"Real life isn't always pretty, so why should fairy tales be?"

The Brothers Grimm provided the first collection of fairy tales when they travelled around Germany studying linguistics. As part of their study they collected up the local folk tales told by elders in these regions and wrote them down. Most of these tales tended to be gruesome and violent, with strong sexual undertones and often included dark themes. To make them more acceptable to society and in conform with some of society’s morals the brothers made some alterations to the stories before publishing them as the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales –  in fact, between 1812 and 1857 their first collection was revised and published many times, and grew from 86 stories to more than 200. But even the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales were rather different to the more familiar versions read to children today. For example, in Grimms Cinderella, her father was alive during the story, her step-sisters cut off parts of their feet to fit the glass shoe and they were eventually punished by having their eyes pecked out and the eyeballs given to Cinderella as a wedding present.(For more info go here or here!) 

Since the publication of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales adaptations have abounded, and as fairy tales became a staple for the nursery the stories were often simplified, the violence watered-down, the good rewarded and the bad punished (through consequences of their own actions.) With the most famous adaptations by Walt Disney, fairy tales became equated to happy endings and a somewhat innoncent, wholesome outlook. Now, with young adult novels becoming more and more popular it seems to me quite natural that these original stories are returning to their darker roots for a more mature audience, and are once again being readapted to handle complex themes and trickier shades of grey in the human experience. As author Sally Poyton eloquently puts it, ‘Fairy tales are by nature ever changing… They are survivors, evolving to suit society’s needs, settling into whichever niche they find.’ And it looks like right now they’ve found YA, where stories like A.G. Howard’s SPLINTERED, are evolving the landscapes of classic tales to reach out to an older audience.

I asked A.G. Howard, whose debut novel Splintered is a dark twist on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, why she thought fairy tale spin offs were so popular right now in YA.

Why do you think these dark fairy tale revisitings are so appealing to young adults?

I think, for one, because dark fairy tales provide a perfect archetype for coming-of-age elements. First, there’s a young heroine (in some cases, hero, but for my answer, we’ll stick with the female lead character) —either troubled, or spoiled like a princess — who needs a quest so she can find her place in the world, become strong enough to face her troubles, and leave the diva days behind. Then there's the hero (prince), or in some cases, anti-heroes, who will accompany/guide/confuse our heroine on her journey to self-realization. Fairy tales often teach life lessons in subtle ways, and when drenched in darkness, the lessons become even less obvious, but leave more of a visceral imprint.

And let’s not discount the adventure aspect. Fairy tales take place either in a far off land or an alternate earth—and offer an eccentric bevy of secondary characters who help or hinder along the way—which provides the temporary escapism we all need from the very real monsters of everyday life.

The original Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales published in 1812 (under the original title 'Children's and Household Tales'), and which inspired later writers likes Hans Christian Anderson, were bloody, twisted and gory. Do you think there’s a relationship between the original tone of these fairy tales and the darker themes appearing in YA fairy tale spin offs now?

Sure. Our generation is hyper-aware of violence and tragedy due to disturbing images of terrorism, war scenes, and random shootings, etc… touted by the media day in and day out. So it stands to reason that we’d be drawn to The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales and Hans Christian Anderson versions, which both cater to the idea that “real life isn’t always pretty, so why should fairy tales be?” I also think the dystopian craze and apocalyptic mindset have contributed, as well.

Do you have a favorite dark YA novel based on a fairy tale you could tell us about?

I recently read the modernized adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, Beastly, by Alex Flinn  and enjoyed it (it was definitely better than the Beastly movie version). Still, I haven’t read enough dark fairy tale adaptations yet to determine if it will become a favorite. I have a long list that I still want to read, including:

·      Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley 

·      Cinder by Marissa Meyer 

·      The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale 

Why do you think readers are so intrigued by these stories that are familiar, yet different?

I think dark fairy tales are universally relatable because, like the world itself, they’re twisted and terrifying at some turns, poignant and amusing at others — a charming and alarming tangle of emotions that anyone can relate to and appreciate. Happily ever after is nice, but it can taint our everyday lives with unrealistic expectations. Sometimes we just want to see someone claw their way out of an even darker place than we might be in … proof that there’s hope, if not for a happily ever after, a satisfactory ever after, for us all.

Many thanks to A.G. Howard for returning to Demention and talking YA fairy tales with us! What do you think makes a great YA fairy tale adaptation? Do you think the darker elements entering YA fairy tale spin offs are a natural evolution for a more mature audience, or a sign of the times?

by Claire Merle

Interview with A.G. Howard, author of ‘Splintered’.

Today we’ve got A.G. Howard on the blog, talking about her debut novel, Splintered, which will be released by Amulet Books on 1st January 2013.

“Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on.” (To see the full blurb go HERE)

A.G. Howard says she was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. Having been lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced reader copy of the book, I wanted to find out more about that inspiration and how the idea developed into an intriguing and captivating return to Caroll’s Wonderland.

Did you read Alice in Wonderland when you were young or did you discover it later?

I read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its companion novel, Through the Looking Glass, when I was around twelve or thirteen years old. My dad was always a Disney fanatic, and I grew up on VHS renditions of every Disney fairy tale adaptation:  Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and of course, Alice in Wonderland (along with many more). I can’t remember if I borrowed the Lewis Carroll books from my school library, or if I actually coerced my parents into buying them, but I read and savored each scene (although I secretly imagined the Cheshire Cat as a handsome young prince locked inside a spell … I’m a hopeless romantic; even to this day, in my mind, every story needs a prince). I read the books once again when I started writing Splintered, for a refresher.

After your initial inspiration to draw on the Alice story, how did your ideas for this book develop?

I’m a very organic writer, so I usually just sit down and start writing and things unfold which sometimes even surprise me. However, with Splintered, there were a few things I went in knowing:  

       I knew I wanted my main character, Alyssa, to be able to converse with bugs and flowers, because the talking flower scenes in Carroll’s two books, the Disney cartoon, and the Tim Burton/Disney rendition, were some of my favorites. Also, I always remembered the scene from Through the Looking Glass when Alice is riding a train through the countryside and has a conversation with a gnat. Those were such quirky and indelible images, that I just had to incorporate them somehow.

       Next, I needed my heroine to be tied to the original tales in a very visceral way. Melanie Benjamin’s book, Alice I Have Been, (link) sparked the idea to make Alyssa a descendant of Alice Liddell, the real-life girl who actually inspired Carroll to write his story to begin with. The blood tie to the Liddells became the basis for all of the weird aspects of Alyssa’s life, including the talking bugs and flowers.

Also, I wanted a colorful/vivid world edged with creepiness for my Wonderland setting. To help me visualize, I started gathering pictures into my Splintered synopsis and character folder of anything “Alice-esque” for inspiration. When I Googled for images, I sought out “Gothic” Alice themes. I found that I was drawn to pictures tinged with an “aura of Alice”, but completely different from the original. This led me to go one step further and not only warp the settings, but warp the original characters in unexpected ways—enough that it would throw my heroine and hero for a loop when they first saw them. But there needed to be an explanation for “why” everything was so different, so I came up with one. You’ll have to read the book to find out what that is. ;)

      Lastly, I knew I wasn’t going to rely on the Mad Hatter or Cheshire Cat as my heroine’s enigmatic guide in Wonderland (as other adaptations have). There’s another of my favorite characters who doesn’t get nearly enough screen time in the remakes that I’ve seen. So I chose him as the most pivotal player in Wonderland, and gave him a whole new identity and back story. :)

The Wonderland in Splintered is far darker, twisted, seductive and terrifying than in the original book. What drew you in this direction? Was it a conscious decision?

Yes, very much conscious. Lewis Carroll won my heart as a child by weaving underlying threads of violence and eeriness into his nonsensical scenes and characters. So it was a priority for Splintered to pay respectful homage to those elements while coaxing the funkiness/creepiness from subtle nuance to center stage for an older sect of readers. I’m hoping the darker edge of my spinoff will entice others to seek out the Carroll originals if they aren’t already fans.

Had you read any other fairy tale retellings that inspired SPLINTERED?

The only book—other than the original works—that inspired any element of Splintered was Alice I Have Been, which in all fairness isn’t so much a retelling as an alternate historical fiction. But I’ve heard some amazing things about The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (link), and have them on my TBR list. Now I just need to find time to read them all!

As far as I’m aware you’re the first person to return readers to Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, despite some rather intriguing alterations. Did you have to get special permission to do this?

No. From what I’ve seen, once the author is no longer living, their work becomes public domain to some extent, which leaves most fairy tales and classical novels up for reinterpretation.

Maybe that’s why there’s been a surge of such literature lately. For, although I’m the first to revisit Wonderland’s characters and settings, mine isn’t the first book to use actual characters and springboard off of original scenes of classical novels. Here are two other recent examples:

·      Phantom by Susan Kay (link)

·      Dracula in Love by Karen Essex (link)

And these next two remakes actually take the originals, word for word, and just change a few sentences here or there to alter the stories (note the inclusion of the original authors’ names since the original text is used as the basis):

·      Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen (link)

·      Alice in Zombieland by Nickolas Cook and Lewis Carroll (link)

All that said, I did take great pains not to borrow anything from recent Alice/Wonderland reinterpretations (movie or TV versions, books, computer games), to avoid possible infringement.

What do you think makes Splintered more distinct than other YA novels that draw on more traditional and well known fairy tales?

With the creepy character counterparts and “funkified” settings inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Splintered is one part adaptation and one part tribute. Other remakes use parallel storylines in a contemporary or urban fantasy setting, and/or use symbolism (in Wonderland’s case, a white rabbit or a clock or playing cards, etc…) to tie the stories together. But in Splintered, Alyssa’s world is actually impacted by the Lewis Carroll tales, and she turns to her mother’s copy of the book to help solve riddles and fix her life. I’m hoping this “continuation/spinoff” aspect will set my version apart.

Do you have a favorite dark YA novel based on a fairy tale you could tell us about?

I recently read the modernized adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, Beastly, by Alex Flinn (link) and enjoyed it (it was definitely better than the Beastly movie version). Still, I haven’t read enough dark fairy tale adaptations yet to determine if it will become a favorite. I have a long list that I still want to read, including:

·      Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley (link)

·      Cinder by Marissa Meyer (link)

Anything else you’d like to add?

Just that I hope everyone has as much fun reading Splintered as I had writing it! And also, thank you, Claire, for having me over today.

Thanks, Anita!

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be probing further into the popularity and influence of the dark fairy tale in YA and A.G. Howard will be back answering some general questions about the genre. Until then, let me know which YA fairytale spin-offs you think I should be reading! Have you got a favourite?