Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-65).The tale of 'Sleeping Beauty' offers a familiar fairy tale narrative that features a beautiful sleeping princess, a wicked witch and a dashing prince who saves the day. This formulaic narrative has its roots in oral tales that date back to thousands of years ago. The fact that this narrative has survived so many different centuries, combined with the simplicity of the fairy tale model which makes it particularly accessible and thus particularly applicable, is perhaps why contemporary scholars argue that the literary fairy tale model might be seen as an ahistorical urtext that moulds the fabric of society and acts as a metaphor for navigating shared human experiences
