Grimm’s Fairy Tales are a familiar part of childhood for people all over the world. The IELTS Reading passage “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” delves into the history, original purpose, and reasons why these stories have such enduring appeal. Join ECE as we analyze this passage in detail to decode the questions and learn some useful vocabulary!
Reading Passage
Grimm’s Fairy Tales
The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, named their story collection Children’s and Household Tales and published the first of its seven editions in Germany in 1812. The table of contents reads like an A-list of fairy-tale celebrities: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, the Frog King. Drawn mostly from oral narratives, the 210 stories in the Grimms’ collection represent an anthology of fairy tales, animal fables, rustic farces, and religious allegories that remain unrivalled to this day.
Such lasting fame would have shocked the humble Grimms. During their lifetimes the collection sold modestly in Germany, at first only a few hundred copies a year. The early editions were not even aimed at children. The brothers initially refused to consider illustrations, and scholarly footnotes took up almost as much space as the tales themselves. Jacob and Wilhelm viewed themselves as patriotic folklorists, not as entertainers of children. They began their work at a time when Germany had been overrun by the French under Napoleon, who was intent on suppressing local culture. As young, workaholic scholars, single and sharing a cramped flat, the Brothers Grimm undertook the fairy-tale collection with the goal of serving the endangered oral tradition of Germany.
For much of the 19th century, teachers, parents, and religious figures, particularly in the United States, deplored the Grimms’ collection for its raw, uncivilized content. Offended adults objected to the gruesome punishments inflicted on the stories’ villains. In the original “Snow White” the evil stepmother is forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she falls down dead. Even today, some protective parents shy away from the Grimms’ tales because of their reputation for violence.
Despite its sometimes rocky reception, Children’s and Household Tales gradually took root with the public. The brothers had not foreseen that the appearance of their work would coincide with a great flowering of children’s literature in Europe. English publishers led the way, issuing high-quality picture books such as Jack and the Beanstalk and handsome folktale collections, all to satisfy a newly literate audience seeking virtuous material for the nursery. Once the Brothers Grimm sighted this new public, they set about refining and softening their tales, which had originated centuries earlier as earthy peasant fare. In the Grimms’ hands, cruel mothers became nasty stepmothers, unmarried lovers were made chaste, and the incestuous father was recast as the devil.
In the 20th century, the Grimms’ fairy tales have come to rule the bookshelves of children’s bedrooms. The stories read like dreams come true: handsome lads and beautiful damsels, armed with magic, triumph over giants and witches and wild beasts. They outwit mean, selfish adults. Inevitably the boy and girl fall in love and live happily ever after. And parents keep reading because they approve of the finger-wagging lessons inserted into the stories: keep your promises, don’t talk to strangers, work hard, obey your parents. According to the Grimms, the collection served as “a manual of manners”.
Altogether, some 40 persons delivered tales to the Grimms. Many of the storytellers came to the Grimms’ house in Kassel. The brothers particularly welcomed the visits of Dorothea Viehmann, a widow who walked to town to sell produce from her garden. An innkeeper’s daughter, Viehmann had grown up listening to stories from travellers on the road to Frankfurt. Among her treasures was “Aschenputtel”—Cinderella. Marie Hassenpflug was a 20-year-old friend of their sister, Charlotte, from a well-bred, French-speaking family. Marie’s wonderful stories blended motifs from the oral tradition and from Perrault’s influential 1697 book, Tales of My Mother Goose, which contained elaborate versions of “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Snow White”, and “Sleeping Beauty”, among others. Many of these had been adapted from earlier Italian tales.
Given that the origins of many of the Grimm fairy tales reach throughout Europe and into the Middle East and Orient, the question must be asked: How German are the Grimm tales? Very, says scholar Heinz Rolleke. Love of the underdog, rustic simplicity, creative energy—these are Teutonic traits. The coarse texture of life during medieval times in Germany, when many of the tales entered the oral tradition, also coloured the narratives. Throughout Europe, children were often neglected and abandoned, like Hansel and Gretel. Accused witches were burned at the stake, like the evil mother-in-law in “The Six Swans”. “The cruelty in the stories was not the Grimms’ fantasy,” Rolleke points out. “It reflected the law-and-order system of the old times.”
The editorial fingerprints left by the Grimms betray the specific values of 19th-century Christian, bourgeois German society. But that has not stopped the tales from being embraced by almost every culture and nationality in the world. What accounts for this widespread, enduring popularity? Bernhard Lauer points to the “universal style” of the writing: you have no concrete descriptions of the land, or the clothes, or the forest, or the castles. “It makes the stories timeless and placeless. The tales allow us to express ‘our utopian longings’,” says Jack Zipes of the University of Minnesota, whose 1987 translation of the complete fairy tales captures the rustic vigour of the original text. “They show a striving for happiness that none of us knows but that we sense is possible. We can identify with the heroes of the tales and become in our mind the masters and mistresses of our own destinies.”
Fairy tales provide a workout for the unconscious, psychoanalysts maintain. Bruno Bettelheim famously promoted the therapeutic value of the Grimms’ stories, calling fairy tales the “great comforters.” By confronting fears and phobias, symbolized by witches, heartless stepmothers, and hungry wolves, children find they can master their anxieties. Bettelheim’s theory continues to be hotly debated. But most young readers aren’t interested in exercising their unconscious. The Grimm tales, in fact, please in an infinite number of ways; something about them seems to mirror whatever moods or interests we bring to our reading of them. The flexibility of interpretation suits them for almost any time and any culture.
Questions 1 – 6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 1 – 6 on your answer sheet, write:
YES if the statement is true
NO if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage
1. The Grimm brothers believed they would achieve international fame.
2. The Grimm brothers were forced to work in secret.
3. Some parents today still think Grimm fairy tales are not suitable for children.
4. The first edition of Grimm’s fairy tales sold more widely in England than in Germany.
5. Adults like reading Grimm’s fairy tales for reasons different from those of children.
6. The Grimm brothers based the story “Cinderella” on the life of Dorothea Viehmann.
Questions 7 – 9
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.
7. In paragraph 4, what changes happened at that time in Europe?
A. Literacy levels of the population increased.
B. The development of printing technology made it easier to publish.
C. Schools were open to children.
D. People were fond of collecting superb picture books.
8. What changes did the Grimm Brothers make in later editions?
A. They made the stories shorter.
B. They used more oral language.
C. The content of the tales became less violent.
D. They found other origins of the tales.
9. What did Marie Hassenpflug contribute to the Grimm’s Fairy tales?
A. She wrote stories.
B. She discussed the stories with them.
C. She translated a popular book for the brothers using her talent for languages.
D. She told the oral stories that were based on traditional Italian stories.
Questions 10-14
Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 10-14 on your answer sheet.
10. Heinz Rolleke said the Grimm’s tales are “German” because the tales
11. Heinz Rolleke said the abandoned children in tales
12. Bernhard Lauer said the writing style of the Grimm brothers is universal because they
13. Jack Zipes said the pursuit of happiness in the tales means they
14. Bruno Bettelheim said the therapeutic value of the tales means that the fairy tales
A. reflect what life was like at that time
B. help children deal with their problems
C. demonstrate the outdated system
D. tell of the simplicity of life in the German countryside
E. encourage people to believe that they can do anything
F. recognize the heroes in the real life
G. contribute to the belief in nature power
H. avoid details about characters’ social settings.
Summary of the Reading Passage
The passage provides a comprehensive overview of the famous fairy tale collection by the Brothers Grimm.
- Original purpose: Initially, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm did not intend to write for children. They were patriotic folklorists aiming to preserve Germany’s oral tradition, which was threatened by Napoleon’s invasion.
- Initial reception: The first editions did not sell well and were criticized by many adults, particularly in the US, for their violent and “uncivilized” content.
- Changes and success: Recognizing the growth of children’s literature in Europe, the Brothers Grimm refined and “softened” their tales (e.g., changing cruel mothers into stepmothers). Gradually, the stories became popular.
- Reasons for popularity: The passage analyzes why the Grimm tales are loved worldwide, including their moral lessons, “timeless” writing style, ability to express the longing for happiness, and therapeutic value for children.
- Origins: Finally, the article mentions the diverse origins of the stories, collected from various storytellers and influenced by cultures across Europe.
Key Vocabulary
- Anthology (n): A collection of literary works.
- Folklorists (n): People who study folklore.
- Gruesome (adj): Causing repulsion or horror; grisly.
- Rocky reception (n.p): A difficult or unfavorable initial response.
- Refining and softening (v.p): Improving and making something less harsh.
- Outwit (v): To deceive or defeat by greater ingenuity.
- Motifs (n): Recurring elements or themes in art or literature.
- Timeless and placeless (adj.p): Not restricted by a specific time or location.
- Therapeutic (adj): Having a healing or beneficial effect.
- Flexibility of interpretation (n.p): The ability to be understood in multiple ways.
Answer Key and Detailed Explanations
- 1. NO
Evidence (Paragraph 2): “Such lasting fame would have shocked the humble Grimms.”
Explanation: If they were “shocked” by the fame, it implies they did not expect or believe it would happen.
- 2. NOT GIVEN
Explanation: Paragraph 2 mentions they worked during a time when Napoleon was suppressing local culture, but there is no information stating they were “forced to work in secret.”
- 3. YES
Evidence (Paragraph 3): “Even today some protective parents shy away from the Grimms’ tales because of their reputation for violence.”
Explanation: This confirms that some parents today still find the tales unsuitable.
- 4. NOT GIVEN
Explanation: Paragraph 4 mentions that “English publishers led the way” in children’s literature, but there is no comparison of sales figures for the first edition between England and Germany.
- 5. YES
Evidence (Paragraph 5): The passage contrasts why children like the stories (dreams come true, magic) with why parents keep reading them (moral lessons).
Explanation: These are distinct reasons for different audiences.
- 6. NO
Evidence (Paragraph 6): “Among her treasures was ‘Aschenputtel’—Cinderella.”
Explanation: Dorothea Viehmann was a storyteller who shared the tale; the story was not based on her life.
- 7. A – Literacy levels of the population increased.
Evidence (Paragraph 4): “…all to satisfy a newly literate audience seeking virtuous material for the nursery.”
Explanation: “Newly literate audience” indicates that literacy levels had risen.
- 8. C – The content of the tales became less violent.
Evidence (Paragraph 4): “…they set about refining and softening their tales… cruel mothers became nasty stepmothers…”
Explanation: “Softening” and changing cruel details indicate a reduction in violence.
- 9. D – She told the oral stories that were based on traditional Italian stories.
Evidence (Paragraph 6): “Marie’s wonderful stories blended motifs from the oral tradition and from Perrault’s… book… Many of these had been adapted from earlier Italian tales.”
Explanation: The text explicitly links her stories to earlier Italian tales.
- 10. D – tell of the simplicity of life in the German countryside.
Evidence (Paragraph 7): Heinz Rolleke mentions “rustic simplicity… these are Teutonic traits.”
- 11. A – reflect what life was like at that time.
Evidence (Paragraph 7): Heinz Rolleke states: “The cruelty in the stories… reflected the law-and-order system of the old times.”
- 12. H – avoid details about characters’ social settings.
Evidence (Paragraph 8): Bernhard Lauer says: “…you have no concrete descriptions of the land, or the clothes, or the forest, or the castles.”
- 13. E – encourage people to believe that they can do anything.
Evidence (Paragraph 8): Jack Zipes says: “We can identify with the heroes… and become in our mind the masters and mistresses of our own destinies.”
- 14. B – help children deal with their problems.
Evidence (Paragraph 9): Bruno Bettelheim says: “By confronting fears and phobias… children find they can master their anxieties.”
The “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” passage is more than just a language test; it is a journey into history and culture. Through it, you can see how raw folk tales were polished to become timeless. Analyzing these diverse perspectives is a great opportunity to practice critical thinking, helping you confidently tackle more complex academic texts in the future.
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