THE BROTHERS GRIMM
The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, were German
academics who were best known for publishing collections of folk tales and fairy
talesand for their work in linguistics, relating to how the sounds in words
shift over time (Grimm's Law). They are among the best known story tellers of
novellas from Europe, allowing the widespread knowledge of such tales as Snow
White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel.
Jakob Ludwig Grimm and Wilhelm Karl Grimm were born on January 4, 1785, and
February 24, 1786, respectively, in Hanau near Frankfurt in Hessen. They were
among a family of nine children, six of whom survived infancy. Their early
childhood was spent in the countryside in what has been described as an "idyllic"
state. When the eldest brother Jakob was eleven years old, however, their father,
Philipp Wilhelm, died, and the family moved into a cramped urban residence.
Two years later, the children's grandfather also died, leaving them and their
mother to struggle in reduced circumstances. (Some modern psychologists have
argued that this harsh family background influenced the ways the Brothers Grimm
would interpret and present their tales. The Brothers tended to idealize and
excuse fathers, leaving a predominance of female villains in the tales—the
infamous wicked stepmothers.
The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, were German
academics who were best known for publishing collections of folk tales and fairy
talesand for their work in linguistics, relating to how the sounds in words
shift over time (Grimm's Law). They are among the best known story tellers of
novellas from Europe, allowing the widespread knowledge of such tales as Snow
White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel.
Jakob Ludwig Grimm and Wilhelm Karl Grimm were born on January 4, 1785, and
February 24, 1786, respectively, in Hanau near Frankfurt in Hessen. They were
among a family of nine children, six of whom survived infancy. Their early
childhood was spent in the countryside in what has been described as an "idyllic"
state. When the eldest brother Jakob was eleven years old, however, their father,
Philipp Wilhelm, died, and the family moved into a cramped urban residence.
Two years later, the children's grandfather also died, leaving them and their
mother to struggle in reduced circumstances. (Some modern psychologists have
argued that this harsh family background influenced the ways the Brothers Grimm
would interpret and present their tales. The Brothers tended to idealize and
excuse fathers, leaving a predominance of female villains in the tales—the
infamous wicked stepmothers.