To Hell and Back: The Role of the Quest in Fairytales
Cold21 Elo 2022

To Hell and Back: The Role of the Quest in Fairytales

This week in the Cold, we continue our autopsy of the fairytale, focusing on the quest. In most fairytales, at least the ones that really capture our imaginations in a lasting, generations-long manner, a lover – often a prince or princess – must go on a quest. He or she has to perform a series of trials in order to prove worthy, not only of true love, but of a kingdom they are poised to inherit – whether that be a literal kingdom, an actual realm in a fictious country, or a place in God’s kingdom. The Brother’s Grimm tended to focus on the the former, while Hans Christian Andersen had a far more spiritual approach.

Both interpretations are dramatic, exciting, and virtually irresistible. And damn it, not only are we going to examine what makes them so, but we're going to write a quest that'll blow you away!

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/to-hell-and-back-the-role-of-the-quest-in-fairytales/

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