Review of The Lilac Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang

The Lilac Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


About 2, maybe 3? years ago, I set myself the goal of reading all the color fairy tale collections edited by Andrew Lang. I vaguely remembered reading some of them when I was in elementary school, but I don't recall too many of the stories.

I was inspired to do this by Robin McKinley, who is one of my fantasy author heroines, as she did the same thing. I also thought it would be a good idea because I write fantasy myself. I saw this is as a way to immerse myself in the genre's fairy tale roots,to renew and refresh my knowledge of the stories and how they work, how their plots are designed, and to reacquaint myself with the stock characters. I also wanted to explore the universality of fairy tales, these heroes and heroines and monsters and villains with a thousand faces. Lang did an amazing job collecting stories from all over the world, taking the patient reader beyond the traditional Western European tales with which many of us are familiar.

The Lilac Fairy Book is the last one on the list.

So, what can I say now after having read all 12 colors? A few things, albeit somewhat randomly and casually:

We tell the same stories, from culture to culture, as far a part as India and North America, over and over, stories inhabited by the same characters: the third sons, the holy fools, the villainous and evil stepmothers, the vain princesses, the crones, the little old men, the fairies, the talking beasts. They speak to our psyches. The versions Lang collected and edited have been just that--edited, as gay characters are seemingly invisible, but I wonder, as I read the stories of intense best friends, what the original stories were. Perhaps Lang was a bit of a Puritan; I don't know. The stories are often like dreams (or nightmares), particularly in plots that shift and change without logic and warning. Fairy tales (which often don't have any fairies in them) can be quite brutal and violent. Yes, traditional fairy tales do reinforce traditional gender roles: men go out, have adventures, women stay at home. Marriage is a happy ending. Obedience is a virtue. The retellings and reinterpretations become, then, all the valuable and powerful. Happily ever after is possible--and that is a good thing.

It's been a good journey.










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