How has Jane Yolen made use of the features of a fairytale to explore the themes in Briar Rose?

Jane Yolen’s novel Briar Rose (1992) combines enchanting fairy tale elements with realistic historical attributes to create an engaging representation of personal discovery/the horrors that defined the holocaust/OR answer Q. Yolen unfolds her narrative through multiple narrative layers and literary techniques to convey the central ideas of human determination and resilience, and the significance of memory to bring back to life an anonymous past. Through the themes and literary techniques that Yolen utilises, the parallels of Briar Rose to a fairy tale are developed into a family history.

Human resilience and the ability to rise above suffering is a significant notion that Yolen powerfully acknowledges in Briar Rose, which also establishes a parallel to the common fairy tale element of good triumphing over evil. This is significantly brought forward through Josef’s vivid illustration of the ugly horrors of war he experienced as a partisan during World War II. Unlike Gemma’s fairy tale, Potocki’s eloquent story in the novel is sustained and uninterrupted, adding a sense of authenticity to his narration and providing a sense of realism to the disturbing and frightening experiences that he and Gemma had survived. It is an honest recollection that does not glorify – portraying the partisans as “survivors, not heroes”, and provides detailed descriptions revolving around the Nazi treatment of prisoners and his experience as a partisan. Through the graphic imagery of “a naked woman tumbled onto the ground… the corpses had been mangled for the gold in their teeth” and the disturbing word choice of “screaming”, “hellish pit” and “stench”, the composer shocks her readers with the horrors and brutality of the Holocaust. This bleak imagery however strengthens the concept of the power of human spirit to endure, and in the case of Gemma and Josef, to survive.

The undefeatable fortitude of the partisans is impressed upon the responders through the bold visual simile in “…better to go down fighting… than to be thrown away like an old rag into a vast unmarked grave”. Aron’s words provides meaning to Henrik’s determined yet almost hyperbolic language when he says, “it is our sacred duty to fight when we can and to die if we must”. Yolen has effectuated the partisans’ strong sense of dignity and their willingness to preserve it and persevere rather than give up, regardless of the consequences. From Yolen’s distinguished representation of the horrors and hardships Josef, Gemma and the partisans endured, readers are able to realise the strength of the human spirit. Through the parallel to the fairy tale element of good triumphing over evil, the determination and endurance demonstrated by the partisans also portrays the essential fairy tale principle of heroism.

In Briar Rose, Yolen intends to convey the impact of one’s knowledge of their familial history to their understanding of their own identity. This is presented through the determination of the novel’s protagonist, Rebecca Berlin (Becca) in her pursuit to uncover the connections between Gemma’s ‘Briar Rose’ to her statement, “I was the princess in the castle in the sleeping woods…I am Briar Rose.” The composer effectively portrays this through Becca’s determined tone when she says, “I’m going to solve it… I’m going to find the castle and the prince and reclaim our heritage.” The symbolism of the ‘castle’ and the ‘prince’ allude to the positive fairy tale of ‘happily ever after’ and through this, Yolen establishes the prominence of Becca’s determination in her quest and the closure it’s prospective accomplishment will provide for her and her family. This issue is intensified by the strong bond between grandmother and granddaughter, and allows readers to recognise the main driving force behind Becca’s ambition and enduring perseverance to find the truth within Gemma’s fairy tale. Yolen establishes their close connection through Gemma’s praise of Becca’s devotion to the fairy tale when she says, “you always understand”. Yolen additionally creates a visual connection between Gemma and Becca through their similar appearance, “She was like something out of a fairy book, the fairest skin and the reddest hair… You [Becca] look quite a bit like her”.

The perseverance of the protagonist is further emphasised through the adversity and difficulty she faces as she embarks on the emotional and physical quest. When Stan grimly says, “Don't’ count on Happy Ever After. This is the real world”, readers are again given the opportunity to perceive how engaged Becca is with her grandmother’s fairy tale, as well as the challenges that she faces in finding the truth about her family history. The difficulty of Becca’s quest is conveyed in her frustrated tone in the rhetorical question, “Gitl Mandlestein. Your life seems to be mostly blank. How can I possibly fill it nearly fifty years later?” In Yolen’s novel, Becca’s character is essentially the medium for reviving Gemma’s past and transforming it from a fantasy into reality. Through Yolen’s portrayal of the importance Becca holds to unfolding the symbols of the ‘great mist’, ‘the curse’, ‘briary thorns’ and the ‘princess’ of the Briar Rose story, Yolen effectively informs her responders the significance of one’s awareness of their ancestry to their sense of self.

Today fairy tales are widely regarded as works of fiction. This is why Yolen’s Briar Rose is highly effective in engaging responders with the horrors of the holocaust and the resilience of humans... answer Q.