The concept of fairy tales has existed for centuries. All from youth to the elderly know the classical fairy tale archetype as read to them by their parents. Recently, these stories have opened many avenues to interpretation and critical analysis. For example, there has been much debate regarding the many feministic characteristics present in many fairy tales. As Donald Hasse explains, "fairy tale studies have developed into a coherent discipline...influenced by feminism" (Hasse, xiii). There Was Once by Margaret Atwood is a poem that aims to point out feministic attributes that have been researched and discovered. Written in the 1970s, this piece of literature captures the very prominent feminism movement of the time. The poem critically analyzes the role of the female in cliched fairy tale stories. By means of deduction, it can be assumed that The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood written by Charles Perrault is a fairy tale that Atwood is describing.  This French adaptation of the well-known Sleeping Beauty contains many feministic attributes. While the historical context and syntax of both pieces of literature are different, both seek to provide life lessons and morals that have impacted its readers. 

The differences between There Was Once and The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood are apparent. First and foremost, the historical contexts of each piece of literature have heavily influenced the premise of each plot. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood was written during 17th century, a time where women weren't highly regarded, especially when it came to being a man. This concept can be seen throughout the story. For example, at the Princess's celebration for her birth, she was presented with presents that would make her successful. However, these presents only consisted of beauty and meager skills such as dancing and music playing. In addition, the Princess is made to be very dependent in that she is unable to save herself from her inevitable hundred year sleep and only a "king's son shall come and awake her" (Perrault, 297). On the contrary, the 1970s was the beginning of many questions about fairy tales and its portrayal of female characters. As Donald Hasse explains, these "questions about...the male-dominated fairy tale tradition would lead to the discovery and recovery of alternative fairy tale narratives" (Hasse,2). There Was Once is an example of the 'alternative fairy tail' as it purposefully holds women on a pedestal and questions every reason why women have to act a certain way in fairy tales. The speaker in Atwood's poem explains she "is so tired of negative female images" and sought to change it to accurately portray women in a positive light (Atwood, 306). Historical context heavily affects the portrayal of female characters within fairy tale narratives as each of the narratives portrays women based on the time period it was written in. As Hasse explains that "the fairy tale's treatment of gender in relation to the dynamic of history" is extremely important when considered the content of The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood (Hasse, xiii). The syntax is also contingent upon the historical context of each piece. The Beauty in the Wood is written very formally and contains words that aren't commonly used today. There Was Once is the complete opposite. It is written very casually with contemporary phrases and is written as dialogue. Each piece's syntax distinguishes it from the other, much like how colloquial phrases change as time progresses.

The Beauty in the Wood and There Was Once are both based upon many feministic influences. Whether in a positive or negative connotation, feministic attributes ultimately drive each piece. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood has a very paternal tone, and leaves very little room for women to thrive in a successful manner without male assistance. For example, the Princess could only be woken by a man, and was saved by a man too. This makes the princess appear to be very dependent. The Queen is also made to not be able to control her emotions and possess a very instinctive behavior when it comes to getting what she wants. This behavior is much alike a child and puts women on the same level. There Was Once is completely about feminism and its ideals it promotes such as beauty, social class, and race. While the two obviously have different views regarding the topic of feminism, ultimately without one the other wouldn't exist. Had The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood not promoted anti-women themes, second-wave feminism literature such as There Was Once wouldn't exist. They are dependent on one another and ultimately, literature analyzing past literature shows historical progress. For two pieces that have such distinctive feministic views, the two seem to have more in common than one would think. 

While Atwood's poem aims to discredit fairy tales such as The Beauty in the Wood, both have a common goal- to provide morals and life lessons to its readers. The Beauty in the Wood has a clearly labeled poem entitled 'moral' that seeks to give a life lesson. It explains that why it may be easier to fall in love quickly, love "grows better by delay" (Perrault, 303). Many of Perrault's fairy tales include a poem at the end of his stories that signify the moral. It becomes apparent, that the author's purpose for writing was to influence the reader's future actions. Lewis Seifert explains that "fairy tales were intended for adult readers in the seventeenth and eighteenth century" and that they were intended to allow adult readers to cope with maturity (Seifert, 2). By including morals, Perrault's writings aimed influence and help adult readers as the began to grow up. Aside from the moral expressed in the ending of the story, The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood also explains the repercussions of doing evil to another. For example, just as the cannibalistic Queen is about to cook the Princess and her two children, the Queen is caught and ironically dies the way she intended to kill her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. At the end of the story, the reader understands that the cannibalistic queen got what she deserved. In this case, the reader learned the moral of what goes around comes around. Much like Perrault's intention to assist his fellow readers, Atwood attempted to do just the same. There Was Once aims to promote feministic ideals in order to advocate for women's self worth and to dissuade from "condescending paternalistic terminology" that is present in many fairy tales (Atwood, 306). It can be seen today that second-wave feminism literature such as There Was Once has made great impact on readers today. People are more aware of the inequalities that surround them and intend to act upon them. This can be seen as women are treated in a more equal manner, especially when being compared to that of the seventeenth century. 

There are many differences between There Was Once and The Sleeping Beauty. Margaret Atwood's There Was Once is a contemporary piece aiming to convey the very sophisticated theme of feminism. The writing is also very modern and informal. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood by Charles Perrault is more of a traditional fairy tale as it contains an older writing style and wording. It also follows the traditional fairy tale archetype, which includes many feministic attributes. Despite the differences, however, both provide life lessons and encompass feministic ideas that in the end make the two pieces dependent on one another. Both pieces are contingent on their historical context, and have influenced its readers of the time period. Women reading The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood were able to cope with growing up, and had a bit of love advice along the way. There Was Once has influenced many aspiring feminists to promote equality and self-worth. In the end, these two pieces of literature that appear quite different from each other have the same basis and purpose. 
