such as magical intervention or a magical item to aid the hero in his/her struggle.
When thinking about how I wanted to add digital elements into my paper, I knew that I wanted a wide variety. I did not want all photos or all links to articles. Therefore, I added in a little bit of everything. The first digital element was a photograph of a man lying beside a swimming pool with the Hollywood sign in the background. I chose this particular image for many reasons, the first being that it was black and white. I wanted an image that would paint the picture for Hollywood at that time, and I felt that the colorless and simplicity of this photo did just that. I also liked that it showed the kind of carefree lifestyle many people of Hollywood were living, people such as Cookie.
The second image is different from the first in that it is a drawing rather than a photograph. This drawing resonates with the original fairy tale, and I thought it was important to stay connected to the original root from which this adaptation began. The drawing shows the witch luring Hansel and Gretel to her home with the sweets and candy that covered the outside of her house. The reader will soon learn that Cookie does the same thing with men; she lures them to her with her charm and sweet-seeming nature. I chose this particular drawing because I liked some of the details that I saw in it. For instance, Gretel is looking at the witch, who has crept out of her house to watch the children. Hansel, however, is too busy eating the sweets to take notice of anything else, much like in my story. I also liked that the house was very colorful, but the surrounding natural elements were dark. I felt that this coloring foreshadowed the actions of my story, and that is why I chose this particular drawing.
My third digital element is a link to a biography about Charles Manson. I feel that it is extremely important not to make any assumptions about my readers and their knowledge about 1960s people and culture. Since I made a reference to a specific person and instance, I thought it was important to provide additional information lest the reader not be familiar with Charles Manson. I feel that the website I used is a trustworthy and informational one.
My final digital addition was another animated picture that was published in the original telling of the story by the Grimm brothers. This picture shows Hansel locked in a cage with Gretel and the witch on the outside. The witch passes something, which I assumed was food or bread, through the cage to Hansel as Gretel looks on. I thought this was appropriate since the way that Cookie initially begins her seduction is by offering Hansel a cookie. This mirrors the problem in my adaptation; Gretel feels that Cookie has Hansel in an emotional cage that he cannot escape by himself. This picture perfectly displays both the real image of a cage from the original story and the metaphorical one in my own adaptation.
Overall, I believe that my story gives a totally new perspective and twist to a classic tale, and I greatly enjoyed the creative process of bringing it to life.