Conclusion

Although there are convincing arguments that support the claim that the Brothers Grimm’s works were inspired by the trends of Romanticism, there are stronger arguments that the brothers were just as motivated to create a unified German identity in the face of threats by forces like Napoleon. Specifically, they were biased towards bourgeois values to increase their appeal. Moreover, the brothers’ credits deliberately discredited women who contributed to their folktales in order to promote the middle-class, patriarchal German identity. Additionally, the brothers meticulously manipulated dark tales into purified children’s stories that are popular worldwide. The anthologies the Grimms published served as a microcosm of German culture, representing Germany in a good light to the world in terms of international relevance whilst effectively unifying it culturally.