Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 139

New Book: Fairy Tale Queens: Representations of Early Modern Queenship by Jo Eldridge Carney

Fairy Tale Queens: Representations of Early Modern Queenship by Jo Eldridge Carney is a new release. I haven't seen it to review it--the SurLaLune budget won't stretch for this one, alas. But it is intriguing and is on my list. For now, the usual info is shared here. Fascinating...

Book description:

Most of our fairy tale capital today comes from the popular tales of Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen, but this study encourages readers to explore the marvelous tales of authors from the early modern period—Giovanni Straparola, Giambattista Basile, Madame Marie-Catherine D'Aulnoy, and others—whose works enrich and expand our notion of the canon. The queen is omnipresent in these tales, as much a hallmark of the genre as its other familiar characteristics: the number three, magical objects, quests, happy endings. That queens occupy such space in these early modern tales is not surprising given the profound influence of so many powerful queens in the political landscapes of early modern England and Europe. This book argues for the historical relevance of fairy tales and explores the dynamic intersection between fictional and actual queens.

About the Author

Jo Eldridge Carney is an associate professor of English at The College of New Jersey. She is the author of essays on sixteenth-century literature, Shakespeare, and fairy tales and has edited essay collections o the early modern period.

Table of Contents:

List of Illustrations xi

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Early Modern Queens and the Intersection of Fairy Tales and Fact 1

2 The Queen's (In)Fertile Body and the Body Politic 11

3 Maternal Monstrosities: Queens and the Reproduction of Heirs and Errors 39

4 Men, Women, and Beasts: Elizabeth I and Beastly Bridegrooms 65

5 The Fairest of Them All: Queenship and Beauty 87

6 The Queen's Wardrobe: Dressing the Part 117

7 The Queen's Body: Promiscuity at Court 147

Notes 177

Works Cited 211

Index 229

Today's Bargain Ebooks with Zora Neale Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is bargain priced in ebook for $1.99 today only on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. This was the only novel besides Jane Austen that I was assigned to read in high school not written by a white male. Yes, I was just on the leading edge of the curriculum revolution that has occurred over the last 25 years. (Don't worry, I read PLENTY of other stuff on my own.) Hurston is actually more important to me personally as a folklorist--see Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-tales from the Gulf States--but this is an important book in American literature now.

Book description:

At the height of the Harlem Renaissance during the 1930s, Zora Neale Hurston was the preeminent black woman writer in the United States. She was a sometime-collaborator with Langston Hughes and a fierce rival of Richard Wright. Her stories appeared in major magazines, she consulted on Hollywood screenplays, and she penned four novels, an autobiography, countless essays, and two books on black mythology. Yet by the late 1950s, Hurston was living in obscurity, working as a maid in a Florida hotel. She died in 1960 in a Welfare home, was buried in an unmarked grave, and quickly faded from literary consciousness until 1975 when Alice Walker almost single-handedly revived interest in her work.

Of Hurston's fiction, Their Eyes Were Watching God is arguably the best-known and perhaps the most controversial. The novel follows the fortunes of Janie Crawford, a woman living in the black town of Eaton, Florida. Hurston sets up her characters and her locale in the first chapter, which, along with the last, acts as a framing device for the story of Janie's life. Unlike Wright and Ralph Ellison, Hurston does not write explicitly about black people in the context of a white world--a fact that earned her scathing criticism from the social realists--but she doesn't ignore the impact of black-white relations either:

It was the time for sitting on porches beside the road. It was the time to hear things and talk. These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long. Mules and other brutes had occupied their skins. But now, the sun and the bossman were gone, so the skins felt powerful and human. They became lords of sounds and lesser things. They passed nations through their mouths. They sat in judgment.

One person the citizens of Eaton are inclined to judge is Janie Crawford, who has married three men and been tried for the murder of one of them. Janie feels no compulsion to justify herself to the town, but she does explain herself to her friend, Phoeby, with the implicit understanding that Phoeby can "tell 'em what Ah say if you wants to. Dat's just de same as me 'cause mah tongue is in mah friend's mouf."

Hurston's use of dialect enraged other African American writers such as Wright, who accused her of pandering to white readers by giving them the black stereotypes they expected. Decades later, however, outrage has been replaced by admiration for her depictions of black life, and especially the lives of black women. In Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston breathes humanity into both her men and women, and allows them to speak in their own voices. --Alix Wilber

And while we are here, Chocolat by Joanne Harris is also bargain priced at $2.99 for ebook today only. I've met fans of it over the years among the SurLaLune audience, so thought I'd share it, too.

Vivianne Rocher moves to the tiny French town of Lansquenet to open a chocolate boutique, and, suddenly, strange things start to happen. The townspeople begin to eschew the self-righteous gossip of small-town life, and they find the courage to break the rigid codes of provincial behavior. In short, they start enjoying life--all because of the sensual power of chocolate. But the hidebound local priest does not approve of Vivianne, and soon, a power struggle shapes up between the two of them.

Happy Birthday, Katharine Mary Briggs

Today is Katharine Mary Briggs's birthday. She was born 114 years ago today. To salute her, I decided to repost a post about her from 2010. I really should dig up that Faerie Magazine article and post it here, too. Beauty and horror of the web--nothing goes out of print!

Here's my original post:

I recently finished an article on Katharine M. Briggs (1898-1980) for the next issue of Faerie Magazine. I was familiar with Briggs’ body of work, but not so much with her personal life. The most stunning part of all was realizing that while she had earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Oxford in her twenties, she spent much of the first half of her life away from academia. It wasn’t until after WWII that she completed her doctorate in folklore in 1952 at the age of 53.

Not to say that she didn’t spend much of her life loving and immersing herself in folklore. She spent many of those years writing and producing plays with her sisters, using folklore as inspiration. It was a lifelong interest.

Her first book, The Personnel of Fairyland: A Short Account of the Fairy People of Great Britain for Those who Tell Stories to Children was published in 1953. After that, there was essentially no stopping her. She continued to research and write as well as serve as a key member in the British Folklore Society, using her resources and time to keep the society alive when it was faltering.


Her other books include The Anatomy of Puck: An Examination of Fairy Beliefs Among Shakespeare's Contemporaries and Successors (1959), Pale Hecate’s Team: An Examination of the Beliefs on Witchcraft and Magic Among Shakespeare's Contemporaries and His Immediate Successors (1962), as well as The Fairies in Tradition and Literature (1967).



These were followed by four volume opus, A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language (1970-1) followed in 1976 by A Dictionary of Fairies (also known as An Encyclopedia of Fairies in the U.S.), one of the most comprehensive and reliable reference books on faerie lore to this day.


She was also a cat lover and so wrote Nine Lives: The Folklore of Cats in 1980, the year she died.


There were also two novels for children, Hobberdy Dick and Kate Crackernuts, a novel based upon her favorite fairy tale of the same name. I haven’t read either although I have several of her other works on my shelves. I am especially interested in Kate Crackernuts and have it on my personal wishlist.

Overall, Katharine Briggs was an amazing woman. Many of her books remain in print thirty years after her death. She is honored in memoriam by The Folklore Society (formerly The British Folklore Society) with the annual The Katharine Briggs Folklore Award. Her body of work and influence is stellar.


If you want to read more about her life, you can look for a copy of Katharine Briggs: Story-teller (1986) by H. R. Ellis Davidson. You can also look for issue 20 of Faerie Magazine which should be on newsstands by the end of this month to read my full article.

New Book: Curse of the Thirteenth Fey: The True Tale of Sleeping Beauty by Jane Yolen

Curse of the Thirteenth Fey: The True Tale of Sleeping Beauty by Jane Yolen is officially released on 11/8. And, no, this is not the book upon which the upcoming Malificent film is based, but an original retelling from Yolen.

This is also a complete departure from her previous Sleeping Beauty novel--wonderful gem that it is, Briar Rose. Is it really 20 years since that book was published? I feel old. But it was one of the watershed books that inspired me to create SurLaLune six years later.

But on to the new book and its description:

A reimagining of Sleeping Beauty from a master storyteller

Gorse is the thirteenth and youngest in a family of fairies tied to the evil king's land and made to do his bidding. Because of an oath made to the king's great-great-ever-so-many-times-great-grandfather, if they try to leave or disobey the royals, they will burst into a thousand stars.

When accident-prone Gorse falls ill just as the family is bid to bless the new princess, a fairytale starts to unfold. Sick as she is, Gorse races to the castle with the last piece of magic the family has left--a piece of the Thread of Life. But that is when accident, mayhem, and magic combine to drive Gorse's story into the unthinkable, threatening the baby, the kingdom, and all.

With her trademark depth, grace, and humor, Jane Yolen tells readers the "true" story of the fairy who cursed Sleeping Beauty.

New Release: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman

 
Here are the covers for Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman. I've asked before which cover do you prefer? The first is the US edition and the second is the UK. And this time I have to admit I am drawn to both since they are just so very different from each other and their strengths are polar opposite. The descriptions are also different in each country. The book is released in the US this week and was released in the UK in September.

US book description:

#1 New York Times bestseller Philip Pullman retells the world’s best-loved fairy tales on their 200th anniversary

Two hundred years ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children’s and Household Tales. Now, at a veritable fairy-tale moment—witness the popular television shows Grimm and Once Upon a Time and this year’s two movie adaptations of “Snow White”—Philip Pullman, one of the most popular authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm.

From much-loved stories like “Cinderella” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Rapunzel” and “Hansel and Gretel” to lesser-known treasures like “Briar-Rose,” “Thousandfurs,” and “The Girl with No Hands,” Pullman retells his fifty favorites, paying homage to the tales that inspired his unique creative vision—and that continue to cast their spell on the Western imagination.

UK book description:

In this beautiful book of classic fairy tales, award-winning author Philip Pullman has chosen his fifty favourite stories from the Brothers Grimm and presents them in a'clear as water' retelling, in his unique and brilliant voice.

From the quests and romance of classics such as 'Rapunzel', 'Snow White' and 'Cinderella' to the danger and wit of such lesser-known tales as 'The Three Snake Leaves', 'Hans-my-Hedgehog' and 'Godfather Death', Pullman brings the heart of each timeless tale to the fore, following with a brief but fascinating commentary on the story's background and history. In his introduction, he discusses how these stories have lasted so long, and become part of our collective storytelling imagination.

These new versions show the adventures at their most lucid and engaging yet. Pullman's Grimm Tales of wicked wives, brave children and villainous kings will have you reading, reading aloud and rereading them for many years to come.

Bargain Ebook: The Snow Child: A Novel by Eowyn Ivey

   
The Snow Child: A Novel (US) by Eowyn Ivey has dropped to $4.99 from $11.99 in ebook format in the US, a temporary price drop, I imagine. This has been on my wishlist all year and so I snapped this one up. I can't see if there have been big drops in the ebook prices in other countries.

The novel is in part inspired by a Russian snow child tale available on SurLaLune at The Little Daughter of the Snow. If you read it, you will recognize the book described here.

This tale shouldn't be confused with The Snow Child ATU Type 1362 which deals more with a wife's questionable loyalty to her husband. This tale is much more bittersweet in which a couple longs for a child together and create one out of snow. It is a bittersweet tale, especially for the childless.
Book description:

A bewitching tale of heartbreak and hope set in 1920s Alaska.

Jack and Mabel have staked everything on making a fresh start for themselves in a homestead 'at the world's edge' in the raw Alaskan wilderness. But as the days grow shorter, Jack is losing his battle to clear the land, and Mabel can no longer contain her grief for the baby she lost many years before.

The evening the first snow falls, their mood unaccountably changes. In a moment of tenderness, the pair are surprised to find themselves building a snowman - or rather a snow girl - together. The next morning, all trace of her has disappeared, and Jack can't quite shake the notion that he glimpsed a small figure - a child? - running through the spruce trees in the dawn light. And how to explain the little but very human tracks Mabel finds at the edge of their property?

Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairytale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic - the story of a couple who take a child into their hearts, all the while knowing they can never truly call her their own.

And here is a book trailer:

New in the US: Sleeping Beauty: Pop-Up Book by Louise Rowe

 
Last year I featured this pop-up book, Sleeping Beauty: Pop-Up Book by Louise Rowe, when it was released in the UK. This is Rowe's third fairy tale pop-up book, including Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. It is officially released in the US on November 1st, today!

Here are some links followed by more images from Sleeping Beauty:


These images came from Rowe's website:

Some Bargain Books: Myth, Vampires and the Calendar

The Song of Achilles (Enhanced Edition), by Madeline Miller is temporarily $3.99 in ebook format. This edition is enhanced for Fires but will deliver a regular book to the standard Kindles, is my understanding.

Book description:

Enter the world of Homer's ancient Greece with the enhanced e-book edition of The Song of Achilles. This edition lets you further engage with this compelling story through video interviews with Madeline Miller and Gregory Maguire, bestselling author of the Wicked series, clips from the audio book at the start of each chapter, an illustrated map, and a pop-up gallery featuring over 40 images and descriptions of the characters, armor, and ships found in the book.

The legend begins...

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. "The best of all the Greeks"—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles' mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Built on the groundwork of the Iliad, Madeline Miller's page-turning, profoundly moving, and blisteringly paced retelling of the epic Trojan War marks the launch of a dazzling career.

Please note that due to the large file size of these special features this enhanced e-book may take longer to download then a standard e-book.

Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly is temporarily $2.99. This is a vampire novel of a very different sort, first of a three book series, and a cult classic with its fans. Thought I would throw it onto today's list for Halloween.

Publishers Weekly review:

In her hardcover debut, Hambly will give Ann Rice a run for her money. Higher praise than this we rarely see in our little literary mag!! Got to keep the readers interested, eh what?  Oxford professor James Ahser, once an agent for the British government, is forced to help the vampires of Edwardian London, who are being destroyed one by one through exposure to sunlight as they lie sleeping in their coffins. If she does not oblige, his young wife, Lydia, will perish as have many other vampire victims over the years. Accompanied by one of the oldest of the vampires, Simon Ysidro, who has lived in London since the time of Elizabeth I, Asher begins his investigations, learning about the life and culture of vampires. Meanwhile, Lydia, who is one of the few women physicians of the era, prowls through old property records and medical journals attempting to find other clues. Asher comes to suspect that the killer is a vampire, an unusual one who can live in the light of day, and Lydia develops a reasonable physiology that would account for the ability. Hambly's examination of vampirism is beautifully detailed, with a fine, realistic background and strong sense of atmosphere. Her characters are finely honed, particularly Don Ysidro, the vampire with a sense of noblesse oblige.

The Dance of Time: The Origins of the Calendar by Michael Judge looks interesting and a small risk at $1.24.

Book description:

Did you know that the ancient Romans left 60 days of winter out of their calendar, considering these two months a dead time of lurking terror and therefore better left unnamed? That they had a horror of even numbers, hence the tendency for months with an odd number of days? That robed and bearded druids from the Celts stand behind our New Year's figure of Father Time? That if Thursday is Thor's day, then Friday belongs to his faithful wife, Freya, queen of the Norse gods? That the name Easter may derive from the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre, whose consort was a hare, our Easter bunny? Three streams of history created the Western calendar-from the East beginning with the Sumerians, from the Celtic and Germanic peoples in the North, and again from the East, this time from Palestine with the rise of Christianity. Michael Judge teases out the contributions of each stream to the shape of the calendar, to the days and holidays, and to associated lore. In them he finds glimpses of a way of seeing before the mechanical time of clocks, when the rhythms of man and woman matched those of earth and sky, and the sacred was born.

Happy Halloween!

by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite
Happy Halloween! I hope your day is fun and safe and just scary enough... I was in London last Halloween where the holiday was celebrated but just not on the same level as here in the states. We enjoyed watching revelers head off to parties in full costumes on the tube and as they walked by our delicious dinner at Ask in Kensington. The Cereal Killer (a cape covered with mini-cereal boxes) was our favorite.

New Book: From the Forest: A Search for the Hidden Roots of our Fairytales by Sara Maitland

From the Forest: A Search for the Hidden Roots of our Fairytales by Sara Maitland is released today.

Book description:

Fairy tales are one of our earliest cultural forms, and forests one of our most ancient landscapes. Both evoke similar sensations: At times they are beautiful and magical, at others spooky and sometimes horrifying. Maitland argues that the terrain of these fairy tales are intimately connected to the mysterious secrets and silences, gifts and perils.

With each chapter focusing on a different story and a different forest visit, Maitland offers a complex history of forests and how they shape the themes of fairy tales we know best. She offers a unique analysis of famous stories including Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretal, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumplestiltskin, and Sleeping Beauty. Maitland uses fairy tales to explore how nature itself informs our imagination, and she guides the reader on a series of walks through northern Europe’s best forests to explore both the ecological history of forests and the roots of fairy tales. In addition to the twelve modern re-tellings of these traditional fairy tales, she includes beautiful landscape photographs taken by her son as he joined her on these long walks.

Beautifully written and impeccably researched, Maitland has infused new life into tales we’ve always thought we’ve known.