Moderne Märchen

The volume brings together analyses of modern fairy tale narratives that infuse classic fairy tale motifs and constitutive fairy tale structures with current societal discourses and value systems of the 21st century. The topics range from eco-fairy tales at Pixar and discussions of racism at Disney, to masculinity stereotypes in "Game of Thrones" and gender roles in picture books, as well as a reading of popular superhero comics as an innovative series format, and the performative and self-referential production and reflection of values in fairy tale-like video game worlds or narratives of cults and mourning in film. Television formats and their normalization discourses are also addressed, particularly in relation to the function of the princess narrative in "Germany’s Next Topmodel" and in the coloring books "Topmodel." The contributions exemplarily combine foundational fairy tale research with current focuses on media, literature, culture, and social theory, illuminating – among other perspectives from Gender Studies, Postcolonial Studies, Game Studies, and Ecocriticism – how various contemporary popular fairy tale variations update and reinterpret societal phenomena within their fantastical worlds.