Fairy tale
A folk narrative featuring magical beings, enchantments, and often happily-ever-after endings.
Real World
Angela Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber' (1979) retells 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Little Red Riding Hood' to expose the gender power dynamics hidden inside traditional fairy tales — subverting the genre to feminist ends.
Exam Focus
When a text subverts fairy tale conventions, identify what the original convention is first, then analyse the deliberate deviation and its thematic effect.
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