"Bluebeard" by Edmund Dulac, Perrault's Fairy Tales, 1910
Though it’s yet to receive a Disney makeover, “Bluebeard” has a long history and a surprisingly strong presence in the annals of the fairy tale. The classic version by Charles Perrault tells the story of a beautiful young girl who is swept off her feet by a wealthy man and brought to his splendid castle. When she enters the forbidden chamber, she discovers that he has murdered all his previous wives, and she only escapes their fate with the aid of her siblings. Though Perrault’s version ends with commentary on the sin of female curiosity, the narrative itself sits at odds with the moral and points back towards older folk versions of the story.
Variants of the “Bluebeard” story can be found around the world, from India to Africa to Wales, always revolving around a murderous husband and the wife determined to escape his violence. Sometimes the bride is a bit of a trickster figure who can pose or parse riddles, and sometimes she’s able to rescue the women who married before her. Occasionally, she possesses abilities that are supernatural in scope. Always there is a desire to understand whom she has married, followed by a bid to escape.
Though the tale isn’t anthologized often in the 21st century, it certainly proves that, historically, not all fairy tales were intended for children. It was wildly popular on the English stage in the 19th century, and it’s proved irresistible for contemporary creators, who continue to reimagine the tale through poetry, novels, and film.
Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic do a deep dive into the fairy tale of “Bluebeard,” exploring what some of the oldest versions look like, why it has periods of popular resurgence, and how the story has been retold in contemporary times.
This lecture includes a few prompts for audience interaction.
Cleto and Warman are former instructors of folklore and literature at Ohio State University and co-founders of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic.
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