Did you grow up reading fairy tales? As a kid, I consumed a steady diet of classics such as “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “The Three Little Pigs,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” But my most lasting impressions of fairy tales were made by the animated Disney princess movies. Snow White? Check. Sleeping Beauty? Check. Cinderella? Check. The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin? Check.
Fairy tales have been done and done and done. But each version resonates with readers. Why? Because fairy tales convey universal themes of good versus evil and moral values such as kindness and hard work. They embody our hopes and dreams.
Fairy tale retellings leaped onto my radar with the launch of the popular television show Once Upon a Time more than a decade ago. The time-jumping mashup of so many classic fairy tale characters made new was an original, exciting way to enjoy the familiar. I loved how the show writers gave intriguing depth to the characters and showed us that not all is as black and white as it may initially seem.
I’ve since found a few fairy tale retellings in novel form, and each unique read has brought me great delight. When an author puts their spin on a classic—whether modernizing or moving the setting, swapping the hero and heroine’s roles, or telling the tale from a different point of view—it breathes fresh life into the comfort of a familiar story.
“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.” ~Mark Twain
Tomorrow Spark Flash Fiction launches our next issue, “Love is a Fairy Tale.” The Spring 2024 issue’s theme is fairy tale retellings. The online magazine promises twelve delightfully swoony takes on our favorite classics, each with a new twist. Reimagined versions of Sleeping Beauty, Goldilocks, Aladdin, The Princess and the Pea, and Rapunzel—to name a few—await, ready to capture your imagination and your heart. So be sure to check out Spark’s “Love is a Fairy Tale” tomorrow! And drop back by to let me know what you think.