Fairy tales have been told and rewritten many times throughout history, and each author puts their own twist on the original story. “Bluebeard” is a story with many different versions, each with its own characteristics and style. A well-known story of "Bluebeard" written by Charles Perrault is interesting to compare to a version written by Donald Barthelme because the content of each seems so different from the other, but upon closer inspection, the two actually have similarities. In comparison to Perrault's version of "Bluebeard", Barthelme's more recent story incorporates a similar basic plot and uses the same adult themes. However, by modernizing the story, he ultimately revises our understanding of the fairy tale genre itself. These two versions of "Bluebeard" follow the same plot: a rich husband showers his wife with gifts, but then forbids her from entering a certain room, leaving a mystery about what is behind the door. Perrault's version begins with two sisters, both of whom have no interest in a man named Bluebeard. To impress the women, Bluebeard throws a long party, after which the younger sister falls in love with him and the two get married. Before leaving on the trip, he tells her that she can explore anywhere in their house except the small closet. He then gives her the key to the closet and leaves. The woman's temptation gets the better of her, and she enters the forbidden closet to find the bloodied corpses of all of Bluebeard's ex-wives. Her husband finds blood on the key when he returns and threatens to kill her, but she quickly gets help from her sister to alert her two brothers, who arrive just in time to save her. Barthelme's version begins differently, as Bluebeard is a... middle of paper ... and this is apparent at first, because when looking at the stories closely, the once drastic changes suddenly don't seem so drastic. This idea that changes in our own lives may not be much different from the past is a common universal experience. Even though in our own lives we seem to be experiencing entirely new things, we are actually following the same path as before. The saying “history repeats itself” is not just an expression, but a common principle, even in fairy tales. Works Cited Barthelme, Donald. “Bluebeard.” The New Yorker June 16, 1986: 32-35. Print.Byatt, LIKE “Happy Ever After”. The Guardian January 3, 2004, Culture sec. Web.Tolkien, JRR "On Fairy Tales". Web.Warner, Marina. "Bluebeard's Brides: The Dream of the Blue Room." Main street. 1st ed. Flight. 9. Ben Sonnenberg, 1989. 121-30. Print.