Fairy tales, as we know them, are a fairly recent (18th century) invention. The traditional European folktales they were based off of, didn’t include morals, weren’t aimed at children, nor were they intended to be used as teaching tools. More likely, they were stories to be told around campfires or at hearths while sewing, weaving or whatever, and mostly were told amongst adults to amuse each other. Thus the very mature topics and dark humor tone of many traditional tales, specially those that didn’t include children or animal characters.
Stories with morals where usually of the tradition of Aesop’s fables, and more common on academic or philosophy circles as study material. It was Perrault and Grimm’s innovation, popularizing these folk stories by adapting them and mixing in a fable structure and aiming the stories to an audience of the high class, first the high royal courts, then the Victorian aristocracy. This audience were the one’s who emphasized moral rectitude and using the folk stories as teaching aids for children.
Then the 20th century saw the commercialization of fairy tales as stories aimed at children through the rise of bedtime stories literature and Disney’s animated film tradition.
There’s nuance to this.
Fairy tales, as we know them, are a fairly recent (18th century) invention. The traditional European folktales they were based off of, didn’t include morals, weren’t aimed at children, nor were they intended to be used as teaching tools. More likely, they were stories to be told around campfires or at hearths while sewing, weaving or whatever, and mostly were told amongst adults to amuse each other. Thus the very mature topics and dark humor tone of many traditional tales, specially those that didn’t include children or animal characters.
Stories with morals where usually of the tradition of Aesop’s fables, and more common on academic or philosophy circles as study material. It was Perrault and Grimm’s innovation, popularizing these folk stories by adapting them and mixing in a fable structure and aiming the stories to an audience of the high class, first the high royal courts, then the Victorian aristocracy. This audience were the one’s who emphasized moral rectitude and using the folk stories as teaching aids for children.
Then the 20th century saw the commercialization of fairy tales as stories aimed at children through the rise of bedtime stories literature and Disney’s animated film tradition.