Fairy Tales: September 2021 podcast playlist

Fairy tales have been impacting culture for centuries longer than social media. These stories are so deeply entwined in our upbringings and our psyches that it’s often hard to realize exactly how firmly they have taken hold of us. Let’s take a step back and look at the stories historically and contextually—what were they trying to tell us, and what are they telling us now? Can they still offer us value, or should Snow White, Arielle, and the gang be cancelled?

Curated by Lauren Passell, creator behind Podcast The Newsletter (a weekly love letter to podcasts and the people who make them) and founder of Tink Media.

Podcast Listening List on FAIRY TALES

Get the full listening list on your podcast player of choice using these platforms:

Femlore: “Snow White” (May 2021, 49 min)
A look at Snow White that explores feminism, ableism, and the changes Disney made to produce their animated feature.

Imaginary Worlds: “This Ain’t No Fairy Tale” (February 2021, 32 min)
The real story of how the Grimms came gathered and altered their tales, and the values they were trying to instill in their readers. — and altered them — is much more complicated and interesting.

Conversations: “Myth and Legend — Kate Forsyth on the dark origins of beloved fairytales” (August 2020, 52 min)
Kate Forsyth, author of The Blue Rose, explores the gothic, magical and violent origins of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood.

The Community Library: “3.8 The Little Mermaid: Fish Out of Water with Kali” (August 2020, 52 min)
A look at how Disney went about adapting The LIttle Mermaid for the screen, sexism and ableism, and Ursula, the sea witch.

You’re Dead to Me: “Fairy Tales” (August 2021, 52 min)
Part funny, part smart look at the history of fairytales, and why their gruesome messages may have made more sense to people hearing them for the first time.

Bonus podcast episodes:

• Revisionist History: “The Little Mermaid Part 2: The Fairytale Twist” (July 2021, 37 min)
  A conversation with Angus Fletcher about storytelling, the danger of presenting kids with moldable minds fucked up stories like The Little Mermaid, the history of how we have told our fairy tales, the science of how our brains react to poetic justice in stories, and why The Little Mermaid is an example of poetic justice on speed.
• Folklore, Food & Fairytales: “Cat Cinderella or The Macaroni Cheese Conspiracy” (November 2020, 25 min)
  A reading of the original Cinderella story to find was lost in the translation. Plus, a look at the food in the story and the history of and a recipe for macaroni and cheese.
• Flyest Fables: “Sn 1. Episode 1 – “Like Little Mice Mocking His Humiliation” (October 2018, 22 min)
  In Flyest Fables, Morgan GIvens provides kids an anthology of stories that help them maneuver through the 21st century. In this episode, we meet Antoine, a young boy bullied in school, who finds a magical book that transports him into the world of Princess Keisha.
• Spirits: “246: Feminism, Judaism, and Fairy Tales (with Veronica Schanoes)” (August 2021, 51 min)
  Veronica Schanoes takes us through a forest of the feminism of Alice in Wonderland, taking moralizing out of the fairy tales, and tackling forgiveness.
• She’s All Fat: “Fat Fairytales” (August 2021, 35 min)
  Dumplin’ author Julie Murphy talks about how fairy tales have treated fat people and the definition of a fat fairy tale, drawing ties to her latest Cinderella inspired novel If The Shoe Fits.
• Stories For Men: Reimagining Masculinity: “The Six Swans” (March 2021, 1 hr 30 min)
  A panel of men reflect on the messages of masculinity in The Six Swans, from the male gaze, feminine duties, vulnerability, and double standards.

Conversation Starter Questions:

1. Is it possible to raise kids on Disney movies like The Little Mermaid and Snow White in a healthy way?
2. What was the original intent of the Brothers Grimm’s stories, and do you think those messages are still relevant today?
3. Did any of these episodes point out something about a fairy tale that you had never considered before?
4. In the You’re Dead To Me episode, it was pointed out that there was more of a need for dark storytelling. But should we get rid of all those dark parts all together? Should fairy tales be only happy and positive?
5. What universal themes do you notice in all of these stories?