Library Essentials: The Classic Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar

The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar is today's second library essential. Tatar is nearly as prolific as Jack Zipes so it is hard to choose just one book of hers to feature, thus two for today. This one is particularly helpful in understanding the Grimms and their work.

Book description from the publisher:

Murder, mutilation, cannibalism, infanticide, and incest: the darker side of classic fairy tales figures as the subject matter for this intriguing study of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's Nursery and Household Tales. This updated and expanded second edition includes a new preface and an appendix containing new translations of six tales, along with commentary by Maria Tatar. Throughout the book, Tatar skillfully employs the tools not only of a psychoanalyst but also of a folklorist, literary critic, and historian to examine the harsher aspects of these stories. She presents new interpretations of the powerful stories in this worldwide best-selling book. Few studies have been written in English on these tales, and none has probed their allegedly happy endings so thoroughly.

Table of Contents:

List of Illustrations
Preface to the Expanded Second Edition
Preface
Children's Literature?
Sex and Violence: The Hard Core of Fairy Tales
Fact and Fantasy: The Art of Reading Fairy Tales
Victims and Seekers: The Family Romance of Fairy Tales

Heroes
Born Yesterday: The Spear Side
Spinning Tales: The Distaff Side

Villains
From Nags to Witches: Stepmothers and Other Ogres
Taming the Beast: Bluebeard and Other Monsters

Epilogue: Getting Even

App. A: Six Fairy Tales from the Nursery and Household Tales, with Commentary
App. B: Selected Tales from the First Edition of the Nursery and Household Tales
App. C: Prefaces to the First and Second Editions of the Nursery and Household Tales
App. D: English Titles, Tale Numbers, and German Titles of Stories Cited
App. E: Bibliographical Note

Notes
General Index
Index of Tales

Library Essentials: The Classic Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar

The Classic Fairy Tales (Norton Critical Editions) by Maria Tatar is one of today's library essentials. (I have another Tatar book also appearing in a second post.) This is a great companion to The Great Fairy Tale Tradition--it was actually published first. This, too, is often used as a textbook but I'll just let the description and table of contents speak for themselves.

Book description from the publisher:

Fairy tales shape our cultures and enrich our imaginations; their narrative stability and cultural durability are incontestable.

This Norton Critical Edition collects forty-four fairy tales, from the fifth century to the present. The Classic Fairy Tales focuses on six tale types: "Little Red Riding Hood," "Beauty and the Beast," "Snow White," "Cinderella," "Bluebeard," and "Hansel and Gretel," and presents multicultural variants and sophisticated literary rescriptings. Also reprinted are tales by Hans Christian Andersen and Oscar Wilde.

"Criticism" gathers twelve essays that interpret aspects of fairy tales, including their social origins, historical evolution, psychological drama, gender issues, and national identities.

A Selected Bibliography is included.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

The Texts of The Classic Fairy Tales

INTRODUCTION: Little Red Riding Hood
The Story of Grandmother
Charles Perrault, Little Red Riding Hood
Brothers Grimm, Little Red Cap
James Thurber, The Little Girl and the Wolf
Italo Calvino, The False Grandmother
Chiang Mi, Goldflower and the Bear
Roald Dahl, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
Roald Dahl, The Three Little Pigs

INTRODUCTION: Beauty and the Beast
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast
Giovanni Francesco Straparola, The Pig King
Brothers Grimm, The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich
Angela Carter, The Tiger’s Bride
Urashima the Fisherman
Alexander Afanasev, The Frog Princess
The Swan Maiden

INTRODUCTION: Snow White
Giambattista Basile, The Young Slave
Brothers Grimm, Snow White
Lasair Gheug, the King of Ireland’s Daughter
Anne Sexton, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

INTRODUCTION: Cinderella
Yeh-hsien
Charles Perrault, Donkeyskin
Brothers Grimm, Cinderella
Joseph Jacobs, Catskin
The Story of the Black Cow
Lin Lan, Cinderella
The Princess in the Suit of Leather

INTRODUCTION: Bluebeard
Charles Perrault, Bluebeard
Brothers Grimm, Fitcher’s Bird
Brother’s Grimm, The Robber Bridegroom
Joseph Jacobs, Mr. Fox
Margaret Atwood, Bluebeard’s Egg

INTRODUCTION: Hansel and Gretel
Brothers Grimm, Hansel and Gretel
Brothers Grimm, The Juniper Tree
Joseph Jacobs, The Rose-Tree
Charles Perrault, Little Thumbling
Pippety Pew
Joseph Jacobs, Molly Whuppie

INTRODUCTION: Hans Christian Andersen
The Little Mermaid
The Little Match Girl
The Girl Who Trod on the Loaf
The Red Shoes

INTRODUCTION: Oscar Wilde
The Selfish Giant
The Happy Prince
The Nightingale and the Rose

Criticism
Bruno Bettelheim, [The Struggle for Meaning]
Bruno Bettelheim, “Hansel and Gretel”
Robert Darnton, Peasants Tell Tales: The Meaning of Mother Goose
Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, [Snow White and Her Wicked Stepmother]
Karen E. Rowe, To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tale
Marina Warner, The Old Wives’ Tale
Zohar Shavit, The Concept of Childhood and Children’s Folktales: Test Case―“Little Red Riding Hood”
Jack Zipes, Breaking the Disney Spell
Donald Haase, Yours, Mine, or Ours? Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and the Ownership of Fairy Tales
Maria Tatar, Sex and Violence: The Hard Core of Fairy Tales
Antti Aarne and Sith Thompson, From The Types of the Folktale: A Classification and Bibliography
Vladimir Propp, Folklore and Literature
From Morphology of the Folktale
The Method and Material

Thirty-One Functions
Propp’s Dramatis Personae

Selected Bibliography

See? Worth every word and every penny...

Once Upon a Time: What'd You Think?

So Once Upon a Time's Pilot [HD] premiered last night. I didn't see it live--rarely will due to Sunday night family time--but once we got home, John and I sat down to watch it. I will tune in again for the next episode and am interested although filled with trepidation since it will need quite a few viewers to pay for its high production costs. (I'm still bitter over the demise of Pushing Daisies.) Plus, my personal bugaboo is a series that cannot be watched as episodic vignettes. I hate thinking it may take five years to reach a conclusion of something, especially when no show has ever maintained its quality over five years. I'm also the one who will rarely read trilogies until they are finished either. I avoid cliffhangers. Book series are different since they tend to have internal conclusions.

But it was fun with just an edge of campy and the actors pulled off their roles well. I was afraid of scenery chewing and there was little of that, most of it in the first few scenes. Then there is picking out the visual hints and lines. The apple imagery and allusions were funny---Apple cider, anyone? And Red Riding Hood and Granny could be fun, too. There were references to Alice in Wonderland and Oz and, of course, Pinnochio so those are all being included in this fairy tale realm, too.

The episode also appears to be available for viewing for a short time on IMDB, probably only for US viewers. Amazon also has it for purchase which will keep it in your permanent library forever with them.

Next up will be Grimm this Friday...

Sleeping Beauty: Pop-Up Book by Louise Rowe

This one is for those across the pond from me. Those of us in the US will have to order foreign or wait a year. A new pop-up book release is Sleeping Beauty: Pop-Up Book by Louise Rowe. I featured two of Rowe's previous fairy tales last year after they were released. You can read about them and see images of the pop-ups at Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. And those two books, by the way, are slated for an early December release here in the US. Here are some links followed by more images from Sleeping Beauty:

These images came from Rowe's website:

No, they are not as complex as Sabuda or Reinhart's work, but they are still magical and will enchant a child, too. Great gifts for the children or me although I already own Hansel and Gretel and LRRH from an order I placed last year.

Library Essentials Month: Beauties, Beasts and Enchantments: Classic French Fairy Tales edited by Jack Zipes

Beauties, Beasts and Enchantments: Classic French Fairy Tales edited by Jack Zipes is today's library essential. Yes, there seems to be a Beauty and the Beast emphasis this weekend. This is one of the best collections of fairy tales from the French Salon period translated into English. It is the best way to access an English translation of Madame de Villeneuve's entire story of Beauty and the Beast which is actually novella length. Madame Le Prince de Beaumont's derivative of the tale--and the one we are most familiar with--is also in this edition. The small mass market paperback edition, Beauty and the Beast and Other Classic French Fairy Tales, does not have the Villeneuve version. Fortunately, the full version has been reprinted and is much easier to acquire and access.

Zipes's introduction about the salons and the women who dominated them with their fairy tales is also excellent and a great introduction to the topic. Overall, an excellent book and not to be missed if you are interested in the literary history of some of our most popular fairy tales, including those of Charles Perrault which are included in this volume of 36 tales, too.

Description from the publisher:

BEAUTIES, BEASTS AND ENCHANTMENT: CLASSIC FRENCH FAIRY TALES
A new collection of 36 French fairy tales translated by renowned writer and authority on fairy tales, Jack Zipes. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood are some of the classic fairy tales in this amazing book.

Includes illustrations from fairy tale collections.

'Terrific... a succulent array of 17th and 18th century 'salon' fairy tales'

- The New York Times Book Review

'These tales are adventurous, thrilling in a way fairy tales are meant to be... The translation from the French is modern, happily free of archaic and hyperbolic language... a fine and sophisticated collection'

- New York Tribune

'Enjoyable to read... a unique collection of French regional folklore'

- Library Journal

'Charming stories accompanied by attractive pen-and-ink drawings'

- Chattanooga Times

'An excellent collection'

- Booklist.

Library Essentials Month: Beauty by Robin McKinley

This post didn't push live on Saturday, so here it is now on Sunday:

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley is today's library essential and only one of two fiction titles on the list this month. I debated this one and then decided it is certainly one of my library essentials and it is always fun to add some fiction especially on a Saturday when nothing heavy is really wanted anyway.

This is an essential to me because it was a very important book when I first read it decades ago, but still several years after its 1978 original publication date. I discovered it when I was about 13 or 14--I don't remember the time but know it was after I had read McKinley's The Hero and the Crown in one day while very sick (read a chapter, run to the bathroom, rinse, repeat). I was thrilled to have a novel written around my favorite fairy tale by a favorite author--anyone who can make me happy to be home from school while violently sick quickly becomes a favorite. I think an entire generation discovered this book and was inspired to write more retellings several years later because there were virtually no others in the early 80s. Well, I know of one other I bought during that time--Roses by Barbara Cohen, another Beauty and the Beast retelling that was enjoyable, but it was not Beauty. Then Terri Windling's FairyTale Series came along and started to fill in the gap for older readers. But I digress....

Anyway, this is a touchstone book for many authors and readers and inspired many future novels. Nowadays it tends to be underappreciated by the YA readers who have an abundance of choices and is now marketed primarily to a middle reader market that can still appreciate it. It's continued success and popularity helped establish a subgenre of fairy tale retellings. No, it wasn't the first to do so--that's been going on for decades--but there was a dearth of options for many years and none that sold like this one did which convinced publishes to buy and print similar titles. Publishing is a business, never forget. Everyone likes to eat.

Book description from the publisher:

A strange imprisonment

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

Robin McKinley's beloved telling illuminates the unusual love story of a most unlikely couple: Beauty and the Beast.

Cinderella in Art

Here is our Sunday morning video of Cinderella in Art, courtesy of joshje777. This one is over 11 minutes long and worth every second. Check back next Sunday for the next in the series.

Library Essentials Month: Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose

I've been asked a few times recently to recommend some books on faerie lore that go beyond the typical Celtic, Irish, Scottish, English emphasis found in most books. I am not an expert in this realm, but I have a regular need for books of this sort, limited though they are.  So I am doing double duty by making these titles today's library essentials.

For years now, my "go to" faerie reference books have been Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia and Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth
by Carol Rose. They appear in many bibliographies so I am not the only one who has found them the most useful. And while I consult the first one more often, I think of these books as a two volume set in my mind since they fill in the gaps for each other. It's hard to have one without the other.

What really makes these books valuable are their appendices which include groupings by country for easy references as well as other groupings by power, association, type, religion, etc. Each of the books have over 25 appendices each if that gives you an idea of how wonderfully helpful they are. And they are authentically international in scope which is more than can be said for other titles.

Since I acquired these, The Fairy Bible: The Definitive Guide to the World of Fairies by Teresa Moorey has also been released. It looks like a good complement to the Rose books--especially with in the inclusion of more original illustrations. I haven't added it to my own library yet because I haven't had much need for it since my faerie work has not been very demanding in recent years. But it is on my list. Now that I am writing this post I think I need it even more...

Romance Friday: The Ugly Duckling Debutante by Rachel Van Dyken

The Ugly Duckling Debutante by Rachel Van Dyken was released in late September by Astraea Press which specializes in non-erotic romance. A lot of fairy tale romance is being published these days as new releases from big name publishers, rereleases of old titles to ebook format, and new books independently published for the first time (in other words, self-published). I've decided to highlight at least one of these titles every Friday for a while since they keep collecting on my lists. I'll categorize them with a romance tag.

Description from the publisher:

Since childhood Sara has lived with the reality of being ugly. Something her awful family never ceased to remind her. After her sisters run off to Gretna Green, she's left with one choice—go to London and take their place for a Season. It's up to her to marry well and save her family from financial ruin.

A distant aunt decides it’s in her best interest to sponsor Sara for the season and help her snag a husband by any means possible.

Nicholas Devons, Earl of Renwick, is a retired rake and consequently bored with life. He’s given up beautiful women and carnal pleasures. Desperation makes him decide to give his massive fortune away and marry the first country girl he sees.

Lucky for Sara she's that girl. Unlucky for Nicholas, he's to be her new tutor in the ways of the ton. Two waltzes, one masquerade, a violent carriage ride, and two duckless ponds later.... and all that's left is a fun twist on one of the oldest stories ever told.

The Annotated Fairy Tale Books from Maria Tatar

The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales and the other two books in the series from Maria Tatar are another part of this month's library essentials. These are especially beneficial for the more casual but still enthusiastic fairy tale armchair scholar, filled with annotated versions of the tales and illustrations and other materials. It's rather like the SurLaLune site in book format and through a somewhat different perspective.

Book description from the publisher:

The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales is a remarkable treasure trove, a work that celebrates the best-loved tales of childhood and presents them through the vision of Maria Tatar, a leading authority in the field of folklore and children's literature. Into the woods with Little Red Riding Hood, up the beanstalk with Jack, and down through the depths of the ocean with the Little Mermaid, this volume takes us through many of the familiar paths of our folkloric heritage. Gathering together twenty-five of our most cherished fairy tales, including enduring classics like "Beauty and the Beast," "Jack and the Beanstalk," " ," and "Bluebead," Tatar expertly guides readers through the stories, exploring their historical origins, their cultural complexities, and their psychological effects. Offering new translations of the non-English stories by the likes of Hans Christian Andersen, Brothers Grimm, or Charles Perrault, Tatar captures the rhythms of oral storytelling and, with an extraordinary collection of over 300 often rare, mostly four-color paintings and drawings by celebrated illustrators such as Gustave Doré, George Cruikshank, and Maxfield Parrish, she expands our literary and visual sensibilities. As Tatar shows, few of us are aware of how profoundly fairy tales have influenced our culture. Disseminated across a wide variety of historical and contemporary media ranging from opera and drama to cinema and advertising, they constitute a vital part of our storytelling capital. What has kept them alive over the centuries is exactly what keeps life pulsing with vitality and variety: anxieties, fears, desires, romance, passion, and love. Up close and personal, fairy tales tell us about the quest for romance and riches, for power and privilege, and, most importantly, they show us a way out of the woods back to the safety and security of home. Challenging the notion that fairy tales should be read for their moral values and used to make good citizens of little children, Tatar demonstrates throughout how fairy tales can be seen as models for navigating reality, helping children to develop the wit and courage needed to survive in a world ruled by adults. This volume seeks to reclaim this powerful cultural legacy, presenting the stories that we all think we know while at the same time providing the historical contexts that unlock the mysteries of the tales. The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales is a volume that will rank as one of the finest fairy tale collections in many decades, a provocative and original work to be treasured by students, parents, and children. Over 300 often rare, mostly four-color paintings and drawings by celebrated illustrators.

The Annotated Brothers Grimm (The Annotated Books) description from the publisher:

The Annotated Brothers Grimm celebrates the richness and dramatic power of the legendary fables in the most spectacular and unusual Grimm volume in decades. Containing forty stories in new translations by Maria Tatar—including "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Snow White," and "Rapunzel"—the book also features 150 illustrations, many of them in color, by legendary painters such as George Cruikshank and Arthur Rackham; hundreds of annotations that explore the historical origins, cultural complexities, and psychological effects of these tales; and a biographical essay on the lives of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Perhaps most noteworthy is Tatar's decision to include tales that were previously excised, including a few bawdy stories and others that were removed after the Grimms learned that parents were reading the book to their children—stories about cannibalism in times of famine and stories in which children die at the end. Enchanting and magical, The Annotated Brothers Grimm will cast its spell on children and adults alike for decades to come. 75 color and 75 black-and-white illustrations.

The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen (The Annotated Books) description from the publisher:

In her most ambitious annotated work to date, Maria Tatar celebrates the stories told by Denmark's "perfect wizard" and re-envisions Hans Christian Andersen as a writer who casts his spell on both children and adults. Andersen's most beloved tales, such as "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Little Mermaid," are now joined by "The Shadow" and "Story of a Mother," mature stories that reveal his literary range and depth. Tatar captures the tales' unrivaled dramatic and visual power, showing exactly how Andersen became one of the world's ten most translated authors, along with Shakespeare, Dickens, and Marx. Lushly illustrated with more than one hundred fifty rare images, many in full color, by artists such as Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen will captivate readers with annotations that explore the rich social and cultural dimensions of the nineteenth century and construct a compelling portrait of a writer whose stories still fascinate us today.