The Grimm's Brothers

The Grimm's brothers gave literature quite the contribution. They collected stories from all over germany to be cherished for years to come.

It easy to over look the contribution that the Grimm's brothers have on children's American literature as it is today. If it were not for these brothers we may not have the stories that we so much love to read today.

In the mid 1800's two brother set off on a journey to collect stories from across the German countryside. They collected stories from peasants to bourgeoisie alike. Getting a wide range of stories in their collection.

Though the stories that they have may seem a little more brutal than the disneyized versions that we know today they are still yet a step down from the potential scariness or what they considered to be vulgar that the people knew back then. Take for example the story of Little Red Riding Hood. In many of the stories that children hear today the wolf doesn't even get the little girl in the end. However, in the original Grimm's story the wolf gobbles her up along with her Grammy. Don't worry she gets out in the end with the help of a kindly woodsmen who cuts open the stomach and the girl and the grandma pop out. They then cook and skin the wolf in the end. It's not even a very PETA friendly ending either.

Another aspect that the Grimm's brothers wanted to keep in the stories was the morals or the lessons learned from each. Like not to talk to strangers in Little Red Riding Hood or pride comes before a fall in Rumplestiltskin. These are values that have become a common thread in our humanity.

It is quite possible that stories like Rumplestiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood and countless others could have been lost to time forever and children from many generations would have lost out on these timeless stories. Perhaps it's the fantasy of the stories that have appealed to us or perhaps it is the common thread of humanity that brings us together over a common love of the stories. Either way in the end the Grimm's Brother's made these stories available to us and did a great thing for literature