Η διαπολιτισμική διάσταση σε σύγχρονες διασκευές κλασικών παραμυθιών

Η περίπτωση του Rapunzel to the Rescue της Lucy Rowland (2020)

Abstract

Over the last two decades, the ideal of a pluralistic society that is based upon the inclusion of the Other, the mutual respect and understanding among people from different backgrounds - ideas that form the foundation of multiculturalism, seems to be increasingly embedded in children’s literature, replacing the assimilation model that prevailed in the past. In an effort to deconstruct traditional stereotypes and prejudice in perceiving the Other and embed alternative perspectives in their work, writers and illustrators of children’s books create fairy tale retellings with a multicultural twist. In these books, narrative patterns of the original are revisited, reconsidered, reconstructed or altogether omitted, characters are reimagined and redefined, and the importance of being yourself is consistently promoted. This essay briefly examines the nature of the multicultural twist in contemporary fairy tale retellings, presenting the book Rapunzel to the Rescue (2020), written by Lucy Rowland, as an example.