The Demythological Motifs in Emma Donoghue's "The Tale of the Cottage" and Jeanette Winterson's Hansel and Greta as the Rewritten Versions of The Grimm Brothers' "Hansel and Gretel"

Classical fairy tales are considered amongst canon literary works written as androtexts whose aims are to give moral messages and traditional dicta. It is within the function of fairy tales to represent patriarchal ideological concerns to shape and form the morality of society. However, the re-written versions of fairy tales occur as a reaction and rejection of classical norms and taboos against men’s authority, therefore, the purpose of the re-written versions of old texts is to demythologize and subvert the intended messages and meanings in which there is either victimization or subjugation. For this reason, demythologization business is mostly conducted by women as a form of gynotexts. Through demythologization, the mythical and the biblical motives are subverted, and new meanings are put into old tales and texts as re-written and demythologized forms. Thus, the purpose of this study is to reflect the new readings and new versions of the monstrous witch image in the re-writings of classical fairy tale of “Hansel and Gretel.” This paper also scrutinizes how old iconoclasm depicting a woman as devouring and monstrous is deconstructed within new presences and qualities as a good-hearted helper and a nurturing mother image. The new readings of an old text, which are reformed and reshaped through demythologization, have the tendency of creating new and subversive spaces by demolishing and pervading old ideals in Emma Donoghue’s “The Tale of The Cottage” and Jeanette Winterson’s Hansel and Greta as re-readings and re-writings of a traditional and classical tale of Grimm Brothers’ “Hansel and Gretel.”