Patriarchy and Stereotyping in Grimms’ “Little Snow-White”: A Feminist Literary Study

Abstract

This paper examines patriarchy, its ideologies and stereotyping in the Grimms’ fairy tale “Little Snow-White” (1812). It uses feminist literary criticism in order to unfold the patriarchal premises in “Little Snow-White” with great emphasis on Lois Tyson’s concept of ‘biological essentialism’ in her book Critical Theory Today: A User Friendly Guide (2006). Therefore, it studies the patriarchal ideologies of patriarchal woman and traditional gender roles in “Little Snow-White.” Ultimately, this paper demonstrates that patriarchy as an ideology can be more understandable through showing how men and women are stereotyping models within the patriarchal culture and how it negatively affects both of them. So, women can be more aware of their realities and be motivated for equal rights and opportunities with men to reconstruct their role in society more effectively.