Magie in modernen Märchenromanen
Magic in Contemporary Fairy-Tale Novels

Summary/Abstract: The selected fairy tale novels, „Goldröschen“ (2021) by Jenny Völker and „So finster, so kalt“ (2014) by Diana Menschig, use a variety of magical motifs from classical fairy tales, especially from the well-known tales by the Brothers Grimm. This article analyzes two different motif categories based on the Stith Thompson register. Present in both chosen fairy tale novels, the first category includes beings such as fairies, spirits, or elves, while the second category includes magical objects such as musical instruments, food, drinks, or utensils. The aim of the article is to highlight the extent to which the authors have transformed the meaning of the motifs to bring magical elements into the reality-like context of the fairy tale novels. The theory of adaptation, the motif-index of folk-literature, studies on the origin and meaning of the motifs, and a qualitative literature analysis are used as methodological support.

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