1. Do subject searches in the library catalog (for sources at Williams) and Worldcat (for sources in other libraries) for
Searching by Subject will give you sources about your tale (or fairy/folk tales)
2. Use the Subject Heading Criticism and Interpretation and combine it with the title of your tale.
3. Consult reference books such as these:
The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
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A Guide to Folktales in the English Language
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The Types of International Folktales
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Index to Fairy Tales
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Folk or fairy tales are researched and analyzed by scholars across disciplines from literary scholars to anthropologists, psychologists, historians, etc. One great way of diving into a disciplinary perspective is to use subject databases available through the library, for example:
Depending on which fairy or folk tale(s) you select, you may want to engage with scholarship from other disciplines such as History, Gender Studies, Religion, Anthropology, Psychology, etc. The complete list of library databases is available at: library.williams.edu/a-z.php
