Wealth through Stealth: Evening the Odds, or Flirting with Disaster?

Abstract

Narrative success, in fairy tales, often takes the form of romantic reward, yet vast riches are an added incentive for those who ‘marry up’. Impoverished heroines can say goodbye to work when they attract a royal spouse, just as knaves, numbskulls and ne’er-do-wells may beat off rivals, and defy expectation, to wed a princess. Another means of getting ahead entails a certain degree of moral latitude, spotting an opportunity to swindle or steal, and taking full advantage of it. The rapid social ascents made possible by such tactics suggest that unfavourable origins are as inconsequential as a class system in terms of impeding progress. Individuals can ‘pull themselves up by their boot-straps’, as Zipes has put it, and make good on what they have in an interesting affirmation of entrepreneurship. Indeed, while he claims that such tales ‘gave vent to the frustration of the common people and embodied their interests and wishes’ (2002a: 6), affluence remains a primary objective. Whether it is achieved through securing a royal marriage, or stealing treasure hoarded by villainous witches and ogres, money is understood as a means to evade poverty and live happily ever after — in most cases at least.’ While the last chapter looked at cinematic narratives that bring a measure of maturity to male characters, noting a tendency to repudiate material concerns as secondary to family and friendship, we look at a direct contrast here: tales with the specific aim of seeing protagonists make a fortune, appraising differing treatments of this apparent dream-come-true.