Clever Gretchen and Other Forgotten Folktales

by Alison Lurie, Margot Tomes (Illustrator)

Folktales about heroines, ‘fair maidens [who] can fight and hunt as well as any man, defeat giants, answer riddles, outwit the Devil, and rescue friends and relatives from all sorts of dangers and evil spells.’

Contents:
Clever Gretchen
Manka and the Judge
The Black Geese
Mizilca
The Baker's Daughter
The Mastermaid
Molly Whuppie
The Hand of Glory
Maid Maleen
Kate Crackernuts
The Sleeping Prince
Cap o'Rushes
Gone is Gone
Mother Holle
Tomlin

Genres: Fiction, Folklore, Fantasy, Short Stories, Childrens, Folk Tales, Fairy Tales

113 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Alison Stewart Lurie was an American novelist and academic. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her 1984 novel Foreign Affairs. Although better known as a novelist, she wrote many non-fiction books and articles, particularly on children's literature and the semiotics of dress.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to buy about ten copies of this book and give one to every female friend I have and all young girls I interact with (cousins, sister, friends' kids).

The stories aren't very long. Some of them are abridged versions of long songs; others are distillations of several tales that have the same themes, motifs, or storylines. All of them feature female characters who are clever, strong, resourceful, and work to get themselves, their families, and helpless princes out of trouble.

These are the stories that the (male) Victorian compilers of fairy tales left out because they didn't follow the mindset that women should be weak, meek, and wait for a prince to rescue them. These are the stories that Tiffany Aching would approve of. These are the stories that we need to remember and tell both our daughters *and* our sons so that we teach that girls are not just what Disney says they should be.

Yes, I really liked this book. I checked it out from the library and will be buying my own copy in short order. This is a wonderful collection and I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Jazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is a short introduction to lesser known folktales. Lurie's commentary is minimal--all she really does is tell you where the tale comes from. After reading this, I suggest you check out the source the tale comes from. The final tale is "Tomlin" based on the ballad "Tamlin," which is much different experience than the prose version. I'd check this out for the inclusion of Cap O'Rushes alone. Cap O'Rushes is a variant of Cinderella (and similar to King Lear) about a maiden cast out by her father when she says she loves him as fresh meat loves salt. The story does not rely on demonizing a stepmother, and the main character really shines as a clever, compassionate woman.

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Once upon a time there was a king and a queen, such as there have been in many lands.'

This was not as stunning nor did it give me any new stories as I'd been hoping for . . . which means that all my fairytale readings as a child were probably more in-depth than I thought. But it was still a fun, short collection of female-centric stories that gave focus to the women in folklore as they deserve.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short and very nice little collection contains stories that have girls doing things. In other words, stories about heroines, not heroes. While the sub-title, forgetton folktales, doesn apply to every tale (I've always loved "Kate Crackernuts"), it does apply to a good portion of the stories.

Many of the stories are Scottish, Russian, or Scandivan in root. A few also sure siblings working together and in fact, feature the older child as heroine. If you have a young girl, I would say track this book done.

If you like Shakespeare, this collection also includes the tale that is a a source for one of the lines in Hamlet.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely collection of folktales with a more feminist bent, including one I'd never encountered before, "The Sleeping Prince." It's a little child-friendlier than my personal favorite collection of this type, The Maid of the North: Feminist Folk Tales from Around the World, and would make an excellent bedtime story book for parents looking for something more dynamic than many children's collections.

[Doria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book, a terrific collection of what some might call "feminist" folk tales. I.e., stories which feature smart women who solve problems and save princes. I particularly enjoyed the Scandinavian story of the husband and wife who switch their work for a day, and the chaos that ensues as the hapless husband attempts to perform the "simple" tasks which his wife accomplishes on a daily basis. Utterly charming and great fun to read!

[Marge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this a beautiful collection of stories, but it is also written beautifully. Every word seems right to me, and that's saying something! I have read some of the stories in other collections, but this one is just pure delight. This was my first "print on demand" book. I just ordered it from Amazon, as ever, but then it was "printed" just for me!

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book of short tales and abridged versions of longer ballads or stories. I liked that Lurie' s comments at the end were short and gave basic information of where they came from or references from and to Shakespeare. Lurie provides folk tales about smart, clever and resourceful females, and shows that they are not just pretty faces. It was refreshing.

I'd personally recommend Mizilica, Manka and the Judge, Gone is Gone.

[S.N. Arly · Rating 5 out of 5]

All said and done, this is an excellent little collection of fairy tales focused on strong and competent female characters. This is a good addition to any fairy tale fan's collection, as some of these stories do get left out of other collections rather often. If you don't like the barebones traditional fairy tale structure, without all the elaborate description of more modern takes at the form, this is probably not for you.

[Lily Darragh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was obsessed with this book when I was younger. I read and reread it constantly and was incredibly upset when I lost it. I remembered it years later and was determined to get it again. I was super excited to read it. After reading it, I found it to be mainly nostalgic for me but not as interesting as I remembered. I like the focus on heroines and the stories are varied in both their familiarity and foreignness.

[Valissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

True, some new tales, but not the powerful paean to women

[Wendyfoleybtinternet.Com · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be more of a retelling from the female point of view, but it was mainly reworkings of old tales
Probably better for primary children

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of less well known folk and tales, featuring more active, brave heroines than the prettified Disney-princess type. There are girls defeating giants, outwitting trolls and witches, and rescuing the odd prince along the way. It's a good collection, but it's a shame the illustrations aren't more attractive (to me, anyway).

[Sinistmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection-I have come across some of the stories in other collections and situations and think Lurie has done a fantastic job of maintaining the stories. They are written in an accessible way and just the right length for individuals of all ages.

For those interested, source notes are included.

[Elizabeth]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I read it on my own and my daughter and I read it together when she was growing up. It's been a while so I'm going to read it again and list it in my "to read" section. I can't wait to read this fun, glorious, and empowering book again.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of my favorite collections of fairytales. like grimm's fairytales only most are ethnic fables/old wives tales

[Liaken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stories with strong women characters.

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! I wish I had found a copy of this book at age 8 or 10 or 12. This will be the birthday/Christmas/graduation/whatever gift for any girls I know from now on, no matter their age.

[Max Ostrovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great collection. Interesting to see original sources (or alternative) sources for some of the more popular folk-tales.

[Hilde Helseth · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Title beginning with C'