The Fairest of Them All: Snow White and 21 Tales of Mothers and Daughters

by Maria Tatar

We think we know the story of Snow White from Disney and the Brothers Grimm. But acclaimed folklorist Maria Tatar reveals dazzling variations from across the globe.

The story of the rivalry between a beautiful, innocent girl and her equally beautiful and cruel mother has been endlessly repeated and refashioned all over the world. In Switzerland you might hear about seven dwarfs who shelter a girl, only to be murdered by robbers. In Armenia a mother orders her husband to kill his daughter because the moon has declared her "the most beautiful of all."

The Brothers Grimm gave this story the name by which we know it best, and in 1937 Walt Disney sweetened their somber version to make the first feature-length, animated fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since then the Disney film has become our cultural touchstone--the innocent heroine, her evil stepmother, the envy that divides them, and a romantic rescue from domestic drudgery and maternal persecution. But, as every fan of the story knows, there is more to Snow White than that. The magic mirror, the poisoned apple, the catatonic sleep, and the strange scene of revivification are important elements in the phantasmagoria of the Snow White universe.

Maria Tatar, an acclaimed folklorist and translator, brings to life a global melodrama of mother-daughter rivalries that play out across countries and cultures.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Nonfiction, Retellings, Mythology, Folk Tales

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2020

About the author

Maria Tatar is the John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures. She chairs the Program in Folklore and Mythology at Harvard University. She is the author of Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood, Off with Their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood and many other books on folklore and fairy stories. She is also the editor and translator of The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen, The Annotated Brothers Grimm, The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, The Annotated Peter Pan, The Classic Fairy Tales: A Norton Critical Edition and The Grimm Reader. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative collection of twenty-two Snow White variations from all over the world, some of which I didn't know, accompanied with a selection of outstanding illustrations done for various editions of the tale throughout the years. I think the best part, besides the new variations, was Tatar's succinct but extensive enough discussion of the fairy tale, its history, meaning, and cultural impact. Worth having for any fairy tale enthusiast.

[Sara Curley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Maria Tatar for awhile now and was excited when this book came out. Appreciated her introduction that gives a lot of insight into the ATU709 folklore category. I think it is well suited for people of varying levels of fairytale/folklore knowledge. Reading variations of Snow White from around the world was fascinating as well as the introductions to where the written stories came to being. The story of Snow White or any fairytale has more complexities beneath the surface.

[LM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the beginning of this book fascinating. I loved the introduction, the images, as well as the insightful and deeply informative history of Snow White and fairytales. In the second half of the book, I felt that many of the fairytales would have taken on more meaning if I had more context regarding the time period in which the tale was first orated and the country of the tales origin. While I did enjoy reading most of the tales, I would have preferred to have the rich analysis and descriptions in the introduction to have been incorporated throughout the rest of the book. Overall, I was captivated during much of my reading and I am interested in continuing to pursue and expand upon my knowledge of fairy tales and their significance.

[Edith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short, but extremely meaty book, with a very long Introduction, and the 21 stories mentioned above. It begins with an analysis of the history and context of the Snow White/The Beautiful Girl theme as it appears pretty much worldwide. The stories themselves are fascinating; the Introduction less so; the prose, though clear, is academic in style, and a bit heavy going at times.

The basic story: Beautiful lady, often a queen, has an even more beautiful daughter and falls prey to raging jealousy, supported often by an appeal to a mirror. Mother attempts, usually repetitively, to kill the girl, sometimes either as, or assisted by, a witch. The girl finds shelter with 7 dwarfs/robbers/ghouls who protect her and make her their sister. In spite of the 7 protectors, her mother, frequently disguised as an old woman, manages to deliver the poisoned shoes/nail/corset/apple/ring, and the young daughter appears to die. Her 7 protectors are too distraught to bury such beauty; they build a transparent coffin for her, which is later glimpsed by a handsome prince, and taken away by him. Then either a disturbance of the casket shakes loose the poisoned apple, the prince pulls off the poisoned jewel, or the prince kisses her, and the girl reawakens. She tells him her story, and the queen is speedily and usually horribly punished. And the girl and the prince live happily ever after. Most of the time. (Situations which also appear in Sleeping Beauty or Bluebeard, or the classical myths wind through some of the tales.)

The meaning of the story is different in different settings, and most likely at different times in the same setting. In our own time, the relationship of the animated Disney version and its strong appeal to the growing Nazi party have complicated our interpretation of the tale, and, apparently added the concept of "skin as white as snow" to a tradition of just "white as snow." Obviously, in the older tales from around the world, the fairest of them all is not White. What did/do these stories say about how women are/were regarded? What do they say about death? What behaviors was the story meant to encourage? Discourage? What do we make of the frequent result that the heroine usually reports her mistreatment, directly or indirectly, and is heard and believed?

There is no question that I will reread this book. I think I may be able to absorb the intro more completely, and be able to analyze the stories more fully. This reading has left me with questions: who told these stories, men or women, or both? (The answer once or twice appears in the helpful brief introductory remarks on each story.) Why does the number seven appear so often and across cultural lines? Why are the fathers on the whole so passive about their murderous wives? Or princely suitors, their murderous mothers? While the sources of the stories, most frequently either a missionary or a collector of folk tales, frequently from outside the culture, are described for each story, how do we rate their authenticity? Why are the queens so often disguised as, or helped by, witches/crones?

A small complaint about the physical book itself, otherwise beautifully produced. The second color, a light gray, used to introduce the first few words of every story, is so pale as to be nearly invisible. This doesn't matter much on the whole, since most of the words in gray are "Once a upon a time," but where the words are different, it's a bit of a struggle.

This is a fascinating book, well worth struggling a little with the introduction. Very thought provoking.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally found this to be informative and enjoyable. The initial section is an essay exploring the trope of persecuted daughter and evil step mother in depth, before leading to a collection of these stories (ATU 709 category) from various cultures.
The hardback is beautifully produced; the type is generously spaced for a pleasant reading experience with some colour illustrations inside too. The author is highly specialised in this area and whilst she showed her knowledge I never felt left behind by her writing, or like the text became inaccessible at any point. The choice of tales she has included felt diverse, even from the same folklore category and showed a lot of range within the trope she was exploring.
If you are interested in folklore, I believe this would be a very satisfying collection to own and enjoy.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

" ... Rappresentata come una disputa per la bellezza, la storia in realtà ci offre molto di più e in un lampo ci trascina nel bel mezzo di questioni che vanno dal conflitto generazionale alle patologie narcisistiche, dall'avvicendarsi delle stagioni alla promessa di una rinascita. E' una fiaba che affronta l'indicibile, la possibilità che l'amore materno non sia effettivamente solido come una roccia, e ci offre l'opportunità di parlare di argomenti in genere ritenuti inappropriati ..."
Alle volte non si pensa alla profondità che le fiabe, che abbiamo sempre sentito forse passivamente, hanno in sè, al profondo significato nascosto.
Interessantissima l'introduzione dell'autrice.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Tatar is a professor of folklore at Harvard. In this book, and her many others, Tatar writes succinctly and intelligently about the similarities and differences in tales collected throughout time and around the world. This book is particularly interesting for its focus on mother-daughter conflict.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical opening section and then 22 variations on Snow White. Not all of them were equally interesting as literature, but they did show the wide variations of the tale over place and time.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book about 21 varieties of the story of Little Snow White (Grimm brothers). It describes the similarities and differences between the variations. I had hoped for for information and a thorough analysis of the Grimm story.

[Milla Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the beginning introduction of this book absolutely fascinating. I really appreciated the breakdown of every element of the most famous version of the story of Snow White, Disney’s animated film. I had to read this book for college and went into it with no expectations, but I ended up really enjoying it.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst the introduction was interesting I have to admit to finding it heavy going ... the real pleasure came in the '21 Tales' ...

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

much to think about.....

[Elizabeth Matheis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am a big Snow White fan so the history and the stories from other cultures and throughout different time periods was really enjoyable for me.

[Kamilla Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my PhD

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought provoking journey into the trope of mother/daughter tales, as represented by the many iterations of Snow White and Disney's famous adaptation. Recommend!

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tatar's introduction to this collection was a delight. The collection itself was well done. I would have liked more stories, but I feel that way with all fairy tale collections. A great read.