Fairy tale (English spelling) Märchen

Japanese: メルヘン（英語表記）Märchen

Generally translated as folk tales, children's stories, or fairy tales, the broader definition includes legends, myths, fables, and humorous tales. It is a short story that combines fantasy and reality, and is popular literature that has been circulated mainly through tradition. It has several fixed forms (such as beginning with "Once upon a time"), and is told without explanation of motives or psychology, with a series of unusual events from the protagonist's birth to his travels and achievement of his goal, without seeking logical consistency. The conflict between beauty and ugliness, good and evil is clear, and the plot satisfies the simple sense of justice of the people. Magic and magicians are also essential elements of the world of fairy tales, and although they indulge in fantasy, the content is always backed by human reality and is filled with tough worldly wisdom. What makes it different from myths and legends is that it is simply a well-written story, regardless of history or rituals. In Germany, during the 18th century Enlightenment, fairy tales were looked down upon as irrational and contrary to human reason, but Herder believed that fairy tales embodied the simple emotions and feelings of the German people, and reevaluated folk songs and fairy tales with his work Voices of the Peoples in Songs (1778-79, 1807). In 1812-15, the Brothers Grimm published Children's and Household Tales, which preserved the essence of fairy tales and contributed to popularizing them. In the Grimms' fairy tales, writers added to traditional stories, but there were also fairy tales that were purely the work of the writer. Romantic writers such as Tieck, ETA Hoffmann, Fucquet, and Chamisso showed a particular interest in fairy tales, and made an effort to create original fairy tales (Kunstmärchen).

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

一般に昔話，童話，おとぎ話と訳されるが，広義には，伝説，神話，寓話，滑稽譚などを含む。空想と現実が一体となった短い話のことで，主として伝承により流布した民衆文学。いくつかの定型 (「むかしむかし」で始るなど) をもち，主人公の誕生から遍歴，目的の達成まで異常な事件が続き，動機や心理の説明を排し，論理的な一貫性を求めずに語られる。美醜，善悪の対立が明確で，民衆の素朴な正義感が満たされる筋立てになっている。魔法，魔術師もメルヘンの世界に欠かせない要素で，空想をほしいままにするが，内容はあくまで人間の現実に裏打ちされ，たくまざる世間知が盛られている。神話や伝説と違う点は，それが歴史や儀礼にかかわりなく，単によくできたお話を目指すことにある。ドイツでは，18世紀啓蒙思想の時代には，人間の理性に反する非合理的なものとして低くみられたが，ヘルダーがメルヘンのなかにドイツ民族の素朴な情念と感覚が生きていると考え，『歌謡における諸民族の声』 (1778～79，1807) を著わして，歌謡やメルヘンを再評価し，1812～15年にはグリム兄弟の『子供と家庭の童話』が出て，メルヘンの本質を生かしながら，これを一般化するのに貢献した。グリムにおいても，伝承された話に作家の手が加えられているが，純粋に作家の創作になるメルヘンもある。ティーク，E.T.A.ホフマン，フケー，シャミッソーらのロマン派の作家たちは特に関心を示し，創作メルヘン Kunstmärchenに力を入れた。

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