Favorite Snow Whites, Part 1: Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World

 

Today is the official release date of Disney's live action/CGI film of Snow White in the United States, accompanied by all of its controversies. There's plenty of coverage of the new movie just about everywhere right now in the media machine. I don't really want to tread there myself. So I won't!

But while everyone is paying attention to the tale of Snow White, I would like to share other versions that I enjoy, both modern and traditional. I plan to do that over the next week or so, and this post serves as a brief introduction.

I have always had a strong push/pull with the Snow White story. Disney's rendition is my least favorite of the Disney versions of fairy tales if I am forced to choose. However, the more familiar traditional versions are often problematic for me, too. I was taught by loving parents of stranger danger from a young age, so Snow White accepting gifts from strangers was always disturbing to me. Her trusting innocence felt like pure stupidity to my immature black and white thinking brain. Her domesticity and physical beauty weren't compelling for me either. Consequently, I often ignored Snow White in favor of other tales that resonated with me more.

Then I edited and translated a collection of Snow White tales as part of my Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World. During that process of researching and reading about Snow White variants from around the world, I gained a much deeper affection for the tale. And I discovered some gems that are included in that book. I will discuss some of those in the coming days. 

I shared 41 variants of Snow White in Sleeping Beauties. They are from Italy, Turkey, France, Germany, England, Mozambique, Libya, Morocco, Gabon, Algeria, Iceland, and so many other interesting places. It is closely tied to Sleeping Beauty in some versions, especially the earliest published versions. Those 41 tales (and more that I couldn't include in the book) provide a much larger scope for the imagination, and some don't include many of the more controversial elements of the tale. And occasionally, Snow White more actively rescues herself, too. She is innocent and naive, but she is also sympathetic. I have great affection and compassion for Snow White these days and don't want her to be lost in the giant media machine, defined by the most popular version carefully crafted for corporate profit. So please check back in the coming days as I share some of her interesting varieties.

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 2: Snow White in New York by Fiona French

One of my favorite renditions of Snow White is Snow White in New York by Fiona French, now a classic, first published in 1987. It won the Kate Greenaway Medal for good reason. It is a clever rendition of the tale. My favorite element is the appearance of the famous magic mirror as The New York Mirror, a newspaper, which declares Snow White the belle of New York City. What a perfect and apt modern rendition of the mirror's function in the story, very poignant in our day of media and social media impact.

I also love the art deco illustrations and style. It's a unique take on the story, beautifully illustrated. I've included a few illustrations below.

Book description from the publisher:

Pulsating with the rhythm and vibrancy of the Jazz Age, this dazzling picture book is set in New York City in the 1920s. The story may be familiar, but the cast of characters will surprise you. Snow White is a beautiful jazz baby, protected by seven hot jazzmen. Instead of a wicked stepmother, her arch-enemy is the Queen of the Underworld. And her Prince Charming is a crack reporter from the New York Mirror. The breezy and clever text complements the style and color of the art deco illustrations, making this a picture book of astonishing originality. 

Yes, that stepmother loves to see herself in the newspaper!

Bargain Ebook: Black Thorn, White Rose (Fairy Tale Anthologies) by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Terri Windling (Editor)

 

Black Thorn, White Rose (Fairy Tale Anthologies) by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Terri Windling (Editor) is on sale as a Daily Deal for $2.99. This series of short story anthologies are great. I have the original editions in hardcover.

Book description from the publisher:

“Enchanting, witty” fairy tales for adults from Peter Straub, Daniel Quinn, Nancy Kress, Patricia C. Wrede, and other modern-day Grimms and Andersens (Publishers Weekly).

World Fantasy Award–winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling return with another superb collection of wonders and terrors. In Black Thorn, White Rose, the magical tales we were told at bedtime have been upended, turned inside out, reshaped, and given a keen, distinctly adult edge by eighteen of the most acclaimed storytellers ever to reinvent a fairy tale. Our favorite characters, from Sleeping Beauty to Rumpelstiltskin to the Gingerbread Man, are here but in different guises, brought to new life by such masters as Nancy Kress, Jane Yolen, Storm Constantine, and the late, great Roger Zelazny.

These breathtaking tales of dark enchantments range from the tragic and poignant to the humorous to the horrifying to the simply astonishing. The story of an aging woodcutter persuaded to help a desperate prince make his way through the brambles to save a sleeping beauty twists ingeniously around like the thorny wall that impedes them. The fable of an all-controlling queen mother who faces her most fearsome adversary in a sensitive princess who appears mysteriously during a storm is a dark, disturbing masterpiece. And readers will long remember the exquisite tale of Death, his godson, football, and MTV.

Anyone who has ever loved or even feared the old tales of witches and trolls and remarkable transformations will find much to admire in this extraordinary collection—happily ever after or not.

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Bargain Ebook: The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne for $2.99

 

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne is on sale in ebook format for $2.99 for a limited time. This one is a retelling of Rapunzel from Mother Gothel's perspective. I haven't read this one but I am always fascinated by this subgenre of Rapunzel retellings.

Book description from the publisher:

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel in her tower, but do you know the story of the witch who put her there? Mary McMyne's spellbinding debut, rich with historical detail and forbidden magic, reveals the truth behind the fairy tales—the truth only a witch could tell.

"Smart, swift, sure-footed and fleet-winged, The Book of Gothel launches its magic from a most reliable source: the troubled heart. Mary McMyne is a magician."—Gregory Maguire, NYT bestselling author of Wicked

Germany, 1156. With her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, young Haelewise has never quite fit in. Shunned by her village, her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, and of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.

When her mother dies, Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the legendary tower her mother spoke of—a place called Gothel, where she meets a wise woman willing to take Haelewise under her wing. There, she discovers that magic is found not only in the realm of fairy tales.

But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It's also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the church strives to keep hidden. A secret that reveals a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles, behind the world Haelewise has always known.

Praise for The Book of Gothel:

"A sprawling epic, full of magic, love, and heartbreak." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A luscious origin story." —Booklist (starred review)

"A sweeping, sharp story of how history twists into fairy tales and back again." —Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author

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New Book: Remembering the Jewish and German Questions: Essays on Fairy Tales, Poetry, and Culture by Jack Zipes

 

Remembering the Jewish and German Questions: Essays on Fairy Tales, Poetry, and Culture by Jack Zipes is officially released next week but is available for ordering now. I haven't had an opportunity to see this book but I immensely admire Zipes' work. I also had the opportunity to finally travel to Germany in 2024 for the first time and appreciated the references to Jewish experiences and culture in the many museums and cathedrals I visited. So this book interests me on multiple levels.

Book description from the publisher:

Remembering the Jewish and German Questions: Essays on Fairy Tales, Poetry, and Culture is a selection of Jack Zipes’s insightful essays and presentations on fairy tales, Jewish studies, philosophy, drama, and the German public sphere.

The collection begins by considering how fairy tales have been shaped by societies, and how they have influenced society in turn. Zipes considers the history of the Grimms’ fairy tales and their popularity and spread – comparing them to an epidemic. The second chapter champions the work and significance of the great philosopher Ernst Bloch, with substantial engagement with the essay collection Not Yet: Reconsidering Ernst Bloch (Daniel and Moylan 1997). Chapter 3 probes into the way society makes sense of the world through fairy tales and fantasy. In Chapter 4, Zipes explores the shift and reemergence of Jewish culture in Germany in the 1990s. He turns to the work of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari to offer insight into the usefulness of a "minor literature" for grasping the impact of Jewish culture as a minor culture in Germany. The next chapter provides a fascinating case study of Hungarian writer and theater director George Tabori’s relationship to the Jewish Question through examination of his plays from 1968 to 1996. Chapter 6 looks to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany in 1990, and questions around Jewish and German relationships in the public sphere. The final chapter offers detailed examination of Theodor Adorno’s essay “Cultural Criticism and Society” (1951) and remembers forgotten poets who wrote remarkable poems in defiance of the barbarism of World War 2.

This interdisciplinary, transnational, and crosscultural collection gathers essays and presentations from Jack Zipes’s captivating oeuvre published or presented across two decades. It provides a celebration of the work of this esteemed and field-defining literary scholar. It is an illuminating book intended for readers interested in fairy tale studies, poetry, drama, and Jewish studies.

And because this always helps me, here is Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1. Towards an Epidemiology of the Grimms' Fairy Tales

Chapter 2. Traces of Hope: The Nonsynchronicity of Ernst Bloch

Chapter 3. Why Fantasy Matters Too Much: The Delusion and Hope of the Fantastic 

Chapter 4. The Contemporary German Fascination for Things Jewish: Toward a Jewish Minor Culture

Chapter 5. George Tabori and the Jewish Question

Chapter 6. Inclusion as Exclusion: Framing Jewish and German Questions in the Public Sphere

Chapter 7. On the Necessity of Writing Poetry and Stories after Auschwitz: A Reassessment of Adorno’s Cultural Critique

Bibliography

Index

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Bargain Ebook: The Princess Curse Kindle Edition by Merrie Haskell for $1.99

 

The Princess Curse Kindle Edition by Merrie Haskell is on sale in ebook format for $1.99 for a limited time. This is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, a tale that is obscure to most but beloved by so many novelists. It has a disproportionately high number of retellings to its general obscurity in popular culture. I, too, am a fan and have dabbled with my own retelling. This version is suitable for most ages.

Book description from the publisher:

Twelve princesses suffer from a puzzling (if silly) curse, and anyone who ends it will win a reward. Reveka, a sharp-witted and irreverent apprentice herbalist, wants that reward. But her investigations lead to deeper mysteries and a daunting choice—will she break the curse at the peril of her own soul?

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Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale by Kimberly J. Lau

 

Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale (The Donald Haase Series in Fairy-Tale Studies) by Kimberly J. Lau was released in December 2024. 

The entire book is fascinating. The inclusion of Andrew and Nora Lang's work is perhaps of most interest to me, although I enjoyed all of the discussions, because their work was purposely multicultural before that was even a common term, but still very much a product of the authors' British nationality and time in history.

Book description from the publisher:

In stories retold for generations, wondrous worlds and magnificent characters have defined the genre of European fairy tales with little recognition of yet another defining aspect―racism and racialized thinking. Engaging four classic fairy-tale collections, author Kimberly J. Lau connects close readings of the tales to the cultural discourses, scholarly debates, and imperial geopolitics that established and perpetuated ideas about racial difference and white superiority. Within the tales of Giambattista Basile, Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, the Grimms, and Andrew and Nora Lang, Lau teases apart and historicizes the racialized themes and ideologies embedded within fairy tales spanning the early seventeenth to early twentieth centuries. She contends that the European fairy tale is definitively marked, whether implicitly or explicitly, by whiteness, and given the genre's documented colonization of diverse narrative traditions over time, this specter of race is all the more haunting. This trailblazing work demonstrates the continuous evolution of racialized thinking that has informed the publication and dissemination of fairy tales. Here, Lau provides a new framework for understanding European fairy tales in the milieux in which they were created, bringing distant and ethereal worlds back to earth.

 Reviews

"Fairy-tale studies has needed this book for a long time. With meticulous historical and narrative analysis, Kimberly J. Lau lays out a consummate reckoning of racism in the European tale tradition. The unmarked, naturalized, inevitable whiteness of the tales is thoroughly debunked. This is literary litigation at its finest. A world of assumptions unmasked by a scholar who is also an intrepid investigator working at the highest level of commitment to giving us new truths about the old stories that still shape our worldview."―Kay Turner, coeditor of Transgressive Tales: Queering the Grimms (Wayne State University Press), and founder of the What a Witch project

"In eye-opening ways, Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale does for fairy tales what Ebony Elizabeth Thomas's The Dark Fantastic did for fantasy and Isiah Lavender III's Race in American Science Fiction did for science fiction. We do not have to agree with every one of Kimberly J. Lau's interpretations, but it is impossible after reading this carefully researched book to unsee the workings of racial ideologies and representations in foundational European literary collections of fairy tales, and it is clear how insisting on the power of non-Euro-American wonder genres counters that history―and matters today. This distinctive contribution to viewing fairy-tale history and intersectionality is a must-read in fairy-tale studies."―Cristina Bacchilega, professor emerita, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, and coeditor of Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies (Wayne State University Press)

"Kimberly J. Lau's Specters of the Marvelous foregrounds race in often whitewashed European fairy tales. A compelling history of race in literary European fairy tales."―Foreword Magazine

I received a paperback edition of this book for reviewing purchases from the publisher. As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Newish Book: North Is the Night by Emily Rath

 

North Is the Night (Tuonela Duet Book 1) by Emily Rath was released in December 2024, so a recent book. It uses Finnish folklore and has loud echos of Hades and Persephone from Greek mythology as well as Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. I always love Baltic settings, perhaps because I have a strong Norwegian and Swedish heritage just a few generations back.

Book description from the publisher:

Two bold young women defy the gods and mortals, living and dead, in this darkly mythical, Finnish folklore-inspired fantasy duology for readers of T. Kingfisher's Nettle & Bone, Danielle L. Jensen, Thea Guanzon, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec.

“A romantic, adventure-filled tale that will enrapture readers with a transportive saga of love, friendship, and magic.” —Adrienne Young, New York Times-and USA Today-bestselling author of The Unmaking of June Farrow

In the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark forests. For Siiri and Aina, summer’s fading light is a harbinger of unwelcome change. Land-hungry Swedes venture north, threatening the peace; a zealous Christian priest denounces the old ways; and young women have begun to disappear. 

Siiri vows to protect Aina from danger. But even Siiri cannot stop a death goddess from dragging her friend to Tuonela, the mythical underworld. Determined to save Aina, Siiri braves a dangerous journey north to seek the greatest shaman of legend, the only person to venture to the realm of death and return alive. 

In Tuonela, the cruel Witch Queen turns Aina’s every waking moment into a living nightmare. But armed with compassion and cleverness, Aina learns the truth of her capture: the king of the underworld himself has plans for her. To return home, Aina must bargain her heart—as Siiri plots a daring rescue of the woman she loves the most.

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Bargain Ebook: If the Slipper Fits: A Cinderella Sisterhood Series by Olivia Drake for $2.99

If the Slipper Fits: A Cinderella Sisterhood Series by Olivia Drake is on sale for $2.99 in ebook format. And yes, this one is Cinderella inspired.

Book description from the publisher:

“A tale filled with gothic overtones, sensuality, sprightly dialogue, emotion, an engaging cast and a beautiful pair of perfectly fitting slippers.” —RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

Raised in a girls’ school, Annabelle Quinn longs for the world outside the walls of the academy. When she’s hired as the governess to an orphaned duke, Annabelle never expects the child’s breathtakingly handsome guardian to capture her imagination—or her heart.

Falling for his young nephew’s governess is an irksome complication in Lord Simon Westbury’s orderly life, but Annabelle’s quiet beauty and wry intellect are too much to resist. Meanwhile, a mysterious danger looms over the remote Cornwall estate. Will their newfound desire stand the test of time? Or are some happy endings just too good to come true?

“A dash of danger and a dash of fairytale in the form of a very special pair of shoes add to the romance plot, filling out If the Slipper Fits nicely.” —Romance Junkies

“Filled with romance, breathtaking passion, and a dash of mystery that will leave you wanting more.” —Night Owl Reviews

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Bargain Ebook: The Night Ends with Fire (The Dragon Spirit Duology Book 1) by K. X. Song

 

The Night Ends with Fire (The Dragon Spirit Duology Book 1) by K. X. Song is on sale in ebook format for $2.99. This one is inspired by the folktale of Mulan. It is well reviewed by critics and readers.

Book description from publisher:

Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.

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Newish Book: What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball by Elisabeth Aimee Brown

 

What Comes of Attending the Commoners Ball by Elisabeth Aimee Brown was released last year. The elevator pitch of "Cinderella meets Howl’s Moving Castle" is enough for some of you but the description is below for the rest of you.

Book description from the publisher:

Hester Flanders went to the ball for the food. She didn’t expect a prince to follow her home.

If there’s one rule Hester learned during her country upbringing, it’s never accept a gift: that’s how the Folk get you. Although she’s left her farm behind, she can’t leave her superstitions, even if no one else in the capital city seems to care. Hardworking but hungry, she’s looking for loopholes, and the king’s annual Commoners Ball seems like the perfect way to get a free meal that’s not technically a gift—and it would have been, too, except a pesky prince took a shine to her.

Inglebert Lucas Chesingwick isn’t just the crown prince: he’s also practical, responsible, and very annoyed to see his younger brother causing a scene by flirting with a peasant at the ball. He can separate them for one night, but his mischievous brother is determined to see the poor girl again. And again. And for some reason, Lucas keeps running into her, too. If only there was some way he could help her …

The princes might mean well, but Hester knows better than to accept favors from anyone, even royalty—even if it’s cheese—and even if saying no breaks her heart. After all, just because the Folk have never been seen in the city doesn’t mean they’re not around …

Cinderella meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this cozy fantasy romance from debut author Elisabeth Aimee Brown. Pick up your copy and whirl away into a whimsical story of glittering gaslamps, frisky Folk, and huggable hogs.

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New Book: Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods

 

Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods is a new book inspired by both Cinderella and the Little Mermaid. It has been blurbed by Juliet Marillier which is a coup for any author.

Book description from the publisher:

Upon a Starlit Tide is a dark and enchanting historical fantasy combining elements of "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" into a wholly original tale of love, power, and betrayal.

*The hardcover edition features beautiful custom endpapers.*

Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758. To Lucinde Léon, the youngest daughter of a wealthy French shipowner, the high walls of Saint-Malo are more hindrance than haven.

While her sisters are busy trying to secure advantageous marriages, Luce spends her days secretly being taught to sail by Samuel, her best friend—and an English smuggler. Only he understands how the waves call to her. Then one stormy morning, Luce rescues a drowning man from the sea.

Immediately drawn in by the stranger’s charm, Luce is plunged into a world of glittering balls and faerie magic, seduction and brutality. Secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface, but as Luce wrestles with warring desires, she finds that her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.

Or the scales of a seamaid's tail.

"Magnificent. This is a must-read!”—Juliet Marillier, award-winning author of the Sevenwaters and Blackthorn & Grim series

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