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Spells of Enchantment: The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture
Spells of Enchantment brings together the best literary fairy tales ever written, arranged to provide a sense of the history and evolution of this ancient genre. Focusing on the work of the most gifted writers of the great Western literary movements from classical times to the present, Jack Zipes's collection shows how some of literature's most creative minds have tried their hand at mixing the magic ingredients of the fairy tale - and how the genre has been marvelously transformed according to each writer's particular genius.
Including more than sixty tales by such master practitioners of the art as Perrault, Voltaire, Goethe, Hoffmann, Hawthorne, Wilde, Yeats, Hesse, Thurber, Calvino, Philip K. Dick, Robert Coover, and Angela Carter, this authoritative, original, and unique volume is sure to bewitch readers of all ages.
CONTENTS
Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius
Of feminine subtlety by Gesta Romanorum
The pig prince by Giovanni Straparola
The merchant's two sons by Giambattista Basile
Ricdin-Ricdon by Marie-Jeanne L'Heritier
Riquet with the tuft by Charles Perrault
Green serpent by Marie-Catherine D'Aulnoy
Parslinette by Charlotte-Rose de La Force
Prince Ahmed and the fairy Pari-Banou by Antoine Galland
The queen Fantasque by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The white bull by Voltaire
Libussa by Johann Karl August Musaus
The philosophers' stone by Christoph Martin Wieland
The fairy tale by Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Eckbert the Blond by Ludwig Tieck
A wondrous Oriental tale of a naked saint by Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder
Hyacinth and Roseblossom by Novalis
The mines of Falun by E.T.A. Hoffmann
The Lady of Gollerus by T. Crofton Croker
Snow White and Rose Red by Wilhelm Grimm
Bluebeard's ghost by William Makepeace Thackeray
Feathertop by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The shadow by Hans Christian Andersen
Spiegel the cat by Gottfried Keller
Hinzelmeier by Theodor Storm
The day boy and the night girl by George MacDonald
The griffin and the minor canon by Frank Stockton
The three clever kings by Mary De Morgan
The fisherman and his soul by Oscar Wilde
Where to lay the blame by Howard Pyle
The tale of the 672nd night by Hugo von Hofmannsthal
A Chinese fairy-tale by Laurence Housman
The queen of Quok by L. Frank Baum
Dreams that have no moral by William Butler Yeats
The five boons of life by Mark Twain
The story of Jubal, who had no "I" by August Strindberg
How treason came to Russia by Rainer Maria Rilke
The story of the fairy tale by Carl Ewald
The seven wives of Bluebeard by Anatole France
The vegetational fatherhood by Mynona
The kith of the elf-folk by Lord Dunsany
The forest dweller by Hermann Hesse
Cinderella continued, or, The rat and the six lizards by Guillaume Apollinaire
The three wishes by Kurt Schwitters
The seventh dwarf by Franz Hessel
The fairy tale about technology by Alfred Doblin
The girl and the wolf by James Thurber
The fairy tale of the king by Georg Kaiser
The fairy tale about common sense by Erich Kastner
The smile of the Sphinx by Ingeborg Bachmann
The tale of the singing branch, the bird of truth, and the water of youth by Henri Pourrat
The king of the elves by Philip K. Dick
The enchanted palace by Italo Calvino
Five men and a swan by Naomi Mitchison
Bluebeard's daughter by Sylvia Townsend Warner
The crow by Christoph Meckel
Prince Ferrix and the Princess Crystal by Stanislaw Lem
Sleeping Beauty by Gunter Kunert
Hans my hedgehog by Janosch
The dead queen by Robert Coover
The lady and the merman by Jane Yolen
Rumpelstiltskin by Rosemarie Kunzler
Tom Thumb runs away by Michel Tournier
The tiger's bride by Angela Carter
The princess and the frog by Robin McKinley
When the clock strikes by Tanith Lee
Pichounetta and the Sergeant of Arles by Michael De Larrabeiti.
Including more than sixty tales by such master practitioners of the art as Perrault, Voltaire, Goethe, Hoffmann, Hawthorne, Wilde, Yeats, Hesse, Thurber, Calvino, Philip K. Dick, Robert Coover, and Angela Carter, this authoritative, original, and unique volume is sure to bewitch readers of all ages.
CONTENTS
Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius
Of feminine subtlety by Gesta Romanorum
The pig prince by Giovanni Straparola
The merchant's two sons by Giambattista Basile
Ricdin-Ricdon by Marie-Jeanne L'Heritier
Riquet with the tuft by Charles Perrault
Green serpent by Marie-Catherine D'Aulnoy
Parslinette by Charlotte-Rose de La Force
Prince Ahmed and the fairy Pari-Banou by Antoine Galland
The queen Fantasque by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The white bull by Voltaire
Libussa by Johann Karl August Musaus
The philosophers' stone by Christoph Martin Wieland
The fairy tale by Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Eckbert the Blond by Ludwig Tieck
A wondrous Oriental tale of a naked saint by Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder
Hyacinth and Roseblossom by Novalis
The mines of Falun by E.T.A. Hoffmann
The Lady of Gollerus by T. Crofton Croker
Snow White and Rose Red by Wilhelm Grimm
Bluebeard's ghost by William Makepeace Thackeray
Feathertop by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The shadow by Hans Christian Andersen
Spiegel the cat by Gottfried Keller
Hinzelmeier by Theodor Storm
The day boy and the night girl by George MacDonald
The griffin and the minor canon by Frank Stockton
The three clever kings by Mary De Morgan
The fisherman and his soul by Oscar Wilde
Where to lay the blame by Howard Pyle
The tale of the 672nd night by Hugo von Hofmannsthal
A Chinese fairy-tale by Laurence Housman
The queen of Quok by L. Frank Baum
Dreams that have no moral by William Butler Yeats
The five boons of life by Mark Twain
The story of Jubal, who had no "I" by August Strindberg
How treason came to Russia by Rainer Maria Rilke
The story of the fairy tale by Carl Ewald
The seven wives of Bluebeard by Anatole France
The vegetational fatherhood by Mynona
The kith of the elf-folk by Lord Dunsany
The forest dweller by Hermann Hesse
Cinderella continued, or, The rat and the six lizards by Guillaume Apollinaire
The three wishes by Kurt Schwitters
The seventh dwarf by Franz Hessel
The fairy tale about technology by Alfred Doblin
The girl and the wolf by James Thurber
The fairy tale of the king by Georg Kaiser
The fairy tale about common sense by Erich Kastner
The smile of the Sphinx by Ingeborg Bachmann
The tale of the singing branch, the bird of truth, and the water of youth by Henri Pourrat
The king of the elves by Philip K. Dick
The enchanted palace by Italo Calvino
Five men and a swan by Naomi Mitchison
Bluebeard's daughter by Sylvia Townsend Warner
The crow by Christoph Meckel
Prince Ferrix and the Princess Crystal by Stanislaw Lem
Sleeping Beauty by Gunter Kunert
Hans my hedgehog by Janosch
The dead queen by Robert Coover
The lady and the merman by Jane Yolen
Rumpelstiltskin by Rosemarie Kunzler
Tom Thumb runs away by Michel Tournier
The tiger's bride by Angela Carter
The princess and the frog by Robin McKinley
When the clock strikes by Tanith Lee
Pichounetta and the Sergeant of Arles by Michael De Larrabeiti.
848 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 1991
22 people are currently reading
1562 people want to read
About the author
Jack D. Zipes
152 books246 followersJack David Zipes is a retired Professor of German at the University of Minnesota. He has published and lectured extensively on the subject of fairy tales, their linguistic roots, and argued that they have a "socialization function". According to Zipes, fairy tales "serve a meaningful social function, not just for compensation but for revelation: the worlds projected by the best of our fairy tales reveal the gaps between truth and falsehood in our immediate society." His arguments are avowedly based on the neo-Marxist critical theory of the Frankfurt School.
Zipes enjoys using droll titles for his works like Don't Bet on the Prince and The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Ridinghood.
He completed a PhD in comparative literature at Columbia University. Zipes taught at various institutions before heading German language studies at the University of Minnesota. He has retranslation of the complete fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Zipes enjoys using droll titles for his works like Don't Bet on the Prince and The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Ridinghood.
He completed a PhD in comparative literature at Columbia University. Zipes taught at various institutions before heading German language studies at the University of Minnesota. He has retranslation of the complete fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 15, 2014
I have read many fairy tale collections and this is the best. At almost 800 pages -- just holding the physical book was an undertaking -- it covers a huge number of tales, spanning from ancient Rome to the late 1980s. It features tales written by well-known writers like H.C. Andersen and the Brothers Grimm; tales by authors known in their countries but not necessarily in the United States; and tales that appear translated into English only in this book. With such a huge selection of tales it's inevitable that not all of them will be to each person's tastes, and I did find myself skipping some after finding them plodding; but more often than not I found myself amazed at having discovered another fantastic author, and by introducing me to so many great writers it has helped me to vastly expand my fairy tale reading list.
May 13, 2015
A wonderful book that traces the development of the literary fairy tale. Zipes includes famous authors, such as Wilde and the Grimms, but he also includes less well known stories. The stories range in style, some are funny, some are dark. Most, however, are just plain good. I first read this when I was a freshman in college, and it turned me on to author's I had not read before. I have also used this in reading classes, and the students (even the males) enjoyed it.
August 2, 2009
I was given this amazing compendium as a child, and it resurfaced from a box in storage... forever on my bookshelf henceforth!
January 4, 2016
From oral tales to written tales, the genre of Fairy tales suggest wonder, magic, enchantments...re-creations. This anthology of tales written for adults will amaze and entertain you. Zipes writes an enlightening introduction that includes information on the elements of a wonder tale, the development of the genre, and how he decided to include the the works in this volume.
January 17, 2008
the evolution of fairy tales. starts with greek myth and continues to fairy tales of the middle ages and the age of enlightenment and on into modern fairy tales. (some really good voltaire and thackery)
October 31, 2012
Still one of the best collections of fairy tales out there.
June 2, 2014
It is quite the colloection, but if you read it straight through some of the stories feel repetitive because they are after all related.
February 16, 2015
First Quarter review.
Having been an Anthropology major, once upon a time, and always having been interested in folklore, a big collection of Western Fairy Tales like this is pretty irresistible. It's also pretty enormous - 800 odd pages, so I've decided the only way to make this work (both with my reading schedule, inter-library loan, and an attempt to avoid burn-out) is to read it in quarters, 200 pages at a time.
The introduction to this collection is fascinating, as Zipes traces what we think of as the "literary fairy tale" (that is to say, the written form) back to its origin, as transcribed oral storytelling tradition of a specific type - the "wonder" folktale (Marveilleux/Zaubermarchen) (as opposed to, say, the legend, fable, anecdote or myth) whose purpose is to instill "awe" and "wonder" in the listener, to alter their view of the world and preserve hope of change through direct action and a belief in the marvelous. In the 15th/16th century Italy, these get transcribed/appropriated from the peasant class oral tradition and included (with many other types of tales) in collections for the aristocracy/wealthy landowners (the only ones who can read) - interestingly, almost from the start, the fairy tale is recursive and self-referential, commenting on previous knowledge of the storyform from oral tradition.
In 17th & 18th Century France, the form blooms and perpetuates (it stagnates in England thanks to the Puritan dislike of amusement!), where the tales are used to illustrate and reinforce civility/correct behavior and the accepted social norms of the upper classes. Thus, the sense of wonder is deliberately linked to "the civilizing process" - "fairies" are chosen as widely known magical beings (coded female) representative of the author's/mankind's imagination (and, very pointedly, *not* God, Gods, Angels, The Church or Saints) as source of this "wonder", projected into a Utopian setting ("Once Upon A Time...") and so has a subversive aspect as well (perpetuating imagery and paganistic ideas The Church tried to stamp out) in a new form.
The absorption of the translated Arabian Nights allows a distant/orientalist setting in which to place discussions and critiques of current court politics and standards. In the 18th Century - cheap publishing allows colporteurs (traveling peddlers) to disseminate these codified forms all over Europe, increasing their didactic function (they are read to the children and non-literate) while also being read by oral storytellers of the time, thus reintegrated into the oral storytelling tradition (so from oral to lit and back to oral).
When the teachers of the Dauphin (and the governesses/nannies of aristocracy), adopt the idea of using the stories as moral instructions, lessons and cautionary tales for their charges, by the 18th Century this gets picked up by mothers of all classes in general (from the cheap books for the literate or the oral tradition for the non-literate) and begins the traditional role of fairy-tales that we associate with the form. As I left off the Introduction, the French fairy-tale was about to influence the German oral tradition...
As might be expected, I didn't dig everything here. A hallmark of fairy tales is their rigid structure, and yet within that structure some of these wander all over the map in their pacing (Giambattista Basile's "The Merchant's Two Sons" and "Ricdin-Ricdon", Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier De Villandon's version of Rumpelstilskin, seem to go on forever) or are too didactic ("Of Feminine Subtlety", from the GESTA ROMANORIM, has its heroic Christian hero inflict leprosy on his thieving wife).
Lucius Apuleius's "Cupid And Psyche" starts the book as a strong, obvious example of the step from Greek myth in which the Gods seem trapped in a fairy tale. There's a marvelous bit where where Psyche uses a lamp to illuminate her invisible and unidentified husband (Cupid) whom she plans to kill, but when the light exposes him, the lamp flares up (because everything in the world loves Cupid, the God of love!) - and her knife turns aside in shame at the intent to harm him!.
Some others are fairly straightforward and familiar ("Parslinette" is Rapunzel) or quirky (Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The Queen Fantasque" has a very kooky queen and her long-suffering husband dealing with twins gifted by the fairies - it also has some ironic near-snarky meta-comments about fairy-tales that break in on occasion). Antoine Galland's "Prince Ahmed And The Fairy Pari-Banou" is also a bit long-winded but fun for both its Orientalist touches and its surprisingly violent ending (don't push a fairy too far or you and your royal council may end up beaten to death!), a trait it shares with the strange and disturbing "The Pig Prince" by Giovanni Straparola, where the titular beast-man kills his first two wives but is still the hero!
Voltaire's "The White Bull", meanwhile, folds Biblical characters (The Witch of Endor, The Serpent Of Eden, etc.) into a somewhat convoluted illustration of his Enlightenment attacks on the Church. I most enjoyed "Green Serpent" by Marie-Catharine d'Aulnoy, where a Princess blessed with Intelligence but cursed with Ugliness travels to a far island populated by puppet people (Pagods) and ruled by an Invisible King (the Pagods even bring the Princess a copy of "Cupid & Psyche" to study!). The King woos her as their arch enemy, the puppet fairy Magotine, plots against her. This story also features an interesting idea where the good fairies cannot undo the malicious fairy's curse so instead opt to gift her with "eventual happiness" thus ensuring she will suffer travails and tests but will come out better in the end.
And that's it for now. When I pick it up again, I'll finally reach the German tales, which are my favorite!
Having been an Anthropology major, once upon a time, and always having been interested in folklore, a big collection of Western Fairy Tales like this is pretty irresistible. It's also pretty enormous - 800 odd pages, so I've decided the only way to make this work (both with my reading schedule, inter-library loan, and an attempt to avoid burn-out) is to read it in quarters, 200 pages at a time.
The introduction to this collection is fascinating, as Zipes traces what we think of as the "literary fairy tale" (that is to say, the written form) back to its origin, as transcribed oral storytelling tradition of a specific type - the "wonder" folktale (Marveilleux/Zaubermarchen) (as opposed to, say, the legend, fable, anecdote or myth) whose purpose is to instill "awe" and "wonder" in the listener, to alter their view of the world and preserve hope of change through direct action and a belief in the marvelous. In the 15th/16th century Italy, these get transcribed/appropriated from the peasant class oral tradition and included (with many other types of tales) in collections for the aristocracy/wealthy landowners (the only ones who can read) - interestingly, almost from the start, the fairy tale is recursive and self-referential, commenting on previous knowledge of the storyform from oral tradition.
In 17th & 18th Century France, the form blooms and perpetuates (it stagnates in England thanks to the Puritan dislike of amusement!), where the tales are used to illustrate and reinforce civility/correct behavior and the accepted social norms of the upper classes. Thus, the sense of wonder is deliberately linked to "the civilizing process" - "fairies" are chosen as widely known magical beings (coded female) representative of the author's/mankind's imagination (and, very pointedly, *not* God, Gods, Angels, The Church or Saints) as source of this "wonder", projected into a Utopian setting ("Once Upon A Time...") and so has a subversive aspect as well (perpetuating imagery and paganistic ideas The Church tried to stamp out) in a new form.
The absorption of the translated Arabian Nights allows a distant/orientalist setting in which to place discussions and critiques of current court politics and standards. In the 18th Century - cheap publishing allows colporteurs (traveling peddlers) to disseminate these codified forms all over Europe, increasing their didactic function (they are read to the children and non-literate) while also being read by oral storytellers of the time, thus reintegrated into the oral storytelling tradition (so from oral to lit and back to oral).
When the teachers of the Dauphin (and the governesses/nannies of aristocracy), adopt the idea of using the stories as moral instructions, lessons and cautionary tales for their charges, by the 18th Century this gets picked up by mothers of all classes in general (from the cheap books for the literate or the oral tradition for the non-literate) and begins the traditional role of fairy-tales that we associate with the form. As I left off the Introduction, the French fairy-tale was about to influence the German oral tradition...
As might be expected, I didn't dig everything here. A hallmark of fairy tales is their rigid structure, and yet within that structure some of these wander all over the map in their pacing (Giambattista Basile's "The Merchant's Two Sons" and "Ricdin-Ricdon", Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier De Villandon's version of Rumpelstilskin, seem to go on forever) or are too didactic ("Of Feminine Subtlety", from the GESTA ROMANORIM, has its heroic Christian hero inflict leprosy on his thieving wife).
Lucius Apuleius's "Cupid And Psyche" starts the book as a strong, obvious example of the step from Greek myth in which the Gods seem trapped in a fairy tale. There's a marvelous bit where where Psyche uses a lamp to illuminate her invisible and unidentified husband (Cupid) whom she plans to kill, but when the light exposes him, the lamp flares up (because everything in the world loves Cupid, the God of love!) - and her knife turns aside in shame at the intent to harm him!.
Some others are fairly straightforward and familiar ("Parslinette" is Rapunzel) or quirky (Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The Queen Fantasque" has a very kooky queen and her long-suffering husband dealing with twins gifted by the fairies - it also has some ironic near-snarky meta-comments about fairy-tales that break in on occasion). Antoine Galland's "Prince Ahmed And The Fairy Pari-Banou" is also a bit long-winded but fun for both its Orientalist touches and its surprisingly violent ending (don't push a fairy too far or you and your royal council may end up beaten to death!), a trait it shares with the strange and disturbing "The Pig Prince" by Giovanni Straparola, where the titular beast-man kills his first two wives but is still the hero!
Voltaire's "The White Bull", meanwhile, folds Biblical characters (The Witch of Endor, The Serpent Of Eden, etc.) into a somewhat convoluted illustration of his Enlightenment attacks on the Church. I most enjoyed "Green Serpent" by Marie-Catharine d'Aulnoy, where a Princess blessed with Intelligence but cursed with Ugliness travels to a far island populated by puppet people (Pagods) and ruled by an Invisible King (the Pagods even bring the Princess a copy of "Cupid & Psyche" to study!). The King woos her as their arch enemy, the puppet fairy Magotine, plots against her. This story also features an interesting idea where the good fairies cannot undo the malicious fairy's curse so instead opt to gift her with "eventual happiness" thus ensuring she will suffer travails and tests but will come out better in the end.
And that's it for now. When I pick it up again, I'll finally reach the German tales, which are my favorite!
September 27, 2020
Some of these tales were fantastic and I'll come back to them again in the future.
Read
April 15, 2022APULEIUS Cupid and Psyche (2nd century)
GESTA ROMANORUM Of Feminine Subtlety (c.1300)
STRAPAROLA The Pig Prince (1553)
GIAMBATTISTA BASILE The Merchant's Two Sons (1634)
MARIE-JEANNE L'HÉRITIER Ricdin-Ricdon (1696)
CHARLES PERRAULT Riquet with the Tuft (1697)
MARIE-CATHERINE D'AULNOY Green Serpent (1697)
CHARLOTTE-ROSE DE LA FORCE Parslinette (1697)
GALLAND Prince Ahmed and the Fairy PariBanou (1714) **
***ROUSSEAU The Queen Fantasque (1756)
VOLTAIRE The White Bull (1774)
JOHANN KARL AUGUST MUSÄUS Libussa (1786) CHRISTOPH WIELAND The Philosophers' Stone (1789)
JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE The Fairy Tale (1795)****
LUDWIG TIECK Eckbert the Blond (1797)
WACKENRODER Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint (1799)
NOVALIS Hyacinth and Roseblossom (1802)
E. T. A. HOFFMANN The Mines of Falun (1819)
T. CROFTON CROKER The Lady of Gollerus (1825)
WILHELM GRIMM Snow White and Rose Red (1837)
WILLIAM THACKERAY Bluebeard's Ghost (1843) *****
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE Feathertop (1846)
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN The Shadow (1847)
GOTTFRIED KELLER Spiegel the Cat (1856)
THEODOR STORM Hinzelmeier (1857)
GEORGE MACDONALD Day Boy and Night Girl (1879)
FRANK STOCKTON The Griffin and Minor Canon (1885)
MARY DE MORGAN The Three Clever Kings (1888)
OSCAR WILDE The Fisherman and His Soul (1891)
HOWARD PYLE Where to Lay the Blame (1895)
HUGO VON HOFMANNSTHAL Tale of 672nd Night (1895)
LAURENCE HOUSMAN A Chinese Fairy-Tale (1898)
**also:
In imitation and satiric parody of the romantic tales that Antoine Galland's translation of Thousand and One Nights had brought into fashion, Hamilton wrote in 1715, four ironic and extravagant contes (fairy tales): Le Bélier, Fleur d'Epine, Zénéyde and Les quatre Facardins. These tales were circulated privately during Hamilton's lifetime. The first three were published in Paris in 1730, The tales, which were quite popular, are humoristic, sometimes even farcical, and show a remarkable sense of extravagancy or, in today’s terminology, of surrealism. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
***La reine Fantasque, a dialogue between Jalamir and a druid, about a royal couple in an unnamed Oriental empire expecting a child and discussing the advantages/ disadvantages of a male or female child.
**** goethe reynard the fox 1794
*****also Rappaccini's Daughter by nathaniel hawthorne December 1844
GESTA ROMANORUM Of Feminine Subtlety (c.1300)
STRAPAROLA The Pig Prince (1553)
GIAMBATTISTA BASILE The Merchant's Two Sons (1634)
MARIE-JEANNE L'HÉRITIER Ricdin-Ricdon (1696)
CHARLES PERRAULT Riquet with the Tuft (1697)
MARIE-CATHERINE D'AULNOY Green Serpent (1697)
CHARLOTTE-ROSE DE LA FORCE Parslinette (1697)
GALLAND Prince Ahmed and the Fairy PariBanou (1714) **
***ROUSSEAU The Queen Fantasque (1756)
VOLTAIRE The White Bull (1774)
JOHANN KARL AUGUST MUSÄUS Libussa (1786) CHRISTOPH WIELAND The Philosophers' Stone (1789)
JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE The Fairy Tale (1795)****
LUDWIG TIECK Eckbert the Blond (1797)
WACKENRODER Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint (1799)
NOVALIS Hyacinth and Roseblossom (1802)
E. T. A. HOFFMANN The Mines of Falun (1819)
T. CROFTON CROKER The Lady of Gollerus (1825)
WILHELM GRIMM Snow White and Rose Red (1837)
WILLIAM THACKERAY Bluebeard's Ghost (1843) *****
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE Feathertop (1846)
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN The Shadow (1847)
GOTTFRIED KELLER Spiegel the Cat (1856)
THEODOR STORM Hinzelmeier (1857)
GEORGE MACDONALD Day Boy and Night Girl (1879)
FRANK STOCKTON The Griffin and Minor Canon (1885)
MARY DE MORGAN The Three Clever Kings (1888)
OSCAR WILDE The Fisherman and His Soul (1891)
HOWARD PYLE Where to Lay the Blame (1895)
HUGO VON HOFMANNSTHAL Tale of 672nd Night (1895)
LAURENCE HOUSMAN A Chinese Fairy-Tale (1898)
**also:
In imitation and satiric parody of the romantic tales that Antoine Galland's translation of Thousand and One Nights had brought into fashion, Hamilton wrote in 1715, four ironic and extravagant contes (fairy tales): Le Bélier, Fleur d'Epine, Zénéyde and Les quatre Facardins. These tales were circulated privately during Hamilton's lifetime. The first three were published in Paris in 1730, The tales, which were quite popular, are humoristic, sometimes even farcical, and show a remarkable sense of extravagancy or, in today’s terminology, of surrealism. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
***La reine Fantasque, a dialogue between Jalamir and a druid, about a royal couple in an unnamed Oriental empire expecting a child and discussing the advantages/ disadvantages of a male or female child.
**** goethe reynard the fox 1794
*****also Rappaccini's Daughter by nathaniel hawthorne December 1844
January 29, 2015
So I have FINALLY finished The Penguin Book of Western Fairy Tales, which is almost 800 pages of fairy tale goodness. The selection ranges from Cupid and Psyche (2nd century) to Pichounetta and the Sergeant of Arles (1988). The tales vary greatly in length and tone, with stories from fairy tale heavyweights like Grimm and Andersen. There are also contributions from well-known writers like Goethe, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain and Tanith Lee.
I have to say, my enjoyment of them also varied greatly. Many did not have quite the alacrity of, say, the tales by the brothers Grimm, with which I’m most familiar with. They were often bogged down with unnecesary details and/or uncertain pacing. The fairy tales also got quite cynical and rather weird when I got to the 20th century. That said, the 20th century also offered a rather lovely of The Princess and the Frog and I really enjoyed Tanith Lee’s retelling of Cinderella (I’ve read some books by her. They’re rather dark in tone, but so so good.)
In conclusion, while I liked some stories more than others, this is still a great anthology for those who are interested in more than just the classic Grimm and Andersen fairy tales. It is very interesting to see how our relationship with fairy tales changes through the years.
I have to say, my enjoyment of them also varied greatly. Many did not have quite the alacrity of, say, the tales by the brothers Grimm, with which I’m most familiar with. They were often bogged down with unnecesary details and/or uncertain pacing. The fairy tales also got quite cynical and rather weird when I got to the 20th century. That said, the 20th century also offered a rather lovely of The Princess and the Frog and I really enjoyed Tanith Lee’s retelling of Cinderella (I’ve read some books by her. They’re rather dark in tone, but so so good.)
In conclusion, while I liked some stories more than others, this is still a great anthology for those who are interested in more than just the classic Grimm and Andersen fairy tales. It is very interesting to see how our relationship with fairy tales changes through the years.
December 20, 2012
At 814 pages, this is quite the compendium. Jack Zipes is THE researcher of folk lore and fairy tales (after C.G. Jung and Joseph Campbell, of course). As with all collections of stories written by different authors, this collection is a mixed bag and unfortunately, more bad than good. While it's fascinating to read fairy tales written by famous authors like Oscar Wilde and Hermann Hesse, there really wasn't a thread to tie them all together. They are listed in chronological order, so the stories bounce all over the place in style and tone - it was difficult to find my bearings in this vast sea of stories. But kudos to Jack Zipes for compiling such a thorough collection!
August 17, 2007
manages to be kind of dry, but still interesting
March 31, 2009
The reader goes through a journey of wonder. So far I have read one fairy tale and I am walking on clouds. I love it!
October 8, 2024
I can't believe I read the whole thing! Over 800 pages including the forward and biographies and almost all of it quite entertaining! There are over 60 tales starting from the 2nd century up to the present day.
Starting with a somewhat slow but interesting history of the fairy tale by Editor Jack Zipes then working its way forward from the deep past, some of the tales were familiar but many were new to me. So many well-known authors wrote fairy tales including L. Frank Baum, Phillip K. Dick, Hermann Hesse, William Makepeace Thackeray, James Thurber, Mark Twain, Voltaire, and Oscar Wilde to name a very few!
I found this book to be well worth the investment in time. I even enjoyed the little biographies of all the authors and learned many things.
Starting with a somewhat slow but interesting history of the fairy tale by Editor Jack Zipes then working its way forward from the deep past, some of the tales were familiar but many were new to me. So many well-known authors wrote fairy tales including L. Frank Baum, Phillip K. Dick, Hermann Hesse, William Makepeace Thackeray, James Thurber, Mark Twain, Voltaire, and Oscar Wilde to name a very few!
I found this book to be well worth the investment in time. I even enjoyed the little biographies of all the authors and learned many things.
August 30, 2019
A ton of great short stories and fairy tales. Some are quite long and others are just a page or 2.
July 22, 2016
The marketing blurb states that this is a "comprehensive anthology of literary fairy tales, which were written explicitly for adults, in English...the best tales of this ancient tradition". (Literary meaning those in the written form.) I was a bit disappointed that, from the thousands of tales that fit this category, the author chose to feature many "ordinary" tales and left out some truly "extraordinary" ones. Albeit subjective, the stories overall are an interesting lesson in historical perspective. The author's Introduction, in which he discusses the evolution of fairy tales is quite good.
June 2, 2013
Very enjoyable. Not for those who balk at 700 pages in a book.
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April 14, 2019Finally finished this after a couple years. It will have been the last book I read to my son at bedtime. Adolescence brooks no such ritual, and I'll keep telling myself that's ok until I believe it.
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