Literary teen and YA literature journal Paper Lanterns publishes new creative writing, features on the latest book news, insightful essays, interviews, artwork, photography, and informative book reviews. The latest edition features a piece by Aoife E. Osborne ‘From Damsel in Distress, to Damsel Independent: The Feminist Fairy Tales of YA Literature’. Aoife is a current student of UCC, and a graduate of SMGS Blarney As Aoife said, “We all know the classic fairy tales – we’ve all grown up listening to them, reading them, watching them on old video tapes. In recent years, some of these favourite stories have come under fire for their stereotypical approach to gender roles, with some parents choosing to omit them from their child’s library altogether. And while this is a decision I understand and respect, I would argue that it’s also important to acknowledge the progress being made by authors and publishers in recognising this changing market. Maybe works like Cinderella and Rapunzel are outdated in their views, but they’re also the fundamental building blocks of the relationship that so many readers have with literature, myself included. “My research for this Paper Lanterns article centres on the feminist fairy tales trend in young adult (YA) literature. In it, I’ve been able to examine this trend in more detail by looking at specific texts written for teens and young adults that work to take the fables we cherish and adapt them for a twenty-first century audience. I’ve found authors who have broken the mould and are working to show readers that the princess does not have to sit by and wait to be rescued; she has the ability to change her own destiny. I’m so honoured that this article ‘From Damsel in Distress to Damsel Independent’ was chosen for publication in this journal, and I hope that its readers will enjoy the books I recommend in it as much as I do.”
