Page 58 - Secondary School BEATS

Untold Tales

By Nandini Tyagi (MYP 5)

Once
upon a
time, Happily-Ever-Afters,
Prince Charmings, all things
Brothers Grimm, and Hans Chris-
tian Anderson fed my imagination. As
my reading preferences evolved, my
fascination morphed into a new interest
in the sub-genre: fairy tales retellings. I real-
ised that there is more to fairy tales than magic,
wonder and a world neatly divided into good or
evil, black or white. A world unexplored. A grey. It
drew me to revisit fairy tales, this time from a differ-
ent perspective. Interestingly, fairy tales were originally
written for adults and later adapted as children’s tales in
the 19th Century. The retellings take familiar characters and
storylines, twisting them to mirror modern values. The 21st
Century authors dive deeper into familiar archetypes creating
more complex and dynamic characters, revealing layers of emo-
tions and even evoking sympathy for antagonists in readers, mak-
ing them real, likeable even. Non-traditional publishing, audio
books, podcasts, OTT platforms and cinema make allowances for
creative minds to push the envelope, making way for new inter-
ventions in storytelling. Personally, the darker and less-chip-
per tales fascinate me. I lean towards them because they shift
the lens where a princess doesn’t need a prince to rescue her,
there is no promise of a happily ever after and all stepmothers
are not evil. They break stereotypes and outdated values writ-
ten into stories. A woman transforming for the man she loves,
58 be it Cinderella or The Little Mermaid, no longer concur with the

ideals of equality and independence that I believe in. Perfection