An Unwilling Transformation: “The Frog Prince” as a Revisionist Story

Öz

In “The Frog Prince”, published in The New Yorker in 2014, Robert Coover uses the Brothers Grimm’s namesake tale as a backdrop to interrogate and subvert fairy tale conventions specifically with a focus on gender roles. The story dwells on the experiences of its eponymous protagonist not as a prince who is transformed into a frog through evil magic but as a naïve frog which is transformed into a human being against his will. Opening with an anonymous woman’s kiss, Coover’s story probes concepts such as individualism, self, identity, happiness, and belonging through the relationship of the couple. This study reads Robert Coover’s “The Frog Prince” as a revisionist story. It explores Coover’s story as a text which problematizes and revises fairy tales as far-fetched, idealized, and ideological narratives that fail to represent the individual and the individual experience.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Robert Coover
• The Frog Prince
• Brothers Grimm
• Revisionist Fiction

Gönülsüz Bir Dönüşüm: Revizyonist Bir Hikâye Olarak “The Frog Prince”

Öz

Robert Coover, 2014 yılında The New Yorker’da yayınlanan “The Frog Prince” isimli hikayesinde Grimm Kardeşlerin aynı isimli masalını özellikle toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri odağında masal geleneklerini sorgulamak ve dönüştürmek için zemin olarak kullanır. Hikâye, kötücül bir büyü ile kurbağaya dönüşen prens yerine kendi rızası dışında prense dönüştürülen naif bir kurbağa olan ana karakterin deneyimlerine odaklanır. Kurbağanın isimsiz bir kadın tarafından öpülmesi ile açılan hikâye, bireysellik, benlik, kimlik, mutluluk ve aidiyet gibi kavramları çiftin ilişkisi üzerinden irdeler. Bu çalışma, Robert Coover’ın “The Frog Prince” isimli eserini revizyonist bir hikâye olarak okur. Coover’ın hikâyesini, masalları bireyi ve bireysel deneyimleri yansıtmayan, gerçeklikten uzak, idealize edilmiş ve ideolojik anlatılar olarak sorunsallaştıran ve dönüştüren bir metin olarak inceler.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Revizyonist Yazım
• Grimm Kardeşler
• Robert Coover
• The Frog Prince

Kaynakça

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