Fairy Tales as a Forerunner of European Children's Literature: Cross-border Fairy Tale Materials and Fairy Tale Motifs

Due to the Romantic movement there was a growing attention for recording oral tradition. Pedagogues advocating an independent literature for children recognized the importance of folktales especially for the mediation of bourgeois virtues and social norms. Influenced by the stilistic model of the Brother Grimm's Household Tales and as a result of the propagation of national literatures, a broad range of application within the printed and pictorial media developed in European countries. Folktales as a products of the mass culture possess multiple applicability. This paper deals with different spheres of application and outlines the functions of folktales as popular reading material.