Editing Fairy tale (section)

===Literary===

[[File:John Bauer 1915.jpg|thumb|alt=Illustration of three trolls surrounding a princess in a dark area, as adapted from a collection of Swedish fairy tales|[[John Bauer (illustrator)|John Bauer]]'s illustration of trolls and a princess from a collection of Swedish fairy tales]]

In [[contemporary literature]], many authors have used the form of fairy tales for various reasons, such as examining the [[human condition]] from the simple framework a fairytale provides.{{Sfn|Zipes|2007|pp=24–25}} Some authors seek to recreate a sense of the fantastic in a contemporary discourse.{{Sfn|Clute|Grant|1997|loc="Fairytale"|p=333}} Some writers use fairy tale forms for modern issues;{{Sfn|Martin|2002|p=41}} this can include using the psychological dramas implicit in the story, as when [[Robin McKinley]] retold ''[[Donkeyskin]]'' as the novel ''[[Deerskin (novel)|Deerskin]]'', with emphasis on the abusive treatment the father of the tale dealt to his daughter.<ref name=Pilinovsky>{{cite web |last1=Pilinovsky |first1=Helen |title=Donkeyskin, Deerskin, Allerleirauh, The Reality of the Fairy Tale |url=https://endicottstudio.typepad.com/articleslist/donkeyskin-deerskin-allerleirauh-the-reality-of-the-fairy-tale-by-helen-pilinovsky.html |website=Journal of Mythic Arts |access-date=19 August 2022 |archive-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809103955/https://endicottstudio.typepad.com/articleslist/donkeyskin-deerskin-allerleirauh-the-reality-of-the-fairy-tale-by-helen-pilinovsky.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Sometimes, especially in children's literature, fairy tales are retold with a twist simply for comic effect, such as ''[[The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales|The Stinky Cheese Man]]'' by [[Jon Scieszka]] and ''The ASBO Fairy Tales'' by Chris Pilbeam. A common comic motif is a world where all the fairy tales take place, and the characters are aware of their role in the story,{{Sfn|Briggs|1967|p=195}} such as in the film series ''[[Shrek (film series)|Shrek]]''.

Other authors may have specific motives, such as multicultural or [[feminism|feminist]] reevaluations of predominantly [[Eurocentrism|Eurocentric]] masculine-dominated fairy tales, implying critique of older narratives.{{Sfn|Zipes|2002a|pp=251–252}} The figure of the [[damsel in distress]] has been particularly attacked by many feminist critics. Examples of narrative reversal rejecting this figure include ''The Paperbag Princess'' by [[Robert Munsch]], a picture book aimed at children in which a princess rescues a prince, [[Angela Carter]]'s ''The Bloody Chamber'', which retells a number of fairy tales from a female point of view and Simon Hood's contemporary interpretation of various popular classics.{{cn|date=January 2023}}

There are also many contemporary erotic retellings of fairy tales, which explicitly draw upon the original spirit of the tales, and are specifically for adults. Modern retellings focus on exploring the tale through use of the erotic, explicit sexuality, dark and/or comic themes, female empowerment, [[Fetishism|fetish]] and [[BDSM]], multicultural, and heterosexual characters. [[Cleis Press]] has released several fairy tale-themed erotic anthologies, including ''Fairy Tale Lust'', ''Lustfully Ever After'', and ''A Princess Bound''.

It may be hard to lay down the rule between fairy tales and [[fairytale fantasy|fantasies]] that use fairy tale motifs, or even whole plots, but the distinction is commonly made, even within the works of a single author: George MacDonald's ''[[Lilith (novel)|Lilith]]'' and ''[[Phantastes]]'' are regarded as fantasies, while his "[[The Light Princess]]", "[[The Golden Key (MacDonald book)|The Golden Key]]", and "The Wise Woman" are commonly called fairy tales. The most notable distinction is that fairytale fantasies, like other fantasies, make use of novelistic writing conventions of prose, characterization, or setting.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Diana |last=Waggoner |date=1978 |title=The Hills of Faraway: A Guide to Fantasy |pages=22–23 |publisher=Atheneum |isbn=0-689-10846-X}}</ref>