Blog 1

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, 1512.

In this sense, Michael Cunningham, an American author, has emerged as one of the most significant investigators of masculinity in fairy tales. His 2015 collection A Wild Swan and Other Tales rewrites stories by Hans Christian Andersen, the Grimms, and other authors to show how various masculinities are portrayed (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). "Responses to the unrealistic and terrifying model of manhood referred to as hegemonic masculinity by Connell," according to Cunningham, are represented in his works (Attebery, 2018, p. 316). Little Man, the Monster Bridegroom, and the Erotic Swan are three examples of these kinds of male characters, and each one of them represents an alternative to the stereotyped paradigm. Male protagonists in fairy tales typically take on established roles like the valiant soldier, the charming prince, or the wise old man. Today's writers attempt to transform those idealistic or repulsive dramatis personae into more sophisticated or current ones. To challenge conventional ideas of fairy tales, Cunningham was greatly influenced by earlier feminist retellings by authors Angela Carter and Anne Sexton. Cunningham, for instance, incorporates The Wild Swans from Hans Christian Andersen's story in A Wild Swan (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005).

Written by: Name Style

Last updated