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Stella Chitralekha Biswas

Dept. of Comparative Literature

CL 602: Research Methodology-I (Part B)

Enrollment no.: 16301103

Central University of Gujarat

14th Oct. 2016

Structural analysis of folktales: Comparative study between ‘Sleeping Beauty’

(French: ‘La Belle au bois dormant’) and ‘Ghumanta Puri’

The oral tradition of the folktale had come long before the written form since initially

tales were either told or enacted dramatically. This tradition has passed on from generation to

generation, spreading across different continents with striking similarities as well as differences

in plots, characters, motifs, etc. All these folktales have been derived from common human

experiences and beliefs, which is why they can be seen as appearing separately in different

origins. These tales tend to take on the local colour and flavor of the cultural context in which

they appear, often dealing with serious human issues such as psychological conflicts, patriarchal

domination, the basic human condition, etc. The characters and motifs of these tales are usually

simple and archetypal with the setting being in an unreal world of marvelous creatures and

indefinite localities. The antithetical, contradictory elements present in these tales are ultimately
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resolved and the irreconcilable binary oppositions are related to the reconcilable ones. The tales

derive their meaning or significance from bundles of embedded relationships or connections

among these elements present in them.

Charles Perrault’s original tale is French ‘La Belle au bois dormant’ had been derived

from the Italian ‘Sun, Moon and Talia’ by the poet Giambattista Basile which in turn was based

upon one or more folktales. Perrault’s narrative tells the story of a beautiful princess who is

cursed to sleep for a hundred years before the prince charming wakes her up with a magical kiss.

The same storyline recurs in Sri Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar’s ‘Ghumanta Puri’ but

appropriated accordingly so as to make the folktale culturally palpable to Bengali readers. This

paper attempts to make a comparative study of the above two mentioned works so as to highlight

the variations of one tale in different cultural contexts and make a structural analysis of those

various versions. By applying Levi Strauss’ method of comparative structural analysis, the

following themes can be derived collectively from the two different versions:

 The story of a princess who is rescued from a curse and then married by a prince.

 The story of a prince who rescues and awakens a princess and her kingdom from

a state of passive dormancy

 The story of the defeat of evil forces by good through the breaking of the

princess’ curse by the savior prince and his making her his queen

 The story of the struggle and victory of the brave hero and virtuous princess over

the villainous fairy and ogress queen


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Besides these, oppositions such as life-death, magical fairies-human heroes, struggle-victory, etc.

are also dealt with. Based on these, following analysis-graphs can be constructed:

Princess cursed by

evil fairy

Curse befalls the

entire kingdom

Prince finds the princess

and breaks her curse

Prince awakens the entire

kingdom from the curse

Princess threatened

to be killed by

wicked mother-in-law

Chaos and disorder

in the prince’s kingdom


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Prince makes the princess

his queen and relieves her

from suffering

Prince restores order

and harmony in his

kingdom

In the above graph, a basic simplified structure of the Perrault version can be arrived at. If

we read the columns horizontally, then we will arrive at a diachronic study of events and details

within the folktale in a linear sequence. However, if we read the columns vertically, then we will

be able to arrive at a synchronic study of the bundles of mythemes with equivalent functions. All

these columns have particular functions as particular units which needs to be unraveled and

analyzed. The first column has the common feature of suffering and deprivation on the princess’

part. The second column reflects a complete inversion of this: the rescue and redemption of the

princess. The third column shows misery and disharmony in the kingdom while the fourth

depicts the reinstating of harmony and order in the kingdom. Therefore, it can be concluded that

column two is to column one what column four is to column three.


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Cursed kingdom stumbled

upon by the prince

Cursed princess found

by the prince by chance

Princess aroused from

her curse by the prince

Kingdom saved from

the curse by the prince

Princess married by

the prince and made

his queen

Rejoicing and celebration

in kingdom

In the above graph, a structural-analysis of Majumdar’s version of the folktale has been

made. The original tale has been culturally appropriated to suit the Bengali reading public. If

read synchronically, column one which depicts deprivation and passivity is inverted by column

two which depicts fulfillment and activity. Column three depicts suffering and misery while
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column four depicts redemption and joy. Thus, once again, column two is to column one what

column four is to column three. Now the differences between the two versions can be made out

clearly as follows:

Perrault Majumdar

Magical agency Actively present Remains unmentioned

of fairies at the very outset

Physical relationship Clearly mentioned Completely absent

between prince and

princess

Evil mother-in-law Actively present Not mentioned at all

Curse Broken by a kiss Broken by the agency

of magic wands
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Marital bliss Achieved after many Easily achieved

trials and tribulations

Cannibalism Graphically depicted Completely absent

Thus, it can be observed that although the original folktale has two different versions in

two different ethnographic contexts yet the basic message or purpose of the story survives

through all this. Despite the variations in details and opposition in elements, the basic mythical

structure of the tale remains preserved in both the versions. The basic pattern underlying the two

versions is same, with the differences highlighting the different cultural setups in which the tale

has been narrated and modified. The commonalities in the themes can be easily interpreted

because of the essential relationship or connection between the bundles of mythemes. The

mythemes have a sort of binary relationship with each other, the reconcilable pair related to the

irreconcilable pair so as to provide a solution to the latter. The motifeme of ‘damsel in distress

rescued by the brave hero’ is manifested in both the versions of the tale by the themes and

abstract messages constructed by the motifs present in them. Meaning is significantly produced

out of the tension or interplay between the binary elements and the structure of the tale repeats

elements but not in an identical manner. The binary elements of curse, deprivation, denial

followed by redemption, joy and fulfillment are repeated in both the tales but in different
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contexts. This reflects the static, two-dimensional nature of the myth where the structure is

discontinuous but repetitive and the narrative follows a linear, continuous timeline. The situation

is inverted in a spiral-like development of the narrative-structure, with the hero liquidating the

situation of lack and creating a new situation miraculously. The difference in the two versions

stem from ethnography, religious concepts and rituals, values, social systems, styles within

specific culture areas. However, the moral framework embedded within these folktales remain

almost similar— the ultimate judgment of reward for the virtuous and punishment for the

sinners. The pedagogical and ethical concerns of the writers found fruit in the simple, lucid

folktales which bear the shadow of original oral narratives.

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