Indispensable books and resources?

[S.G.]

I've been serializing some fantasy work based off fairytales for a while. One of the things that I felt a little uncomfortable about is that when it comes to fairy tales there tends to be one or two predominant versions that everyone seems to stick to... part of my own research prior to jumping into a new one is trying to make sure I've read a lot of the different versions so I have a sense of what might be essential facets of a specific tales before I decide what "core things" to retain in a fantasy reenvisioning.

While I have to say I really am glad to have the SurLaLune BLog (http://surlalunefairytales.blogspot.com/) to consult,
What are some good academic papers, journals, or books that I can consult?

(Right now in particular I'm very interested in the link from the Wild Swans to a few other Swan tales like Lohengrin and the Arthurian cycle.)

THanks!

[Kate]

Sur La Lune is one of the most popular (if not the most popular fairy tale sources) on the web.

My two favorite sources for find and understanding fairy tales:

Dl Ashilman:http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/ashliman.html

JoMA:http://www.endicott-studio.com/

I link to most of the essential sites at fairytalemagazine.com. Just scroll down the right.

My book is about ten specific tales that are not well known, but I spend a lot of time examining them in ways to help writers.

[Charlotte]

_The Twelve Wild Swans: A Journey to the Realm of Magic, Healing, and Action_ by Starhawk and Hillary Valentine uses this story as a base for self discovery. It's a very interesting analysis.

Check out Jack Zipes and Maria Tatar, possibly available on google scholar for scholarly analysis, or use the closest college online library. Most libraries will give you access if you ask nicely.

[Kate]

Your source ideas are great. Zipes, like Tatar, is indispensable. Both are in the annotated bib at the back of Beyond the Glass Slipper.

[Gypsy]

Tatar's annotated tales books are amazing too - you can read them on multiple levels (all at once if you prefer!) and that includes contrasting and comparing the illustrations, but I'd say keeping in touch with people who both have good fairy tale chops and can explain things in a down to earth manner is key (Kate Wolford is one. Kate Bernheimer, Jane Yolen, Terri Windling, Neil Gaiman are some more). People who can function both at a literary/academic level and at street level are the ones who have the best grasp on both the tales and why they're still relevant today. The heavyweights are great too, of course, as these guys really dig into the meat of the tales and history which can really change the way you think about a lot of things (not just the tales). No fairy tale study is complete without reading Zipes, Warner and the Opie's (among others) but having a balance of theory and practical is important to staying relevant and writing good stories.

The best way to build a library is spend a little time perusing those bibliographies at the back of books you found useful. I found some real gems that way (and don't be scared of out-of-print - you can usually find a copy somewhere).

Another two cents from me. :)

[Kate]

You know, my library of fairy tale books has grown almost entirely from looking at the bibliographies of the backs of books.

It's like secret book treasure.