Hands down, so far, my favorite of the readings we have done in class so far was not exactly a reading but more of a skeleton of an idea—the idea of transitioning. The many stories mentioned in the appendix of Transgressive Tales are its bones. They build on this idea of changing one’s form—whether it be from a human into an animal or an animal into a human.

Although these stories were written before being transgender was openly discussed, in a time when people were buried under the heavy earth of rigid gender identities, the idea of transition is still common. Could these examples of transformations between species be allegorical? These days, it is definitely easy to look at these tales through the lens of Queer Theory and say yes to that. Yet, there are even more literal examples of transness following the animal tales.

There is a whole section titled “Gender Drag,” which does in fact focus on tales that involve transformations in gender. Tales with titles such as “A Young Woman Disguised as a Man is Wooed by the Queen” and “Robber Disguised as a Woman.” These titles, in their blunt and literal nature, almost seemed like they were designed to shock readers. They remind me of sordid tabloid headlines in their form. This just goes to show the negative way in which gender non-conformity was treated at the time these were written.

Some other titles that stood out to me in this reading:

• The Two Girls, The Bear, and The Dwarf
• The Man as Heater of Hell’s Kettle
• The Lost Genitalia
• The Farmwife is Changed into a Woodpecker
• Test of Sex: Catching an Apple
• The King Transfers His Soul to a Parrot

Each August, usually a week before school, I sit down and watch Shrek 2 with my sister. We consider it the best of the best and the cream of the crop when it comes to modern cinema. Not only are the song choices impeccable, but the storyline is unmatched. When I was younger, my dad was obsessed with Shrek, which in turn meant that we were obsessed with Shrek. We even had the “Shrek the Halls” Christmas special, which still sits in our living room, scratched and hanging on by a thread.

Every time we make our popcorn and sit down to watch Shrek 2, whether it is on a DVD or a streaming service, I’m always excited. Fiona always drew me in with her unapologetic style of just being which is difficult to find in leading female characters. I also always adored her for her arc of coming to terms with her ogre-self, which makes her happier in the end. Our discussions of female characters in fairy tale stories have helped me think more about these more recent contributions to the whimsical world of fiction. Why is it so difficult for women to find representation in modern fairy tale adaptations? A perfect example is Fiona – when she becomes her true self when she is with Shrek, she seems much happier – but is not technically “conventionally” beautiful. I think that’s what makes her unique and easier to resonate with as an actual character with thoughts and aspirations.