Abstract
In a canonical marriage tale like Cinderella, the initial situation is unmarked: no truly significant action has taken place before the story begins. In The Frog Prince, however, the initial situation is a function: the Wicked Fairy has turned the Prince into a Frog by casting a spell on him that only a Princess can break. At the pivotal 19th function, the Frog Prince will be turned back into his original human form. This is an important difference from The Robber Bridegroom: in that fairytale, the Robber Bridegroom had killed before. This makes the initial situation a marked one, but it does not make it a function. In contrast, the spell of enchantment which keeps the Prince in the form of a Frog is a function.
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© 2015 Terence Murphy
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Murphy, T.P. (2015). The Frog Prince: The Doubled Pivotal Eighth Function. In: The Fairytale and Plot Structure. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137547088_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137547088_9
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-57543-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54708-8
eBook Packages: Palgrave Literature CollectionLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)