From Maiden to Malevolence: Marriage, Motherhood and the Descension to Evil

In the realm of folklore and storytelling, fairy tales have long captivated audiences with their enchanting tales and timeless themes. Originating from oral tradition and having been passed down from generation to generation, these short stories have evolved into a cornerstone of literature and culture, helping nurture the imaginations of children and adults alike. However, fairy tales have never been mere bedtime stories. They have become a very effective means of exerting power over women and maintaining gender inequality, for beneath the surface of these seemingly innocent narratives lie carefully crafted and deeply rooted misconceptions about both sex and gender, which have been imprinted on readers from the time they were young and often persist into adulthood. In particular, the portrayal of women and their roles within these narratives as either good or evil further reinforces this binary gender system, limiting the agency and autonomy of female characters, and villainizing all women who fail to conform to such a system. Accordingly, this dissertation will attempt to unravel the complex layers of female characterizations in some of the most famous and enduring fairy tales, and examine the subtler forms of social manipulation that they employ. Through a thorough investigation of the classic tale Snow White and a close read of several of its different iterations from Paul Sébillot’s “Les Bas enchantés” to the Grimm Brothers’ “Schneewitchen”, I hope to better understand the relationship between Snow White and the “Evil” Queen and how this figure has evolved over time from biological mother to stepmother as part of a larger movement to protect the sanctity of motherhood and vilify the childless woman. In addition, I hope to shed light on the ways in which these fairy tales contribute to a mercantile reward system that views marriage as the pinnacle of a woman’s achievement, and the broader ways in which such a system helps to encourage discord and further destroy the bonds between women. By delving into the underlying issues of competition between female characters and the reward system that is centered around marriage as the most important moment of a women’s life, I aim to challenge the traditional narrative that is set forth by these tales and instead suggest that marriage marks the transition of women from young and well-mannered heroines to the old and wicked antagonists that they fear

Risk of COVID-19 after natural infection or vaccinationResearch in context

Summary: Background: While vaccines have established utility against COVID-19, phase 3 efficacy studies have generally not comprehensively evaluated protection provided by previous infection or hybrid immunity (previous infection plus vaccination). Individual patient data from US government-supported harmonized vaccine trials provide an unprecedented sample population to address this issue. We characterized the protective efficacy of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and hybrid immunity against COVID-19 early in the pandemic over three-to six-month follow-up and compared with vaccine-associated protection. Methods: In this post-hoc cross-protocol analysis of the Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, we allocated participants into four groups based on previous-infection status at enrolment and treatment: no previous infection/placebo; previous infection/placebo; no previous infection/vaccine; and previous infection/vaccine. The main outcome was RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 >7–15 days (per original protocols) after final study injection. We calculated crude and adjusted efficacy measures. Findings: Previous infection/placebo participants had a 92% decreased risk of future COVID-19 compared to no previous infection/placebo participants (overall hazard ratio [HR] ratio: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.05–0.13). Among single-dose Janssen participants, hybrid immunity conferred greater protection than vaccine alone (HR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01–0.10). Too few infections were observed to draw statistical inferences comparing hybrid immunity to vaccine alone for other trials. Vaccination, previous infection, and hybrid immunity all provided near-complete protection against severe disease. Interpretation: Previous infection, any hybrid immunity, and two-dose vaccination all provided substantial protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19 through the early Delta period. Thus, as a surrogate for natural infection, vaccination remains the safest approach to protection. Funding: National Institutes of Health