Contes en prose

by Charles Perrault

viz I The Little Red Riding-hood II The fairy III The Blue Beard IV The Sleeping Beauty in the wood V The master cat, or Puss in Boots VI Cinderilla, VII Riquet a la houpe VIII Little Poucet

The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
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Harvard University Houghton Library

N001854

An English translation of Charles Perrault's 'Contes des fées'. Dedication signed: Robert Samber. 'The discreet princess' is by M. J. L'Héritier de Villandon.

London : printed for J. Pote; and R. Montagu, 1729. [8],206p.,plate : ill. ; 12°

Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Short Stories, France, Childrens

96 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 30, 1697

About the author

Charles Perrault was a French author who laid foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, and whose best known tales, offered as if they were pre-existing folk tales, include: Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Bluebeard, Hop o' My Thumb), Diamonds and Toads, Patient Griselda, The Ridiculous Wishes...

Perrault's most famous stories are still in print today and have been made into operas, ballets (e.g., Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty), plays, musicals, and films, both live-action and animation.

The Brothers Grimm retold their own versions of some of Perrault's fairy tales.

Reviews

[Federico DN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairy Madness.

A short story collection by Charles Perrault, founding father of everything fairy tale.

This was a fine surprise and one outstanding collection! I would have never guessed the original fairy tales that birthed the genre and laid the foundation for so many afterwards were so short, and SO easy to read, especially considering its classicness! And of course this may have been aimed to children at the time; but still, more than enjoyable for any curious adult as well.

I’m sure all of us are familiar with many of the titles and themes listed below, either because of general knowledge or by watching one of the many adaptations and modern movies we have today. But getting to know in complete detail the very first and original versions, and considering it only takes 10 pages each at most, is, for me, genuinely amazing, and beyond priceless. Recommendable.

Go for the Best, consider the Good, whatever the Meh.

The Best :
★★★★★ “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.” [4.5]
★★★★☆ “Little Red Riding-Hood.”
★★★★☆ “Little Thumb.”
★★★★☆ “The Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots.”
★★★★☆ “Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper.” [3.5]

The Good :
★★★☆☆ “Blue Beard.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “The Fairy.”
★★★☆☆ “Donkey-Skin.” [2.5]

The Meh :
★★☆☆☆ “Riquet With the Tuft.” [2.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “The Ridiculous Wishes.” [1.5]

It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[1700] [117p] [Collection] [Recommendable]
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Locura de Hadas.

Una colección de cuentos cortos por Charles Perrault, padre fundador de los cuentos de hadas.

¡Esto fue una grata sorpresa y una sobresaliente colección! Nunca hubiera imaginado que los cuentos de hadas originales que dieron nacimiento al género y fundaron las bases para tantos después eran tan cortos, y TAN fáciles de leer, ¡especialmente considerando su clasicismo! Y por supuesto esto tal vez estaba dirigido a niños en su tiempo; pero aun así, más que disfrutable para cualquier adulto curioso también.

Estoy seguro que todos nosotros estamos familiarizados con muchos de los títulos y temas listados abajo, ya sea por cultura general o por haber visto una de las muchas adaptaciones y películas modernas que tenemos hoy. Pero conocer en completo detalle las primerísimas versiones originales, y considerando que tan sólo toma 10 páginas cuando mucho cada una, es, para mí, genuinamente espectacular, y más allá de invaluable. Recomendable.

Ir por lo Mejor, considerar lo Bueno, loquesea lo Meh.

Lo Mejor :
★★★★★ “La Bella Durmiente del Bosque.” [4.5]
★★★★☆ “Caperucita Roja.”
★★★★☆ “Pulgarcito.”
★★★★☆ “Maese Gato o El Gato con Botas.”
★★★★☆ “Cenicienta o el Zapatito de Cristal.” [3.5]

Lo Bueno :
★★★☆☆ “Barba Azul.” [3.5]
★★★☆☆ “Las Hadas.”
★★★☆☆ “Piel de Burro.” [2.5]

Lo Meh :
★★☆☆☆ “Riquete el del Copete.” [2.5]
★☆☆☆☆ “Los Deseos Ridículos.” [1.5]

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[1700] [117p] [Colección] [Recomendable]
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[Petra on forced hiatus in Porto - food poisoning · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was very young, my grandmother had a set of very small books with uncut pages. One of the books was an early edition of Charles Perrault's fairy tales with hand-printed woodblock illustrations. Another was Grimms'. Naturally I cut the pages and read the stories which were bloody and didn't always have nice endings. At least one of the ugly sisters tumbled into a well to be devoured by snakes in one version, in another they both get their eyes pecked out by birds and are cast out to live as blind beggars. The Little Mermaid, offered a choice between murdering the prince's bride or committing suicide, chooses the latter. And poor Little Red Riding Hood didn't escape those big, bad teeth!

These stories, before Disney got them, were wonderful. Children like blood and guts as much as they like marshmallows and cuddly bears, but today everything is sanitised for them. I wonder why - the policy has not decreased the amount of violence in the world by one jot.

My grandmother, who not very pleased at my cutting the pages on these valuable books, gave them to me and for years they were stored in my attic along with the things-that-might-come-in-useful-one-day that we all have, inherited silver that needed endless polishing, cassettes from my dj-ing days and even my old teddy bear who'd lost all his stuffing and had such a sad face.

I had two thieving tenants who took my valuable books. One guy also been not too honest with the rent, bouncing cheques, that kind of thing, and would cry PREJUDICE at everything. If I didn't like blacks why would I have rented my place to him? Or married one and had children, or live in the West Indies? Still, it probably got him out of a lot of situations where people were too uncomfortable to speak up and let him get away with shit.

I wasn't intimidated though and eventually got most of the money he owed me (and threats from his father) and gave him notice to leave. He raided my attic, took the silver and also took with him some of my best Haitian paintings, and these lovely little hand-printed children's fairy tales. It made me very sad to lose them this way and I always wondered if I would come across them in an antique shop one day. But so far, no luck.

Update Riquet with the Tuft - review of a Perrault fairy tale that is mystifyingly not a Disney movie.

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original fairy tales of Charles Perrault (1628-1703) before they were bastardized or sanitized (depending on your view) by Disney. Perrault, however, did not invent most of these stories himself. He also based some of them on existing French folklores. Perrault was said to be the one who laid the foundations for a new literary genre: the fairy tale. Many of Perrault’s stories were rewritten by the Brothers Grimm, continue to be printed and have been adapted to opera, ballet (such as Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty), theatre, and film.

What I liked about this book was that I was able to read the original versions of the tales that I heard or saw when I was a young boy. I did not know that those goody-goody versions were sanitized. The original versions in this 1697 first published book were sometimes gory and gruesome that I wondered how they could have passed as children’s stories. For example, Little Red Riding Hood is eaten alive by a wolf, seven girls were knifed by their father to death or an ogress demanding to eat two poor captured kids.

Here are the stories and my reactions upon reading them:

The Little Red Riding-Hood. Stupid girl. How she could not have noticed that the wolf was not her grandma? Well, in “The Moral,” Perrault seems to say that this exactly is the moral of the story: the young pretty people are easy to deceive so they have to watch out for wolf in sheep’s clothing. – 4 STARS

The Fairy. Would not that be painful? I mean flowers and jewels coming out from your mouth when you speak? No wonder, I have not seen any movie adaptation of this story. The morals, according to Perrault: the manner we speak is more important that wealth and good behaviors pay in the end when we least expect it – 3 STARS

Blue Beard. If only Perrault knew that time will come blue beard would no longer be scary. Why there is even green hair now, hah! The morals according to Perrault: Curiosity kills a cat and a very little share of common sense can save your dear life. – 2 STARS

The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. I remember the first half of the story but it’s my first time to hear the 2nd half that happens after the prince kisses the sleeping princess. There is a ogress (a queen that eats small children) and the tub full of different kinds of serpents. This part is new to me. I don’t remember that there was an ogress character in the Disney movie. As to the moral of the story according to me: be careful in creating your guest list. – 5 STARS

The Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots Clever, clever cat. If a cat will be as useful as this, I know my wife would agree for us to have a cat in the house. She hates the odor of cat’s feces. However, in the story the youngest child gets the cat as inheritance from his poor father. Then the clever cat turns him into Marquis de Carabas. Morals: Be thankful for the inheritance that you get and also be careful with cunning people. The cat deceived the ogre to turn into a mouse so the cat could eat him hahaha. My first time to read this story. Funny! – 4 STARS.

Cinderilla; or, The Little Glass Slipper. Exactly as what is in the Disney movie except the spelling. Take note that this is Cinderilla and not Cinderella. But there are somethings in Perrault’s writing that made me read the whole text. Not just making sure that there are nothing Disney removed or was not able to capture. The forgiveness that Cinderilla gave to her odious sisters; it’s heartfelt. Well written, I should say. Besides, who does not love Cinderilla? You have not been a child if you never heard of her. – 5 STARS

Riquet with the Turf. There is a fairy here who gives either wit or beauty to the newborn children of royalties. However, if you equate it in the real world, it is just the power of words that seem to work here. When the beautiful but dumb princess utters that the ugly prince be given wit, it is actually her love for him that makes this possible. In short, the moral of the story, according to me, is that we have to be happy for other people that we speak positively of them and wish them good things instead of talking negatively behind their backs and wish them ill. Those are very unchristian especially if the person is not around; don’t talk ill of that person because he is not there to defend himself. – 4 STARS

Little Thumb. There is a family that is so poor that the couple decides to bring and lost their 7 small children in the forest. The youngest of the 7 is Little Thumb who is born, because they are so poor her mama has no more nutrients in her body, as big as a thumb (that’s why the name). However, Little Thumb is very smart. His intelligence is far more than the intelligence of his six big brothers’ put together. Again, there is an ogre (third in this collection, yes I am counting) that Little Thumb is able to deceive that the poor ogre kills his seven daughters instead of Little Thumb and his six brothers. Little Thumb also does a dugo-dugo by fooling the ogre’s wife into giving all their riches to him. I know I read or heard this story before when I was a small boy but I forgot the gist of it. I have always associated the throwing of stones to come back home to Hansel and Gretel and not in this Perrault’s story. I enjoyed every minute of reading or re-reading this. – 4 STARS

The Ridiculous Wishes. A man is complaining that he is so poor and he envies people whose wishes are easily granted. Jupiter, yes the god in the Olympus, hears him so the god says he can have 3 wishes and Jupiter will grant them. However, the man has this habit of saying I wish… without really meaning those things and that habit almost gets him and his wife in bigger misery. Nothing really extraordinary here. – 2 STARS

The Donkey-skin. A princess asks for the skin of a precious donkey in their stable expecting that her father, the King, would not be able to kill the poor donkey. This is part of the series of impossible demands that the princess is asking the king hoping that one of them will not be granted and so she’ll be left by the king and not make her his wife. Had not heard this tale before but it is quite typical. I liked it though. – 3 STARS

Very good classic collection of the original fairy tales. To think that Charles Perrault invented the fairy tales as a genre is a strong testament of his brilliance as a writer and storyteller.

[Daren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of (mostly) well known fairytales published in a more original (albeit translated from French) format.

There were plenty of stories that most of us know - Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella (or Cinderilla as it is in this book), Puss-in-Boots, and Little Red Riding Hood. There were only a few I didn't have prior knowledge of -Riquet With the Tuft, The Ridiculous Wishes, Donkey-Skin and a few that were familiar enough that I probably had them read to me at some point.

There was plenty of difference from the Disney-fied version where everything is sanitised that they were enjoyable enough of a read, even for an adult who doesn't read kids books. Bluebeard was probably the pick of the stories for me!

Available free to down load on Project Gutenberg.

[Steve]

Charles Perrault (1628 – 1703) was a controversial figure who argued before the Académie française (at his initiation ceremony(!)) that "modern" French literature was superior to that of the Greco-Romans. That enlivened the proceedings... Later, he elaborated his reasons and included the less than convincing argument that because the reign of Louis XIV was so enlightened, his age was superior in all respects to that of the ancients. Apparently, he spent part of his life writing epic poems with Christian themes.

But after he went off on these tangents, he composed fairy tales in verse and prose which have entered into the popular culture and thought of all the peoples of Western Europe and their colonial offspring, including the Land of Unlimited Opportunity: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Puss-In-Boots, and others. The Brothers Grimm reworked many of these stories and added their own macabre touch, but already Perrault's stories were not the prettified and watered down versions I grew up with. Not at all.

I don't recall being told in Sleeping Beauty about fairies being transported in fiery chariots drawn by dragons; nor that the Prince's mother was of the race of ogres, so he kept his relationship with Sleeping Beauty secret in order that she not be tempted to devour her grandchildren. When the King died, the Prince and new King made the relationship public, and, shortly after he went off to war, the Queen Mother ordered her four year old granddaughter to be served à la sauce Robert. If you want to know if she succeeded in her desire (with a little Chianti), you'll have to read Perrault's version of the tale. She did like the sauce, though - she ordered her grandson and then the young Queen to be served in the same manner.

I was amused how Perrault hastened to assure the reader that when the prince came by the château ensorcelé, he was of a different royal family (I know how worried I was about the horrid possibilities of incest). But I don't think Walt Disney would have been pleased to read that Sleeping Beauty was not quite 16 years old when she awoke and the Prince made her acquaintance, since over the next two years they had two children which were probably not brought by storks... Or maybe she was not quite 116 years old - then it is OK, yes? But the children were born out of wedlock. Hmmm, not even fairy tales written by authors of epic poems about obscure bishops are reliable!

If, like me, you only know the strictly abridged versions of these tales, do look at Perrault's originals. You might even want to tell them to your children, because children like the macabre also. At least I was told that the wolf ate poor old grandma...

Due to the immeasurably valuable resources of Gallica

http://gallica.bnf.fr/?lang=EN

I was able to read an illustrated edition of Perrault's Contes published in 1697 (I was also able to snag a file containing all of Gustave Doré's illustrations, as well - see above).

Rating

http://leopard.booklikes.com/post/893...

[Niloo · Rating 4 out of 5]

چارلز پرالت یه نویسنده فرانسوی متعلق به قرن ۱۷ میلادیه که یه جورایی پدر افسانه‌های پریان محسوب میشه. قصه‌های پریان پرالت بر اساس افسانه‌های فولکلور قدیمی نوشته شدند. پرالت حتی الهام‌بخش برادران گریم هم بوده.

این کتاب شامل ۱۰ تا از افسانه‌هاییه که پرالت نوشته و هنری کلارک هم براشون نقاشی کشیده. نقاشی‌های کلارک رنگ و بوی خاصی به کتاب می‌دهند. بعضی از داستان‌هایی که توی این کتاب می‌خونیم برامون آشنا هستند، مثل سیندرلا، شنل قرمزی و زیبای خفته. بعضی از داستان‌ها هم ممکنه برامون ناآشناتر باشند، مثل ریش آبی، دختری با پوست خر و تام بند انگشتی.

همون صفحات اول «طرف خانه سوان» پروست اشاره‌ای میکنه به ریش آبی. این اشاره باعث شد بگردم دنبال بازگویی‌های این افسانه و در آخر هم به یکی از نسخه‌هاش در کتاب افسانه‌های پریان چارلز پرالت رسیدم.

من داستان خرد و شانس رو بیشتر از همه دوست داشتم. یکی از نکات جالب این قصه‌ها اینجاست که حتی داستان‌های آشناشون هم ممکنه از نظر جزئیات با داستان‌هایی که ما تا حالا شنیدیم فرق داشته باشند. پیدا کردن این تفاوت‌های کوچک با داستان‌هایی که باهاشون بزرگ شدم، برام جالب بود.

خوندن شنل قرمزی که یکی از اولین کتاب‌های زندگیم بود،‌ اون هم بعد از این همه سال، حس عجیبی داشت. البته نباید این رو فراموش کنیم که توی بعضی از این قصه‌ها، خبری از پایان خوش نیست! این‌ها داستان‌های قشنگ و شیرینی نیستند که پدر و مادرها برای بچه‌هاشون تعریف می‌کنند و ممکنه با یک اتفاق تلخ به پایان برسند. شنل قرمزی و مادربزرگش، برخلاف کتاب کودکی‌های من، در نهایت از دست گرگ نجات پیدا نمی‌کنند.

این رو هم اضافه کنم که کتاب حجم کمی داره، روونه و راحت پیش میره. میشه توی یک یا دو نشست خوندش.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure if I read the same version as this but it was a collection of Charles Perrault fairy tales. The stories was okay, fairy tales is not really my thing but wanted to read about Blue beard and others as I enjoy reading retelings of fairytale and other and jow I'm more familiar with the origins of some.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, what's with all the ogres???
Also, Perrault's morals at the end of each story were quite interesting.
Must-read for lovers of fairytales! You can read it for free online through the Project Gutenberg


LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD
It’s your classic Little Red Riding-Hood story, except there’s no woodcutter at the end to save them.

THE FAIRY
One sister is kind and gets a gift from a fairy, the other sister is rude and gets cursed by the same fairy.

Rude sister: “Am I come hither,” said the proud, saucy slut, “to serve you with water, pray?” (LOL.)

BLUE BEARD
No one wants to marry this guy because he has a blue beard. Oh, and also, all of his previous wives have mysteriously gone missing. But what’s important is the blue beard, right?

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD
So the first half is basically the plot of the Disney movie, but then all of the sudden there’s dwarves, magical boots, fiery chariots, dragons, and the prince’s mom is an OGRE who wants to eat her GRANDCHILDREN…

THE MASTER CAT; OR, PUSS IN BOOTS
Proof that cats are the best.

CINDERILLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER
Apparently in the original story, Cinderella had SQUIRREL FUR SLIPPERS, but the word in French for grey (“vair”) and the word in French for glass (“verre”) sound the same, so it became glass slippers instead.

RIQUET WITH THE TUFT
There’s a boy who has a lot of wit but no beauty, and a girl who has a lot of beauty but no wit (who also has a younger sister with a lot of with but no beauty); the boy and the girl get married and everyone forgets about the little sister.

LITTLE THUMB
It’s kind of like Hansel & Gretel but way bloodier.

THE RIDICULOUS WISHES
Be careful what you wish for, and be happy with what you have.

DONKEY-SKIN
It reminded me of The Goose Girl. But way more disturbing. The princess’s father goes crazy and wants to marry her so she runs away and disguises herself in a dirty donkey skin cloak and one day a prince comes by and sees her without the donkey skin on, falls in love, and then proceeds to fall into a deathly illness because he’s so depressed that he can’t marry Donkey-Skin…

[Jonathan Terrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time, long before farmboys arose to defeat Dark Lords and even longer before the rise of imagined histories attempting to be gritty in a way that removed most moral compasses from fantasy, there was the fairytale. A simple little literary beast masquerading as a story with a morality play contained within its fascinating bounds. A little creation marketed for children but one which contained deeper adult themes. Fairytales did not need to attempt to be gritty, they simply were in how they conveyed themes that clearly indicated that incest, rape, cannibalism and other heinous deeds were abhorrent and that. Nowadays, as the epic form seems to have merged with fairytales thanks to the meddling of Hobbits, fairytales are becoming less relevant. Yet I still believe that the old classic fairytales are relevant to modern audiences. Except perhaps Rumpelstiltskin. In today's social media environment it makes no sense for no one to know that imp's name. If he were around today the prince would hunt down his name on Facebook or Twitter. Speaking of which can you imagine the tweets?

The fairytales in this volume include the classic: Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderilla and Sleeping Beauty. However they are not the fairytales you may have heard or read as a child. While both Cinderilla and Sleeping Beauty avoid the greater horrors that were part of their genesis (according to other sources in the Cinderilla (or Cinderella) tale the stepsisters attempted to put on the glass slipper by cutting their toes and heels off. As for the real Sleeping Beauty story, apparently there are references to the prince of the tale taking advantage of the sleeping princess. The Little Red Riding Hood story remains in its classic form however, with the wolf ending up eating everyone. There is a reason behind the plots of these stories however, with the tale of the wolf being a symbol for predatory men who would take advantage of a young girl's virtue.

In fact each of these stories is accompanied with a moral at the end. These morals reveal the underlying message as indicated by the author. However, there appears to be room in each story for anyone else to enjoy other messages they can observe. Whether you like fantasy stories and want to see some of the older tales in that format, or if you merely like short stories and fairytales I recommend giving this collection a read. It's not particularly long with around 100 pages and you should be able to get through it in around an hour or so.

[Cynda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy oh Boy these are more authentic. Some of the stories have moments of more blood and gore.

I read to fill my Early Modern slot in my personal Classics Challenge. I chose this format--audiobook--because this is format I could borrow from library service Hoopla.
I read a little over 1/2 during a 24-hour Readathon.

Charles Perrault seems to have been the original collector and popularizer of fairy tales. So not having a developed tradition for fairy tales, Perrault used the tradition of fables, ending the stories in morals, sometimes multiple morals. It seems that Perrault was writing for his children and was used to the tradition of morals endings. The morals--however outside of a developed tradition of fairy tales--shows us today what value system parents were trying to instill in their children.

My current fave: Bluebeard. Very scary fairytale.

[Muphyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not having read any of Perrault's fairytales before, I didn't quite realise what I was in for... And people say that Grimm's fairytales are gruesome - huh, think again and read Perrault's!

There's an ogre appearing in about almost every single one of the eight tales in this edition, and, of course, they love eating fresh flesh (i.e. little people) and do so without delay. Yet in a strange way, I found these tales delightful and just so different to the Grimm's; in fact, they made me laugh out loud a few times - perhaps mostly because things took me by surprise, like the ending for "The Fairies": Nowhere could the wretched girl find anyone who would take her in, and at last she lay down in the forest and died". End of story.

Each tale has a moral at the end, some even have two. There are some real nice gems among them, like the "Another moral" at the end of Blue Beard:

You can tell this tale is old
By the very way it's told.
Those were days of derring-do;
Man was lord, and master too.
Then the husband ruled as king.
Now it's quite a different thing;
Be his beard what hue it may -
Madam has a word to say!

And this being written in 1697!

[Ceci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sinceramente, no me han gustado mucho estos cuentos que todos conocemos. Entiendo que es por la época, pero padres que se quieren casar con sus hijas, la belleza por encima de todo, caperucita roja que se tiene que desnudar antes de meterse en la cama con el lobo. Le doy 3 estrellas porque como ya he mencionado es la época en los que están escritos y porque son la base de muchas historias que han venido detrás.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

In addition to the usual list of difficulties encountered when learning any foreign language, French has a few specific wrinkles of its own. In particular, there are certain verb tenses that have fallen into disuse, so that they are no longer used when speaking, but may still be encountered in written French, particularly in older texts.

Most intermediate French students will have seen at least one of these, the so-called "simple past tense", or passé simple. Although it has been completely replaced by the perfect tense, the passé composé , in spoken French, it is still reasonably common in modern texts, though it can come across as being slightly pompous. Given that it's still used in modern writing, inclusion of the passé simple as part of the curriculum seems entirely reasonable.

But the passé simple is not the only French "literary tense". No, indeed, there are four others: the passé antérieur (now replaced by the plus-que-parfait, or pluperfect), the imperfect subjunctive (now replaced by the present subjunctive), the pluperfect subjunctive (now replaced by the past subjunctive), and the so-called second form of the conditional past (something clearly dreamed up solely for the purpose of making life more interesting back in the days before television and video games).

This past week, in my French class, we read part of Perrault's "Comtes", as a way of introducing us to the whole morass of French literary tenses. So I was moved to go out and buy my own copy, which I've been reading over the weekend, and enjoying thoroughly.



Many of your favorite Disney tales are included: "Sleeping Beauty", "Cinderella", "Tom Thumb", "Puss in Boots" (oh wait, wasn't he in "Shrek"?), as well as "Little Red Riding Hood", "Bluebeard", and a handful of others. But don't necessarily expect those Disney happy endings. The Perrault version of these tales errs heavily on the side of cruelty and brutality. There's more than one's fair share of incest, cannibalism, and good old-fashioned gore. For instance, that hunter or woodsman who arrives to save Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma at the end of the Brothers Grimm version? Completely absent from Perrault. In his view of the world, wander from the path to chase butterflies or talk to wolves and you'll come to a grisly ending.

The illustrations are the original drawings by Gustav Dore, and are terrific.



Finally, on the topic of "Little Red Riding Hood", I came across the following photo, which dates from the winter of 1968, my first term at boarding school, and which I present, in all its horrifying detail, without further commentary. The psychic scars run too deep*. But can you guess which of the characters depicted is now one of Ireland's best-known architects, a figure of international renown?



*: For instance, I was forced to sing, in my adorable boy soprano voice, to the tune of "Just a Song at Twilight"

I am getting loooone-ly
for Red Riding Hood

THE HORROR! THE HORROR!

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The other day I was watching a repeat of an episode of QI (a British TV panel show hosted, at the time, by Stephen Fry) and this collection was mentioned in a way that intrigued me. Frenchman Charles Perrault set down these old stories more than a century before the Brothers Grimm did the same with the Germanic versions. This book was offered as a free download on Kindle so I decided to satisfy my curiosity. Like most people I learned fairy stories via the collections based on the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, so my main reason for reading this collection was to see what differences there were. Actually the well-known tales were pretty similar to the versions I already knew, although Little Red Riding Hood was different and Cinderella was a bit different. There were also a couple of tales I wasn't familiar with, including one called "Donkey Skin", that was basically a variant of Cinderella. I don't know whether the popularity of this story simply fell away, or whether it is perhaps better known in France than in other countries.

M. Perrault ends each of the stories with a little verse setting out the moral of the tale, although of course in this edition you get the verses only in a translated version. As an adult you may feel you don't need to be told what the moral was, but bear in mind that the collection was originally published as a book for children.

This collection has some historical interest. It would also be OK as a collection to read to your children, although they might end up arguing with their friends about what really happened to Red Riding Hood!

[Fatima Zohra Larbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

لشغل الطفل الذي يستيقظ بداخلنا كل مرة نعود بنا
الى زمنه من خلاال الرسوم المتحركة التي عشناها في ذاك الوقت
او قراءة ادب الاطفال
حكايات امي الاوزة هي قصص رافقتنا في فترة الطفولة من سندريلا ،ليلى والذئب
حكايا الغول وغيرها لكن بادب فرنسي مع بعض التحوير

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

took me back to the good old days of childhood where insisting on many a story before bedtime in an attempt to stay up later was the norm. it obviously never worked as i would be asleep halfway through the next tale. you just don't get better than this!

[afra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rate: 5/5⭐️
I read the physical copy and enjoyed it. I’d recommend it. Thank you for having me a great childhood.

[Bara'a Moussa · Rating 5 out of 5]

اعتراني الفضول لأن أبحث عن كاتب قصص الأطفال الشهيرة مثل "سندريلا وليلي والذئب"واستعيد ذكريات الطفولة بنسختها الورقية فإذا "بشارل بيرو"(1628-1703)واضع حجر الأساس للحكاية الخرافية و من رواد الكتّاب الذين حولوا القصص الشفوية المتداولة بين العامة إلى أدب له قواعده ومناخه وأساليبه سابقاً بذلك الأخوين غريم في ألمانيا ,حتى أضحى بذلك من أهم وجوه الأدب الفرنسي في القرن السابع عشر.
اكتشفت أن مصطلح "كان يا مكان "المتعارف عليه عربياً قبل الشروع بالحكاية هو من ابتكار شارل بيرو حتى أضحى فاتحةً للحكايات فارضةً نفسها على ثقافات الشعوب قاطبة.
يحوي هذا الكتاب على تسعة حكايات منها ما هو مألوف في تراثنا العربي كذات الرداء الأحمر والحسناء النائمة, ومنها ما هو غير مألوف كذو اللحية الزرقاء وتدور أغلبها حول الصراع الأزلي بين الخير والشر والذي يحتم تداوله في أدب الناشئة يتبعها في خاتمة كل حكاية العبرة والعظة منها
والحق أنَّ الثناء الذي يستحق ذكره هو الترجمة السلسة والسرد العذب الذي اكتنف الكتاب حيث أن الترجمة والتعريب لأي كتاب تمثل في نظري الركيزة الأساسية لتقييمه
ومن العبر التي استقيتها من هذه الحكايات
الفضول بكل ما فيه من جاذبية "
غالباً ما يفضي بنا إلى الندم
فما أن نفوز به حتى يصير عدماً
مع أنها تكلفنا الكثير دوماً"

عذوبة الكلام تحقق من النتائج مالا تقدر عليه أفعال كثيرة .

[Kamakana · Rating 3 out of 5]

010316: i looked at this for the art, but then thought of how i am familiar with several tales- Disney? other authors? Angela Carter? do not remember ever the first time heard or read. i do not remember some details and some tales eg. 'donkey skin', 'Tom thumb', somewhat disappointed in the art, this collection not as fascinating as Hans Christen Andersen... good, quick, simple...

[eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

quelle idée de mettre ça au programme de l’agrégation... qui a laissé son enfant en charge du zoom ???

[evaporée · Rating 3 out of 5]

moi essayant d’avoir l’air intelligente en lisant dans le métro mais je lis le petit chaperon rouge :(

[Érika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 algunos cuentos son macabros. Con razón hay tantas versiones, creo que pase mi infancia engañada. Los seres humanos somos crueles y de ahí salen los relatos de nuestra naturaleza.

[clotilde ☀️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

perrault le misogyne

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the faerie tales in this installment will be familiar to anyone whose parents did a halfway decent job reading to them as a kid. If not, feel free to redeem your copy of the book along with this review to mommy and daddy for a full childhood refund as stipulated by the nightie-night clause of their offspring license. Tell them I sent you.

Personally, I always prefer the pre-Disney, "not nice" versions of faerie tales. Little Red Riding Hood and her old biddie of a grandmamma do not get rescued in M. Perrault's version, and the "moral" of the story in the end gives more than a few hints as to what that story is really about. I'm always amazed that so few people put together the symbolism in that tale, so it was pleasant to get a little validation from a master, even if it was couched in a "moral" from several centuries ago.

M. Perrault does give us a few niceties. I thought it amusing that he felt it necessary to point out that the handsome prince who comes to awaken Sleeping Beauty after a century of slumber was a member of another royal family entirely. Since he later mentions in narration that his little princess is wearing clothes like his grandmother, it probably occurred to him that she could be his great-great-great aunt or something. While that's probably not any closer than third or fourth cousin (meaning marital taboos are probably not an issue) it did seem enough to awaken M. Perrault's sense of propriety. Plus, the Prince's mom is an ogress, and he pretty much leaves his narcoleptic lady and their kids at her cannibalistic mercy, which seems like pushing the mother-in-law stereotype a bit. I can see her wanting to gobble down Beauty, but her kids are her own grandkids. Bad Nanna!

Similarly, his telling of the Cinderella story doesn't have the gory, toe and heel pruning of the rotten step-sisters of the Grimm Brothers account. They are suitably humiliated, but if you're looking to keep the kids up all night rather then send them off to sleep (I'm at best a weird uncle not a stodgy dad, so I prefer to hear "Eeeww!" than "Aaahh!" when dealing with The Littles) then you might want to go Teuton rather than Celt.

It isn't until the last several tales that I ran into stories with which I was unfamiliar. I had not heard/read "Riquet with the Tuft" or "Little Thumb" (not to be mistaken with "Tom Thumb") or "Donkeyskin." In fact, I picked this book up because I'm reading Deerskin by Robin McKinley, which is her version of that faerie tale. It was nice to run into new, old material, particularly as those stories were suitably dark in spots, and with a modern version of the story to contrast it with.

M. Perrault was apparently a well known wit (esprit) in literary/academic circles of his time, and glimmers of that charm appear throughout his narration. Unfortunately, some of the lilt and innuendo might get lost in translation from the French. Apparently, there are several versions of his original translated into English, and opinions vary. Nonetheless, we get a shadow of that spirit, even if it is somewhat obscured by the vagaries of language. Until someone miracles a babel fish into being (and disappears in a puff of logic) we're stuck with the occasional transcriptive tragedy....

I'd recommend this one to anyone who doesn't like kids too much--or who doesn't like the stories we read to kids these days are doing them any good. I'm knocking off a star for the issues with translation, which may not be fair to M. Perrault, but we may never know....

[Fernando Endara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los cuentos de Perrault son sin duda, los cuentos infantiles más conocidos, adaptados y leídos del mundo entero. Clásicos de infancia multiplicados con diversos matices acorde al tiempo, la época y la latitud que pasaron de una generación a otra. Se cuenta que Charles Perrault, recogió historias orales tradicionales y las transformó, gracias a su habilidad literaria, en narraciones despojadas de vulgaridad con ecos moralizantes. En efecto, cada cuento de Perrault se acompaña con una moraleja, consejo, o mensaje para sus lectores. Esta edición, publicada por la colección “Novelas y Cuentos” en Madrid en 1981, contiene los 8 cuentos clásicos en prosa: “La bella durmiente del bosque”, “Caperucita roja”, “Barba Azul”, “Maese Gato, o el gato con botas”, “Las hadas”, “La cenicienta o el zapatito de cristal”, “Riquet, el del copete” y “Pulgarcito”; además de 3 relatos en verso traducidos a prosa: “Griselides”, “Piel de Asno” y “Los deseos ridículos”. Carmen Bravo-Villasante tradujo los 11 relatos directo de la primera edición de 1697. Mientras los relatos en verso destacan por la floritura de las formas, las descripciones detalladas y la abundancia de figuras literarias, la prosa destaca por el virtuosismo de su concisión, la prolijidad de su intriga y la rapidez de los acontecimientos; en ambos casos, el objetivo fue divertir y enseñar al pueblo. Los cuentos de Perrault enfatizan su espíritu moralizante en contraste con los relatos populares y las colecciones de cuentos publicadas con anterioridad. Si “Los cuentos de Canterbury” o “el Decamerón” subrayan un decoro y una moral ligera caracterizada por la audacia, la coquetería, la zalamería, el disfrute, el juego e incluso el vicio; los cuentos de Perrault crearon actitudes “virtuosas” en valores dicotómicos: el bien y el mal. Lo que me resulta problemático.

Aún más, muchas de las actitudes consideradas por los cuentos de Perrault como buenas, positivas o deseables me parecen desacertadas para nuestro mundo contemporáneo. Por ejemplo, el relato “Griselides” que intenta crear una apología de la paciencia y entrega conyugal, me parece que justifica la violencia de género y el maltrato en nombre de la espera y la prudencia. La protagonista, Griselides, lo soporta todo por el amor que dice sentir hacia su marido y aunque a la postre, es recompensada, casi nunca sucede así en el mundo real. Los cuentos de hadas son eso y nada más, pero la intención moralizante puede instalarse en las personas para provocar o provocarse atrocidades, en nombre de virtudes caducas e incongruentes. Aunque el resto de cuentos me parecieron entrañables, por su sencillez y su nostalgia, no puedo dejar de criticar la confianza inocente que guardan en el triunfo del bien sobre el mal. “La inocencia a cierta edad se convierte en ignorancia” En nuestro mundo no triunfa el bien ni triunfa el mal: coexisten, se envuelven, se conectan. Incluso podríamos decir que no existe un bien ni existe un mal, existimos personas moviéndonos acorde a nuestros intereses afectivos, sociales, políticos, económicos, ambientales, culturales. Que los cuentos infantiles no sean el pretexto para perpetuar visiones binarias del mundo. En todo caso, es cuestión de gustos, prefiero la literatura que tienda al desengaño, no la que perpetúe la inocencia=ignorancia.

[Chicco Padovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finalmente una bella traduzione delle fiabe di Perrault! Eh sì, perché tra adattamenti, semplificazioni, retelling e così via - peraltro quasi tutti pietosi e omologati allo stile Disney - finiamo per dimenticarci l’origine di tanta grazia. Sfogliando queste pagine (ri)scopriamo che la bella addormentata non si svegliò con un bacio. Che Cappuccetto Rosso non venne salvata dal cacciatore. E che il re di Pelle d’Asino voleva sposare nientemeno che sua figlia! Soprattutto, troviamo uno stile impeccabile: semplice, elegante, con un pizzico di raffinata ironia che delizierà i palati più fini. E i bambini? Perché le fiabe si sa, devono piacere a loro. Che i piccoli non possano apprezzare la prosa di Perrault, specialmente letto ad alta voce, è tutto da dimostrare. Come sempre accade per i grandi classici la scrittura si presta a più livelli d’interpretazione. Un libro stupendo, per tutti gli appassionati di fiabe e non solo!

Sulle illustrazioni: il testo è accompagnato dalle illustrazioni di Élodie Nouhen. Sono immagini di gusto tipicamente francese, con un tono dimesso, quasi a non voler surclassare l’importanza delle parole. Non è esattamente quello che ci si aspetta in un libro di fiabe, ma visto l’intento dell’opera, direi che sono immagini perfette.

Sull’edizione: discorso diverso sul libro in quanto oggetto. Il volume è un formato A5 con pagine di carta cellulosa. Tutto nella norma, dunque? Sì, se non avessi anche l’edizione francese dello stesso libro. Un albo di 30x25 cm e pagine in carta lucida. L’edizione italiana costa 23€, quella francese 17€.

[Olivermagnus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book of classic fairy tells written by Charles Perrault with 35 black-and-white illustrations by Gustave Dore which include Little Red Riding Hood, Little Thumb, The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods, Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Riquet with the Tuft, The Fairy, and Blue Beard.

One of my reading goals is to revisit some favorite books that I enjoyed as a young girl. I loved that the stories were told in the original form, not the Disney style. I forgot how scary the original Little Red Riding Hood story actually was.

For $1.50 I purchased a copy formatted for an Amazon Fire tablet. The illustrations are magnificent and I thought the Victorian look of the stories was just beautiful. When I delivered it to my Kindle Oasis, an ereader, the illustrations were just as crisp and clear. I loved this book, but some of the fairy tale versions may be too scary for young children.

[Vaishali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten stories, most rehashed a century later by the Grimm Brothers. Both Perrault and the Grimms collected village folktales, so read if you want to see the nuances between them. Two ("Ridiculous Wishes", "Donkey's Skin") are apparently ancient; the former features Jupiter as a character, and the other liberally mentions "gods" and "goddesses."

The Ten Tales:
1. Little Red Riding Hood
2. The Fairy
3. Bluebeard
4. The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
5. Puss in Boots
6. Cinderella
7. Riquet with the Tuft
8. Little Thumb
9. The Ridiculous Wishes
10. Donkey’s Skin

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories were predominat in my childhood so now as an adult I have decided to re-read them. I was slightly shocked there was no happy ending at times and also the language used can be at times harsh, but Charles Perrault lived in the 17th century so there was no need to use kid-gloves. But what I enjoy most is that after the traditional story there is a moral at the end in the form of a poem that even as adults we can enjoy.

[Patty_pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premessa: le fiabe, generalmente, sono trascrizioni di fiabe tradizionali popolari e spesso sono trascritte da più autori. Le fiabe di questo libro furono rielaborate da Charles Perrault con una spiccata ispirazione alla corte del Re Sole (fine secolo XVII) e furono tradotte da Collodi (si, proprio il padre di Pinocchio!), perlomeno nella mia edizione il quale ha dichiarato di averle tradotte il più fedelmente possibile, permettendosi qua e là qualche leggerissima variazione (soprattutto quando alla corte di Re Sole, il nostro Collodi sostituisce una ambientazione toscana).
Barbablù. Mai letta da bambina, e meno male! La morale della fiaba pare sia che l'eccessiva curiosità porti solo guai. Non mi sarebbe piaciuta (infatti non mi piace nemmeno adesso!).
La bella addormentata nel bosco. Io ho letto la versione di oltre cent'anni dopo dei fratelli Grimm (dal titolo Rosaspina) che ricordo fermarsi al risveglio della principessa. In questa versione il principe NON bacia la principessa, le si avvicina e lei si risveglia, mentre la storia prosegue con uno sviluppo tale da sembrare una fiaba completamente diversa e decisamente poco romantica.
Cenerentola. Anche di questa fiaba io conosco la versione dei fratelli Grimm, ma ne esiste una versione precedente di Giambattista Basile (La gatta Cenerentola).E' una delle fiabe più antiche e sicuramente con tante varianti, sia nel mondo occidentale che in quello orientale (i minuscoli piedi cinesi, simbolo di perfezione). Anche in questo caso, Perrault adatta la fiaba alla corte del Re Sole ed è molto più dolce e meno cruda rispetto alle due versioni che ho citato. E la carrozza era un cetriolo!
Puccettino. Forse la conosciamo meglio con il titolo “Pollicino”. Una fiaba che è il condensato delle peggiori paure che un bambino possa provare: la fame, l'abbandono, il buio, l'orco, la paura di morire... Ma è anche la storia del riscatto del più debole che, a dispetto delle dimensioni, porta in salvo con intelligenza e furbizia tutti i fratelli maggiori.
Pelle d'asino. Mai conosciuta questa fiaba! Anche questa proviene dalle tradizioni popolari e anche questa fu trascritta da Basile, prima che da Perrault (l'orsa). Favola piena di buoni sentimenti con un grande “problema”: il re si vuole sposare la figlia! Allora ecco che lei scappa travestita con una pelle d'asino; troverà un principe che la amerà per sempre.
Le fate. Brevissima fiaba dove due sorelle, una buona e l'altra screanzata e maleducata, si ritrovano a di fronte a una fata che ne premia una per la sua bontà e punisce l'altra per la sua scortesia. Ovviamente la buona troverà un principe che si innamorerà follemente di lei.
Cappuccetto rosso. E anche di questa fiaba io conoscevo la versione dei fratelli Grimm. Qui è decisamente più breve e, ahimè, senza lieto fine.
Il gatto con gli stivali. Simpaticissima fiaba dove il gatto, ereditato dal terzo figlio di un povero mugnaio riesce con furbizia e stratagemmi vari a far diventare ricchissimo il suo padrone e, ovviamente, a fargli sposare la figlia del Re!
Enrichetto dal ciuffo. Due regni confinanti, in uno nasce Enrichetto dal ciuffo, brutto brutto brutto, ma al quale una fata concede di rendere intelligentissima la persona che amerà di più al mondo. Nel regno confinante nacquero due bambine: la prima bellissima ma assolutamente priva di intelligenza e la solita fata (che simpatica!) le concede il dono di rendere bellissima la persona che amerà di più; la seconda bambina era bruttissima ma la sempre più simpatica fata le concede di avere così tanta intelligenza e arguzia che nessuno si accorgerà mai della sua bruttezza. La bellissima principessa ovviamente si accorge di essere poco intelligente e si dispiace perché la sorellina, benché brutta, riusciva a monopolizzare le conversazioni a qualunque ricevimento e lei, invece, bellissima si ritrovava sempre da sola. Piange solitaria nel bosco e incontra Enrichetto che ovviamente si innamora di lei a prima vista e le propone di sposarlo alla fine dell'anno e in cambio lui le darà l'intelligenza grazie al dono della sua fata. La principessa accetta senza capire bene cosa sarebbe successo di lì ad un anno. Effettivamente da quel momento in poi la bella principessa diventata molto intelligente passa un anno meraviglioso e sul finire del tempo previsto, incontra nuovamente Enrichetto che dopo aver sentito che lei stava pensando di non mantenere la promessa, le fa notare che anche lei sicuramente ha il dono di renderlo bellissimo e così avvenne... La domanda dunque è questa: fu il dono delle fate a rendere bellissimo Enrichetto oppure fu l'amore della principessa che le ha foderato gli occhi di prosciutto e non ha mai più visto le sue deformità?
Bene, non sono più una bambina ma tornare al mondo delle fiabe mi ha fatto bene. Riparto per il mondo crudele con la certezza di poter sconfiggere i draghi (ma non mi vesto da cappuccetto rosso, perché quella se l'è mangiata il lupo!).
p.s. Nessuno ha un principe da presentarmi? Astenersi nobili senza denaro, per favore!