Why does every Russian fairy tale begin with trouble?
"A bad beginning is a bad beginning." This can be said not only about any new business, but also about Russian fairy tales. Because, the plot of most of them is built on trouble. Trouble, misfortune, tragedy and catastrophe all serve as catalysts for action.
Some folklorists, analyzing Russian fairy tales, express themselves more carefully. Instead of the word ‘trouble’, they talk about a violation of harmony or a feeling of deficiency. For example, a father decides to marry his sons (in the fairy tale ‘The Frog Princess’). This is not a trouble per se, but a deficiency: it is time for the young people to find brides, but there are none and they need to get them somewhere. Or a brother decides to marry off his sisters (in the fairy tale ‘Marya Morevna’). Or the firebird who takes to stealing golden apples in the royal garden (‘The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf’) – not exactly a disaster, but unpleasant, imbalanced and a pity for the apples.
Troubles in these fairy tales will happen later in the course of the action. But, those researchers who use the word ‘trouble’ are right. Folklorist Vladimir Propp in his book ‘Historical Roots of the Fairy Tale’ called an entire chapter ‘Misfortune and Counteraction’. He talks about those numerous cases when misfortune comes out of nowhere with all its inevitability and is preceded by absolutely Hitchcockian suspense.
Everyone around knows that something is about to happen, they see terrible prophetic dreams or simply have a premonition of something bad. And, indeed, soon, the snake kidnaps the girl or the stepmother kicks her stepdaughter out of the house or the evil sisters come up with a dirty trick and the wounded fiancé of the younger sister almost dies and then disappears altogether and the girl has to go and rescue him.
"Some kind of trouble is the main form of the plot. The plot is created from trouble and opposition. The forms of this trouble are extremely diverse," writes Propp. But, there is good news: By the end of most fairy tales, trouble turns into good. So, the kidnapped princess safely returns with her fiancé, the exiled stepdaughter returns with rich gifts and gets married, etc. And then, everyone lives happily ever after!
