OLIVEIRA, Marlysson Aerton de.
Abstract:
The fairy tales have been marveling many generations for centuries with its extraordinary stories and creatures; part of these fairy tales came from orality. Such tales highlight their heroes as the main element of the plot, not just as merely protagonists, but as representatives of many characteristics that are related and speak directly with the society the story circles around. In the majority of cases, it is only thought about the male figure as the protagonist of the plot, that is, the hero, carrying with himself strength, courage and bravery, those elements are very rarely associated with female characters. However, in this study it will be presented that the female figure is also capable of taking the protagonist role; even though many times they are described as delicate, sensitive or generous, they can also be the hero of the story considering they have attributes for doing so, for example: cleverness, dexterity and good character. Having said that, classic fairy tales will be analyzed in this study in order to show the trajectory of the hero and the heroine, observe their common characteristics, and compare versions of the same tale told in different eras. This research derives from a bibliographical nature, qualitative sampling, based on author such as Vladmir Propp (1969), Campbell (1949), Cademartori (2010), Coelho (1987), Merege (2019), Reis (2014), Zipes (2012), Todorov (1975), Kothe (2000) and others. It is expected through this paper to awake on the reader of fairy tales the curiosity to know the composition and structure in which the narrative has been created, and stimulate the desire to read. Thus, it is primarily important for the theme mentioned here to be debated and studied with bigger emphasis by researchers and scholars, evaluating the factors that make the heroic figure a necessary element for the comprehension of diversification, contextualization and formation of the society throughout times, also preserving these stories for future generations.
