How to Read Literature Like a Professor Lesson Plan

What makes fairy tales a good genre for writers to borrow from? Why is Hansel and Gretel a particularly powerful choice? Can you think of any stories that have borrowed from fairy tales?

Children’s literature and fairy tales are a good genre for writers to draw from because they are well-known and understood by most readers. According to Foster, the fairy tale with the most drawing power is “Hansel and Gretel” because the story of lost children has universal appeal. Foster uses examples to explain that writers can turn fairy tales upside-down or use only parts of a tale to add depth to a new work. The result of using simplistic fairy tales in connection with our...