This paper attempts to look afresh at the hidden meanings and interpretations of infamous fairy tales from the beginning of times. I have also touched upon the status of women in these tales which contributed to perpetuation of male dominance in society only to be challenged and changed by them in future. The tales are written in an attempt to encode the cultural values of their tellers and their society. While some stories go back hundreds, even thousands of years, the ways those stories are told and the elements presented, emphasised or omitted give us a lot of information about the messages each teller thought important.
Assistant Professor of English, SBNMM, University of Rajasthan
