Socializing Fairy Tales from America to Vietnam: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The socializing mechanisms embedded within fairy tales have been studied in the Western literary tradition but are under researched from other literary traditions. This thesis examines Vietnamese fairy tales through the lens of socializing mechanisms. By comparing fairy tales from the Vietnamese and Western literary traditions, the socializing mechanisms are revealed more clearly and insight is gained into the narratives and the intersection between fairy tales and power. This thesis finds that Vietnamese fairy tales also contain socializing mechanisms but the different history and cultural expectations within Vietnamese culture mean that the socializing mechanisms work towards different ends. This thesis adds depth to the academic understanding of fairy tales as socializing narratives and brings Vietnamese fairy tales into conversation with existing academic theory and research about fairy tales.