Welcome to Disabled Tales
This website has been created as a space to explore and discuss folklore and fairy tales with a particular focus on disabled characters.
Disabled characters are not scarce in folklore and fairy tales, while in other genres they are almost non-existent! However, disability is often imposed on characters as a punishment, or else some physical disfigurement marks a character as evil. If a "good" character is disabled, they are generally cured by the end of the story and this is seen as a personal triumph.
We have been reading disabled bodies symbolically for far too long and it is time we start viewing them as people, rather than devices.
Fairy and folk tales have survived because they have been retold over and over. They have grown and changed in lots of ways, but not so much when it comes to the representation of disability. So let's talk about why. Let's talk about the characters that resonate with us. Let's discuss the parts of these stories that make us uncomfortable and let's talk about where we feel seen. Let’s change the narrative, transform it, even!
This online journal aims to spotlight both well and lesser known characters and explore what a disabled perspective can bring to our understanding of these stories, so why not dive right in and read some of the excellent contributions we've already published!
Disabled characters are not scarce in folklore and fairy tales, while in other genres they are almost non-existent! However, disability is often imposed on characters as a punishment, or else some physical disfigurement marks a character as evil. If a "good" character is disabled, they are generally cured by the end of the story and this is seen as a personal triumph.
We have been reading disabled bodies symbolically for far too long and it is time we start viewing them as people, rather than devices.
Fairy and folk tales have survived because they have been retold over and over. They have grown and changed in lots of ways, but not so much when it comes to the representation of disability. So let's talk about why. Let's talk about the characters that resonate with us. Let's discuss the parts of these stories that make us uncomfortable and let's talk about where we feel seen. Let’s change the narrative, transform it, even!
This online journal aims to spotlight both well and lesser known characters and explore what a disabled perspective can bring to our understanding of these stories, so why not dive right in and read some of the excellent contributions we've already published!
We would love to hear from disabled people! Send us your poetry, fiction, essays and artwork that speak to the theme of disability in fairy tales and/or folklore.
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