Spinning Straw into Gold: What Fairy Tales Reveal About the Transformations in a Woman's Life

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Spinning Straw into Gold: What Fairy Tales Reveal About the Transformations in a Woman's Life

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 195 ratings · 35 reviews

What’s your favorite fairy tale? Whether it’s “Cinderella,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Hansel and Gretel,” or another story, your answer reveals something significant about you, your experiences, and your soul. In this penetrating book, Joan Gould brings to the surface the hidden meanings in fairy tales and myths, and illuminates what they can tell you about the stages in yo...more

Paperback, 448 pages

Published February 14th 2006 by Random House Trade Paperbacks (first published February 14th 2005)

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Le Comte de Monte-Cristo I by Alexandre Dumas

All that Glitters...

135th out of 138 books — 32 voters

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Sep 24, 2009 Emilie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 09, endicott, nonfiction

this book really made me very grumpy. its superficial and oversimplified and hypocritical and filled with the kind of double messages that make me feel like someone is tying knots in my brain.
i expected to like it, i like interpretations of fairy tales, im interested in transformations and im interested in womens issues.

it is only about the transformations of women, if you consider women to be a homogenous category only according to some kind of biological determinism and ignoring cultural and...more this book really made me very grumpy. its superficial and oversimplified and hypocritical and filled with the kind of double messages that make me feel like someone is tying knots in my brain.
i expected to like it, i like interpretations of fairy tales, im interested in transformations and im interested in womens issues.

it is only about the transformations of women, if you consider women to be a homogenous category only according to some kind of biological determinism and ignoring cultural and social constructions completely (of which this book takes part-in encouraging many dangerous and hurtful cultural conceptions of what it means and is to be female).

so the major transformations in women’s lives and what “every woman wants”, the biggest struggles facing all women
1-maiden-figuring out how to be attractive enough to get a man (though part of why this writer makes me so grumpy is not only does she have attitudes which make me want to throw the book, and tear it to pieces, she is hypocritical, and unaware of her own attitudes, so she can say in one breath that the most important thing for a woman in maiden stage is to attract a husband, and in another breath say that womans transformations are not all about men, but are “internal”. at intervals she plays this “internal” transformation card-this is cool if you like shiny surface sentences but she doesnt describe internal transformations any more and leaves it more as a catch phrase than an insightful interpretation of fairy tales or transformations that women experience).

2-mother-giving birth to babies which are cited as only thing that gives a woman meaning and definition.(and makes them “better” then men, in case you were worried where the part came where you were made to feel special or whatever....) if you dont want or cant have a baby, or even if you do-but not with a man, or its just not the one thing that defines you-you are not a woman and all other transformations are left out of the book.

(yes oversimplification annoys me terribly, as does the prejudices and assumptions that all women are heterosexual and that all heterosexual women are the same and all women crave husbands and babies and that the biggest hardest challenge/transformations in their lives consist of attracting men and having babies and 3-crone-coming to terms with being old, ugly and unworthy bc biologically no longer viable. ugh!)

she is the kind of self described feminist that makes me cringe, that turned me off to feminism when i was an adolescent and honestly couldve used some feminist thinking. which probably explains why im responding with such venom, she probably deserves 2 stars. (grins)
the kind that makes comments like “women need to be beautiful and sexy only to attract men”. (and this always annoys me- i dont see why women shouldnt feel beautiful for their own personal pleasure primarily) and in same breath, with self satisfied smile, says things like, “we all know womens transformations are harder then mens” or “women are better then men bc they have babies” or some such ...the kind of feminist that insists women Need men with a capital N and at the same time pretends she is fighting sexist values while she ignores the way that what women share is the experience of being oppressed because they are women, and the way that fairy tales might speak to the experience of oppression.

i was really disappointed and annoyed at the lack of mention of the kind of transformations that i see facing women- with so many women struggling with issues of self esteem/self confidence, abuse, rape, independence, sexuality, mental illness, physical illness and so many others (that can include finding a partner and having a child) but her woman is created through her man and child, not before, and not through looking at her own self and what is inside of her and what her personal experiences have been in her life, in this culture, in this patriarchal society, and yeah, how fairy tales can help her through her own dark woods.
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Oct 08, 2007 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's an interesting read connecting popular themes in fairy tales with the conflicts women deal with at varying stages of a woman's life. I felt some of her claims of symbolism were a bit of a stretch, and the general feel was that women are hopelessly bound to urges and cultural expectations beyond their control. There were a couple of great passages that rang true to common frustrations, but I felt the analysis of the solution offered in the fairy tales was sketchy and incomplete and ultimatel...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-and-liked-it

This marvelous book caught my eye because of its title, Spinning Straw into Gold. I instantly recognized the reference to Rumpelstiltskin, one of my favorite fairy tales. I was exceedingly impressed with the thoughtful research and insights of the author Joan Gould that I discovered inside.

Gould illustrates and examines the themes of female transformations and burdens throughout her life as dramatized in fairy tales. I've always loved fairy tales and of course recognized some of the messages ab...more This marvelous book caught my eye because of its title, Spinning Straw into Gold. I instantly recognized the reference to Rumpelstiltskin, one of my favorite fairy tales. I was exceedingly impressed with the thoughtful research and insights of the author Joan Gould that I discovered inside.

Gould illustrates and examines the themes of female transformations and burdens throughout her life as dramatized in fairy tales. I've always loved fairy tales and of course recognized some of the messages about growing up, but I now have a much more profound appreciation and understanding of my own life thanks to Gould.

Her guiding point was that women are ruled by biological transformations that have huge impacts on their lives. The girl matures into a woman. A transformation. The young woman enters a sexual time. Another transformation. The woman bears children. A startling physical transformation. The woman grows old and loses fertility, and transforms into the final stage of life.

Many fairy tales and popular stories address the girl to sexual woman stages because this is the fun and sexy part. But from Gould I learned to think more deeply about the stages of matron and crone. I especially liked her interpretation of the Seal Wife stories. In the Seal Wife, a fisherman catches a seal and brings her on shore. He takes her seal skin and makes her a woman. He hides the seal skin because without it she cannot return to the sea. She is trapped on land with him and becomes his wife and the mother of his children. But one day she finds her seal skin, puts it on, and returns to the sea. The story connects with the general longing of mothers to escape their responsibilities and return to the freedoms lost to marriage and motherhood. Or it can represent the mother who recalls her former self and resumes some of her interests beyond the rigors of diapers and soccer practices.

I also liked Gould's words on the subject of old age. She explained how in earlier days most people did not live long enough to become elderly, so an old woman was considered to have some kind of strange magic keeping her alive. Now that old age is much more common, Gould said that it was a great gift of life for her free of the daily demands of nurturing the next generation as the matron must do.

I highly recommend Spinning Straw into Gold for people who like fairy tales and who really like to explore the deeper realities of life.
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Jun 18, 2010 Lisa H rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: feminism, non-fiction, psychology, own

I both love and hate this book.
I hate it because it focuses so much on the idea that biology is destiny. Then I find myself trying to defend this in that many fairy tales (ok almost all of them) were written when this wasn't even up for debate. But part of me longs for a progressive stance on fairy tales. A stance that includes queer and transfolk because part of me wants to believe with all my heart that we don't need to throw out everything about our current culture, we just need to modify it...more

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May 27, 2009 Helynne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is such an interesting study (although it sometimes does get a little too Freudian for my taste; more on that later) about the psychology behind some well-known fairy tales and how they typify dilemmas and choices that have faced women for centuries. Author Joan Gould designates three phases of a woman's life--the maiden, the mother and the crone--that are analyzed by various tales. One of the chapters, entitled "Cinderella: Surviving Adolescence" states that all of us women are cinderella...more This is such an interesting study (although it sometimes does get a little too Freudian for my taste; more on that later) about the psychology behind some well-known fairy tales and how they typify dilemmas and choices that have faced women for centuries. Author Joan Gould designates three phases of a woman's life--the maiden, the mother and the crone--that are analyzed by various tales. One of the chapters, entitled "Cinderella: Surviving Adolescence" states that all of us women are cinderellas of some sort--"overworked, unappreciated, biding our time, until we gather strength to step into our glory" (40). We stay with the program, as did Cinderella, because we figure it's all part of our growth. The fairy godmother does not equal enchantement so much as guidance to a higher level of consciousness. Gould claims that all the great Cinderella figures in literature and film--Jane Eyre, Hester Prynn, Celie from The Color Purle, etc., actually support themselves when need be, without reliance on a man. (I like that!) The Sleeping Beuaty chapter is interesting as well. Gould notes that the sleeping aspect of the heroine's life is an avenue toward creativity. "We, too, are often half asleep in our daily lives, sometimes because we are in the midst of transformation," says Gould. "If we watch carefully we see that our feelings, our intellect, our will, even our bodies, drowse at critical times, if we are not ready for the adventure that confronts us. We black out when life demands too much . . we also sleep if life demands too little, leaving us no outlet for our talents, feelings, sexuality, and ambition . . . we aren't fully awake . . . we resist this idea, but should realize that sleep is a positive force that makes life and creative work, as well as transformation possible(90-92). . . No great work of art was ever created by the conscious mind alone--the period of germination at the deepest level, followed by gestation, still in darkness, is crucial" (98). Now, here is where Gould gets Freudian and a little weird. Continuing with the ideal that sleep incubates maturity as well as creativity, she says, "the 15-year-old princess unlocking the forbidden door to the spinning wheel is a sexual metaphor . . . the spindle a phallic symbol that draws blook . . . the menstrual 'curse' . . or first intercourse blood" (100). Despite the typical difficulties of female adolescence--i.e., wishing to sleep through the painful transitions to adulthood--we eventually wake. "Why do we wake when we do? Call it an inner migration from the underworld to the upper world, brought about by some seasonal change in the light. At any age, if we get a taste of who we are, if we fall in love with life in whatever form we find it and choose to embrace it, we can fairly call that moment 'the Prince's kiss.'" (125). Gould frequently comments on how the modern Disney versions of fairy tales have watered the original stories down to pale imitations of their original selves. "What Sleeping Beauty experience in the Disney version is rescue, not transformation" (132).
Other interesting chapters examine the psychology behind Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, and The Seal Wife, and the Fitcher's Bird. A very interesting chapter analyzes the crone, or woman in her later years: "She faces what she fears, she grows in spirit (291) . . . . at 50, one is more or less either reborn or moribund"(294). Finally, the author reflects on her own great-grandmother, who briefly appeared to her after her death. Gould thinks also of her own granddaughter. "I am her past, but also her future" (312). Well, I found this book thought-provoking and I took a ton of notes. See what you think.(less)

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May 26, 2011 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: feminists, fans of Joseph Campbell

Shelves: gender-studies, mythology, psychology

I'll never quite look at the story of Cinderella the same way again and that's a good thing. This work is brilliant! Nothing less than a woman-centered response to Joseph Campbell's A Hero's Journey. Joan Gould's efforts to hunt down the traditional versions of the fairy tales she analyzes (rather than relying on the Disney versions we're more familiar with) and her subsequent analysis of their themes and subtexts is illuminating to say the least.

Without giving anything away, Gould delves deepl...more

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Nov 05, 2007 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

no matter how many times I read this book, I'm always picking up something new. It's the kind of book that can be opened at any point & read & enjoyed

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May 13, 2013 Victoria Blacke rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this expecting it to be a published scholarly thesis. Once I realized it was more the author's unique feminist interpretation of fairytales I changed my expectations. Instead of searching for the facts and supporting documentation, I read this more like a literary thesis. The author was illustrating a "next level" deeper meaning behind the stories. With this in mind, the book became fascinating! It hypothesized a much more complicated social, sexual and human aspect to the fairytales beyo...more

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Sep 27, 2009 Phair rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, on-books-and-reading

Very interesting and full of ideas (I took 4pp of notes in my journal). Author has annoying habit of interjecting her own life story in illustration of some points that I found jarring & even a tad whining and/or grandstanding in tone. Some bits dragged & felt a little tedious and she seemed to lose focus toward the end and turn more toward illustrating her personal agenda rather than explaining the fairy tale/ folklore connections. [I never realized that The African Queen is essentiall...more

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Jul 27, 2008 Dayna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

This book was not quite what I was expecting. I guess I thought it would be more of a scholarly work, with lots of references and facts. It has some, but mostly it reads like a collection of Gould's personal opinions ... as influenced by her experiences as a mid-century woman. I was a bit disappointed by that. Beyond that, Gould's writing is nice, almost lyrical. Some of her theorizing was interesting, and I thought she made some good points. But a lot of it was totally subjective to your point...more

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May 19, 2013 Dharma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Just starting it but it seems rather trite, a bit of reaching going on in the analysis but I'll keep going just to see what else might be here.

This book seems filled with psychobabble and really reaching when trying to apply feminism to these fables. Last night I read the only thing that I really like. Of course now I can't remember what the hell it was because I'm so bloody tired! But it was the first thing that felt like it spoke to me.

Later on it the book redeems itself, in my eye, with the i...more

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Nov 22, 2008 Samantha Lazar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: folklore

This book was really interesting because it talked about many characters that are from well-known fairytales. This book really examined the way the women characters are portrayed in society. For example, Cinderella is a character that is examined very closesly in the book.

I remember reading stories like this when I was little, but I never really thought about the "stereotypical" woman character. She is the helpless character who needs to be rescued by her prince. Now, as an adult, I look at thes...more

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Jul 15, 2009 Lia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: retellings, partial-reads, self-help

Gould makes some good points in this book, but the approach is too psychoanalytic for my taste. I skipped most of the "maiden" chapters, and read about half of the "matron" and "crone" chapters. She has done good research and is often insightful. But I found myself resisting her "this is what it means" sort of tone.

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Mar 26, 2011 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book for women of all ages to read. Sometimes I wasn't sure how the author connected some dots, but very enriching book. It combines fairy tales with psychology and female development.

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Apr 08, 2009 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-group-books

This is a really interesting study of fairy tales and (like the title says) what they reveal about women. It's not a perfect book, but I was expecting this to say how fairy tales are crap and help our society keep women down, but it's quite the opposite. Who knew that fairy tales could be about womens' transformations into decisive, independent beings? I learned that my knowledge about fairy tales is based on Walt Disney movies, and those aren't the good fairy tales. The dark, creepy "real" fair...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Bea Bolinger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: research

okay this was a labor of love, I seriously wanted to finish this book but found the overwhelming referrences to a woman's only desire (conscious or unconscious) being to attract a mate and spawn children to be a bit too much. There are gems in this book - personally really identified with the sleeping beauty comparisions - but the authors opinion and personal interpretations are sometimes too hard to swallow and it brings the whole book down. I'd still recommend reading this book if - like mysel...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gender-studies

Interesting read, but the author seemed so stuck on her thesis that she was making huge stretches to make things fit and seeing things that weren't there.

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Jan 18, 2009 Erica is currently reading it

Got it from the book closet at work. It should get me back into reading about women's issues, which I haven't been doing in years.

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Feb 07, 2013 Holly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sometimes interesting sometimes ridiculous. It seems the author is trying to find conflict when there is none. I presume she doesn't know anyone with a good relationship with their mother or a happy childhood. A pity. And crone?! Older women become vindictive violent forces for evil which propels the good?! Come on.

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Dec 23, 2010 Mike Mik rated it 4 of 5 stars

very interesting, well written

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Aug 10, 2008 MichelleMarie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: a reader who wants insight into fairy tales

This made for interesting discussion, I thought. There were many things she hit on that I found intriguing and she had a great way of writing it, but probably more of her thoughts I disagreed with.
I thought the way she ended it all may it worth reading for me. Actually I thought that at the end of every chapter. She would always close with something that tied it all up and very thought provoking.
I still love the cover of the book almost more than any other I have ever seen!

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Jul 18, 2008 Kipahni rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: publiclibrarybooks, 2008-books

The way that gould writes keeps the reader interested. She has a very good way of telling tales and there are some quotable aspects and that is why I gave this book a three.
However, She comes off as over generalizing everything and an authority on Fairy Tales as well as being way to freudian and negative about the stages of a womans life.

I know that the Fairy Tales of old were somewhat darker and perhaps more sexual but I would not take it as far as Ms. Gould did.

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May 07, 2008 Ilze rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fairy tales are stories we all know about, but how much have we thought about them? Joan Gould must’ve thought about them for years and it shows in this detailed study of several fairy tales, taking a woman from maiden to matron to crone (and eventual death). It’s not the kind of book you can give an immediate impression of. On the contrary, you have to read and page slowly and think about the words as you go. If it was a picture, I would frame it!

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May 24, 2009 Krista Mercer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Lots of symbolism, especially of the "maiden-mother-crone" variety. Wish I knew more about Jungian psychology--probably would have gotten more out of this book.

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Sep 25, 2007 Jeannine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Weird - this wasn't really a book of criticism, I would almost label it under self-help - but a really fun, fairy-tale-based investigation of how the symbols in fairy tales can help women solve their problems. It wasn't what I expected, not terribly intellectual, but I enjoyed the author's fresh take.

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Jun 18, 2008 Renee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I actually missed my plane back to the United States from Scotland reading this (totally didn't hear the "last call" message and didn't know I was at the wrong gate). At any rate, it is very engrossing. Only three stars because it doesn't explore as many fairy tales as I would have liked.

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Jan 07, 2008 Cara Marie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Is quite interesting in its discussion of the fairy tales, but irritating in saying woman=mother, and then I was tempted to throw it across the room when the author suggested that people with depression were somehow to blame for it. Would be better with less of the author's attitude.

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Aug 15, 2009 Chara rated it 5 of 5 stars

I adore this book. I loved learning more about the analysis of the fairy tales themselves, but Gould's analysis of a woman's life, was far more interesting and informative. This book should be requited reading in high schools.

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Sep 08, 2010 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book, it had a lot of interesting ideas that I hadn't really given much thought to before. However, the book really should have been about 1/3 the length. There is a lot of repetition.

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Jul 26, 2008 Milo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-gender

This book is pretty darn good if you're into both children's fantasy and gender. It flows nicely and has very interesting viewpoints. It created a jumping point for some of my own analyses on various media.

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“When assaulted by sexual knowledge for the first time, a girl plunges into a period of blackness, which is required in order to let her emotions catch up with her body.

Sleeping Beauty sleeps. Cinderella waits, and while she waits she works her way through the darkness of depression. Snow White both works and sleeps before she is ready to open her eyes and find a Prince leaning over her.” — 4 people liked it

“A short-haired Barbie would be an oxymoron.” — 2 people liked it

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