Caroline, Little Snow White (Grimm Brothers)

I was never a fan of the Disney version of Snow White, but after reading the Grimm's Little Snow White, I have a newfound appreciation for Snow White & the Seven Dwarves. Patronizing and boring, this fairy tale does nothing but belabor the importance of "Stranger Danger" and reinforce patriarchal expectations of external beauty (as determined by men) for women and girls. Although I generally consider Disney's erasure of the literary versions of fairy tales wrong, I think it’s best to leave the "moral" lessons of this one behind. 

To me, the most horrifying detail of Little Snow White is that Snow White is seven. SEVEN. As in not old enough to be married, kissed, or considered beautiful in the creepy adult kind of way. Disney changing her age to fourteen, while straying from the original story and still gross given the hypersexualization, is definitely a change I can let go. Snow White’s age and the subliminal messages of exercising caution with strangers and listening to your parents (or in this case, the seven dwarves you're living with) suggests that this version of the tale was written for children. If the Grimms' wanted to teach kids about the dangers of accepting gifts from strangers or trusting their stepmothers, they could have gone a far less twisted route and still gotten their point across. 

The creepiness aside, I also found the story incredibly boring. The Grimms had the opportunity to create a captivating story but instead gave us an anticlimactic plot and a predictable (but still disturbing) ending. I mean, Snow White almost died TWICE and then actually died and I still had to push myself to finish it. The 19^thcentury produced some of the greatest writers ever, so you would think more emphasis would have been placed on creating a more readable and entertaining story. Even if the Grimm Brothers wanted to keep it short and sweet (they did the opposite of the latter), they could have made it interesting. There are plenty of short stories that keep readers on the edge of the seat. This, on the other hand, had me yawning. At least Snow White & the Seven Dwarves has a clear climax and keeps the audience engaged with songs.

Would I recommend the Grimms’version over Disney’s? I still need to rewatch Snow White and the Seven Dwarvesbut I’m 99.9 percent sure that it’s a no. While we should be critical of Disney for weaving his values and beliefs into his versions, we should remember that the Grimm Brothers were doing the exact same thing. So, while it’s important to read these versions in academic setting, they aren’t any better than Disney for entertainment purposes if we worried about authors/creators pushing their own agendas. In the case of Snow White, we might as well watch the movie and listen to the music. We’re going to get gender roles, a predictable plot, and seven dwarves either way.