The Representation of The Female Protagonists in Selected European Fairy Tales and Algerian Folktales

Abstract

This paper examines the female characters’ representation in some European and Algerian selected fairy tales in accordance to how socio-cultural conventions and religion shaped the writers’ ideologies. Some European folk writers such as Perrault, Grimm Brothers, and Hans Christian Andersen tend to inflict some European cultural perspectives that order women to blindly follow the men and they have nothing say in it. In addition to the religious beliefs that oppress and make her an obedient servant to the male, with a hint of patriarchy within those viewpoints. She is represented as docile and idle, and she should accept anything that is told to her by the male lead character even if it is against her freedom. On the other hand, the Algerian folktales that are based on the Arab culture that values women; that is built on Islamic beliefs tend to showcase a beautiful respectful image of the female character, in a way that makes the readers interested in following up with her in her journey. This analyses is based on the theories of Jack Zipes, Vladimir Propp, and Kurt Lewin in providing the evidence of the effect of culture and religion in shaping the beliefs of some of the European and Algerian fairy tales tellers.