The Role of Women in Russian Fairy Tales

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN RUSSIAN FAIRY TALES

Women and girls appear so frequently in Russian fairy tales that it is impossible to read these stories without being struck by the way female figures are portrayed. As might be expected, the treatment given to women in Russian fairy tales reflects the social role assigned to women and the general attitude to the female sex that existed in the times when the tales were created. However, since fairy tales are not intended to be a true-to-life description of reality, the female characters in these tales must be seen as stereotypes or symbols rather than as real characters. Thus, in addition to giving us some insight into the role and social status of women in early Russian society, fairy tales also tell us something about the symbolic significance of the female sex.
The first thing that a modern reader of Russian fairy tales notices is that females are almost never the protagonist or hero of the story. This special role is reserved for males. ...