Hagenheim Series By Melanie Dickerson: Creating Active Fairy Tale Heroines with the Christian Feminist Voice

Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm; these four men are the great authors and compilers of western canon fairy tales. They may have created the canon, but others have expanded it through multiple means, including adaptations. One current author is Melanie Dickerson with the Hagenheim Series. Her adaptations alter the setting, characters, and a few other elements, but the most critical part of her work is the addition of the Christian-feminist voice. In the original fairy tales, the female protagonists were passive and uninspiring, but in Hagenheim, they are active heroines because Christianity and feminist ideas work together. In accomplishing the task, the first step is to examine patriarchy, equality, and the purpose of fairy tales. The second chapter defines heroine and then adds the descriptions of active and Christian Feminist voices. Finally, the first four books are analyzed using the three basic concepts of independence, transformation, and concept of self in connection with what is established in previous chapters. These elements work together within the unique combination of Christianity and Feminism to create an unexpected addition to fairy tales. The task is completed by pulling from the works of Marie-Louise Von Franz, Rebecca C. Hains, Miriam Forman-Brunell, Beth Allison Barr, and quite a few other academics.