A fairy tale (or fairy story) is a type of folk literature found all over the world that involves a highly imaginative plot, is told very simply, and is easily understood by children. These stories do not usually have a moral, they teach by placing the characters into difficult situations that they must overcome. The children then are able to imagine what they would do if they were in that same situation. Usually, fairy tales involve animals or other creatures that can speak and possess human qualities. These stories are usually fairly short and ornate, so as to keep the children's attention.
By using “A Fairy Story” to describe his novel, Orwell is simply covering up the fact that it is about the political story of the Russian Revolution. When most people see the words “fairy tale” they think of children’s novels that are basic and contain naive characters involved in some type of conflict. This subtitle makes people overlook the actual meaning of the story and only see the mask that is put up by Orwell. This insures that he will not be reprimanded for writing about such a serious topic, because his novel is only a “fairy story”.
Jack and the Beanstalk (1890, Joseph Jacobs) is an example of a British fairy tale. In the story, Jack uses magic beans to grow a beanstalk that reaches the clouds. With the help of a maiden, he steals a bag of gold coins from the giant that lives at the top. He returns twice more to steal a chicken that lays golden eggs and a harp that plays itself. After the third time, the giant becomes aware of Jack's presence. The giant then chases him down the beanstalk back into his house. Jack then cuts down the beanstalk, killing the giant and ensuring his safety. This story doesn't have a moral as the main character gets away with the tricks he pulls on the giant. It is only an elaborate story to catch the reader's attention for a short while.
The Princess Who Never Smiled (Alexander Afanasyev) is an example of a Russian fairy tale. In this story, there is a princess who never smiles. Her father, the king, is trying to marry her off to a kind man. The king promises her hand to any man who can make her laugh. A worker in the village worked hard for his master. At the end of the year, the master put a sack of money before him and told him to take as much as he wanted. To avoid sinning by taking too much, he took only one coin, and when he went to drink from a well, he dropped the coin and lost it. The next year, the same thing happened to him. The third year, the worker took the same amount of coin as before, but when he drank from the well, he did not lose his coin, and the other two coins floated up to him. He decided to see the world. A mouse asked him for alms; he gave him a coin. Then he did the same for a beetle and a catfish. He came to the castle and saw the princess looking at him. This astounded him, and he fell in the mud. The mouse, the beetle, and the catfish came to his aid, and at their antics, the princess laughed. She pointed him out as the man, and when he was brought into the castle, he had been turned into a handsome man. The honest worker, now a handsome man, married the princess. This story has more of a moral than the British story, that if you are not selfish good things will come to you. However, this moral does not run very deep and is seen clearly in the story.
In both of these stories, there is no deep, thoughtful moral present. It is only a children's tale, meant to entertain the child for a small amount of time. The British story seems to be more focused on adventure and the daring main character. The Russian fairy tale focuses on romance and the wit and luck that the main character uses. Although fairy tales have developed over time, George Orwell's choice to entitle Animal Farm a "fairy story" proved to be a smart one. This makes his camouflage of his true plot even harder to see past and makes the story all the more interesting.
By using “A Fairy Story” to describe his novel, Orwell is simply covering up the fact that it is about the political story of the Russian Revolution. When most people see the words “fairy tale” they think of children’s novels that are basic and contain naive characters involved in some type of conflict. This subtitle makes people overlook the actual meaning of the story and only see the mask that is put up by Orwell. This insures that he will not be reprimanded for writing about such a serious topic, because his novel is only a “fairy story”.
Jack and the Beanstalk (1890, Joseph Jacobs) is an example of a British fairy tale. In the story, Jack uses magic beans to grow a beanstalk that reaches the clouds. With the help of a maiden, he steals a bag of gold coins from the giant that lives at the top. He returns twice more to steal a chicken that lays golden eggs and a harp that plays itself. After the third time, the giant becomes aware of Jack's presence. The giant then chases him down the beanstalk back into his house. Jack then cuts down the beanstalk, killing the giant and ensuring his safety. This story doesn't have a moral as the main character gets away with the tricks he pulls on the giant. It is only an elaborate story to catch the reader's attention for a short while.
The Princess Who Never Smiled (Alexander Afanasyev) is an example of a Russian fairy tale. In this story, there is a princess who never smiles. Her father, the king, is trying to marry her off to a kind man. The king promises her hand to any man who can make her laugh. A worker in the village worked hard for his master. At the end of the year, the master put a sack of money before him and told him to take as much as he wanted. To avoid sinning by taking too much, he took only one coin, and when he went to drink from a well, he dropped the coin and lost it. The next year, the same thing happened to him. The third year, the worker took the same amount of coin as before, but when he drank from the well, he did not lose his coin, and the other two coins floated up to him. He decided to see the world. A mouse asked him for alms; he gave him a coin. Then he did the same for a beetle and a catfish. He came to the castle and saw the princess looking at him. This astounded him, and he fell in the mud. The mouse, the beetle, and the catfish came to his aid, and at their antics, the princess laughed. She pointed him out as the man, and when he was brought into the castle, he had been turned into a handsome man. The honest worker, now a handsome man, married the princess. This story has more of a moral than the British story, that if you are not selfish good things will come to you. However, this moral does not run very deep and is seen clearly in the story.
In both of these stories, there is no deep, thoughtful moral present. It is only a children's tale, meant to entertain the child for a small amount of time. The British story seems to be more focused on adventure and the daring main character. The Russian fairy tale focuses on romance and the wit and luck that the main character uses. Although fairy tales have developed over time, George Orwell's choice to entitle Animal Farm a "fairy story" proved to be a smart one. This makes his camouflage of his true plot even harder to see past and makes the story all the more interesting.