Library Essentials Month: The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm

Yes, I am sure there was little doubt that The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm (Norton Critical Editions) edited by Jack Zipes wasn't going to make the library essentials list.

This book came out a few years after I started SurLaLune. It was another one that made me wish I had always owned it. And that it came in hardcover, but it doesn't. Most of the readers here probably already own this one--it is often used as a textbook after all--but this one gets the highest recommendation. It is actually in my top 10 most important library essentials. Yes, I have many of these materials scattered throughout my library and on the SurLaLune main site, but they are conveniently gathered here in one book. This is a must if one is interested in fairy tales and their histories and variants. The introduction to each subgrouping is very helpful as in the introduction to the whole book and the critical texts at the end. I don't have to reference this one so often anymore, but it was a mainstay when I was still learning so much and it is still pulled regularly from its place on the shelf at my left elbow.

Product description from the publisher:

The first edition of its kind, The Great Fairy Tale Tradition is indispensable for students of fairy tales.

The tales-116 in all-are thematically grouped. Each grouping is introduced and annotated by Jack Zipes, the genre's reigning expert. Twenty illustrations accompany the texts.

"Criticism" includes seven important assessments of different aspects of the fairy tale tradition, written by W. G. Waters, Benedetto Croce, Lewis Seifert, Patricia Hannon, Harry Velten, Siegfried Neumann, and Jack Zipes.

Brief biographies of the storytellers and a Selected Bibliography are included.

And the Table of Contents to cinch the deal:

The Texts of the Great Fairy Tale Tradition

CLEVER THIEVES
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Cassandrino the Thief
Brothers Grimm, The Master Thief

SWINDLED SWINDLERS
Giovan Francesco Straparaola, The Priest Scarpafico
Brothers Grimm, Little Farmer

INCESTUOUS FATHERS
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Tebaldo
Giambattista Basile, The Bear
Charles Perrault, Donkey Skin
Brothers Grimm, All Fur

BEASTLY BORN HEROES
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Galeotto
Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, The Wild Boar
Henriette Julie de Murat, The Pig King
Brothers Grimm, Hans My Hedgehog

THE WISHES OF FOOLS
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Pietro the Fool
Giambattista Basile, Peruonto
Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, The Dolphin
Brothers Grimm, Simple Hans

DANGEROUS SIRENS
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Fortunio
Jean de Mailly, Fortunio
Brothers Grimm, The Nixie in the Pond

DISGUISED HEROES
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Constanza/Constanzo
Giambattista Basile, The Three Crowns
Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, Belle-Belle or the Chevalier Fortuné
Henriette Julie de Murat, The Savage

ENVIOUS SISTERS
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Ancilotto, King of Provino
Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, Princess Belle-Etoile and Prince Cheri
Eustache Le Noble, The Bird of Truth
Antoine Galland, The Two Sisters Who Envied their Cadette
Brothers Grimm, The Three Little Birds

WILD MEN
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Guerrino and the Savage Man
Jean de Mailly, Prince Guerini
Friedmund von Arnim, Iron Hans
Brothers Grimm, The Wild Man
Brothers Grimm, Iron Hans

COMPETITIVE BROTHERS
Girolamo Morlini, Three Brothers Who Become Wealthy Wandering the World
Giovan Francesco Straparola, The Three Brothers
Giambattista Basile, The Five Brothers
Brothers Grimm, The Four Skillful Brothers

TRIUMPHANT APPRENTICES
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Maestro Lattantio and his Apprentice Dionigi
Eustache Le Noble, The Apprentice Magician
Brothers Grimm, The Thief and his Master

BROTHERLY LOVE
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Cesarino, the Dragon Slayer
Giambattista Basile, The Merchant
Brothers Grimm, The Two Brothers

SHREWD CATS
Giovan Francesco Straparola, Constantino Fortunato
Giambattista Basile, Cagliuso
Charles Perrault, The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots
Brothers Grimm, Puss in Boots

VIRTUOUS QUEENS
Giovan Francesco Straparola, The Snake and the Maiden
Jean de Mailly, Blanche-Belle

MAGIC HELPERS
Giambattista Basile, The Ogre
Brothers Grimm, The Magic Table, the Golden Donkey, and the Club in the Sack

FOOLISH PEASANTS
Giambattista Basile, Vardiello
Brothers Grimm, Freddy and Katy

THE REVENGE AND REWARD OF NEGLECTED DAUGHTERS
Giambattista Basile, The Cat Cenerentola
Charles Perrault, Cinderella, or The Glass Slipper
Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, Finette Cendron
Brothers Grimm, Cinderella

THE POWER OF LOVE
Giambattista Basile, Petrosinella
Charlotte-Rose de la Force, Persinette
Friedrich Schulz, Rapunzel
Brothers Grimm, Rapunzel

TERRIBLE CURSES AND LUCKY PRINCES
Giambattista Basile, The Dove
Brothers Grimm, The Two Kings’ Children

THE FATHER’S BETRAYAL
Giovanni Fiorentino, Dionigia and the King of England
Giambattista Basile, The Maiden Without Hands
Brothers Grimm, The Maiden Without Hands

THE ART OF GOOD CONDUCT
Giambattista Basile, Sapia Liccarda
Marie-Jeanne Lhéritier, The Discreet Princess, or The Adventures of Finette

REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS FOR GOOD AND BAD GIRLS
Giambattista Basile, The Three Fairies
Marie-Jeanne Lhéritier, The Enchantments of Eloquence, or The Effects of Sweetness
Charles Perrault, The Fairies
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Aurore and Aimée
Brothers Grimm, Mother Holle

MAGICAL TRANSFORMATIONS
Giambattista Basile, The Three King Beasts
Friedmund von Arnim, The Castle of the Golden Sun
Brothers Grimm, The Crystal Ball

THE FATE OF SPINNING
Giambattista Basile, The Seven Bits of Bacon Rind
Marie-Jeanne Lhéritier, Ricdin-Ricdon
Brothers Grimm, Rumpelstiltskin
Brothers Grimm, The Three Spinners
Brothers Grimm, The Lazy Spinner

GOOD AT HEART AND UGLY AS SIN
Giambattista Basile, The Two Cakes
Brothers Grimm, The White Bride and the Black Bride

FAITHFUL SISTERS
Giambattista Basile, The Seven Doves
Brothers Grimm, The Twelve Brothers

FAITHFUL SERVANTS
Giambattista Basile, The Raven
Brothers Grimm, Faithful Johannes

THE TAMING OF SHREWS
Giambattista Basile, Pride Punished
Brothers Grimm, King Thrushbeard

LUCKY BUMPKINS
Giambattista Basile, The Goose
Brothers Grimm, The Golden Goose

THE FRUITFUL SLEEP
Giambattista Basile , The Sun, the Moon, and Talia
Charles Perrault, Sleeping Beauty
Brothers Grimm, Brier Rose

ABANDONED CHILDREN
Giambattista Basile, Ninnillo and Nennella
Charles Perrault, Little Thumbling
Brothers Grimm, Hansel and Gretel

INCONVENIENT MARRIAGES
Catherine Bernard, Riquet with the Tuft
Charles Perrault, Riquest with the Tuft
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Spirituel and Astre

BLOODTHIRSTY HUSBANDS
Charles Perrault, Bluebeard
Brothers Grimm, Bluebeard
Brothers Grimm, Fitcher’s Bird
Brothers Grimm, The Robber Bridegroom

DANGEROUS WOLVES AND NA¦VE GIRLS
Charles Perrault, Little Red Riding Hood
Brothers Grimm, Little Red Cap

LOVE CONQUERS ALL
Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, The Orange Tree and the Bee
Brothers Grimm, Okerlo

COMPASSIONATE SISTERS AND UNGRATEFUL DEMONS
Caroline Stahl, The Ungrateful Dwarf
Brothers Grimm, Snow White and Rose Red

THE REDEEMER
Albert Ludwig Grimm, The Three Princes
Brothers Grimm, The Queen Bee

THE BEAST AS BRIDEGROOM
Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, The Ram
Jean Paul Bignon, Zeineb
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast
Brothers Grimm, The Singing, Springing Lark

Criticism

Jack Zipes, The Cross-Cultural Connections and the Contamination of the Classical Fairy Tale
W. G. Waters, [Essay from The Facetious Nights of Straparola]
Benedetto Croce, [Essay from The Pentamerone of Giambattista Basile]
Lewis Siefert, The Marvelous in Context: The Place of the Contes de Fées in Late Seventeenth-Century France
Patricia Hannon, Corps cadavres: Heroes and Heroines in the Tales of Perrault
Harry Velten, The Influence of Charles Perrault’s Contes de ma Mère L’Oie on German Folklore
Siegfried Neumann, The Brothers Grimm as Collectors and Editors of German Folklore
...

The Orphan: A Cinderella Story from Greece by Anthony Manna and Christodoula Mitakidou

The Orphan: A Cinderella Story from Greece by Anthony Manna and Christodoula Mitakidou and illustrated by Giselle Potter is released today.

Book description from the publisher:

Once upon a time in Greece, fate left a young girl an orphan. Her stepmother was so hateful that she counted every drop of water the orphan drank! But with the help of Nature's blessings, the orphan was showered with gifts: brilliance from the Sun, beauty from the Moon, gracefulness from the Dawn—and even a tiny pair of blue shoes from the Sea. When the prince comes to visit their village, he only has eyes for the mysterious beauty. Children will love this fanciful folk retelling of the Cinderella story, accompanied by luminous watercolor illustrations by Giselle Potter.

About the Authors

ANTHONY L. MANNA and SOULA MITAKIDOU's first collaboration, Mr. Semolina-Semolinus: A Greek Folktale, illustrated by Giselle Potter, was an ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book, and a New York Public Library Best Book for Children. Anthony has taught at universities in Turkey, Greece, and the U.S. Soula grew up in Greece, and storytelling was an important part of her family's traditions. She now lives in Thessaloniki, Greece, where she teaches at Aristotle University.

GISELLE POTTER's children's books include The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter, a Parents' Choice Gold Award winner; and Kate and the Beanstalk by Mary Pope Osborne, a Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal Best Book and an ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book. Giselle lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband and daughters. Visit her at GisellePotter.com.

Library Essentials Month: Fairytale in the Ancient World by Graham Anderson

Fairytale in the Ancient World by Graham Anderson is a deceptively slim book. This is the first of the books that I have listed as a library essential that was released a few years after I started SurLaLune. I remember reading it and thinking, oh, so much I'd love to add to SurLaLune!
Description from the publisher:

In this, the first modern study of the ancient fairytale, Graham Anderson asks whether the familiar children's fairytale of today existed in the ancient world. He examines texts from the classical period and finds many stories which resemble those we know today, including:

* a Jewish Egyptian Cinderella
* a Snow White whose enemy is the goddess Artemis
* a Pied Piper at Troy.

He puts forward many previously unsuspected candidates as classical variants of the modern fairytale and argues that the degree of violence and cruelty in the ancient tales means they must have been meant for adults.

My own review from 2003 is still up on Amazon, the only one there to date:

Having had this book in my personal collection for a few years now, I cannot praise it highly enough. As any folklorist knows, similar story threads exist across cultures and time. Why does this happen? One influence may have been the classic mythology from the Greeks and Romans. Graham Anderson makes reasonable connections between classical literature and our more modern folklore in previously unexplored ways. His writing is concise with easy-to-follow descriptions and analysis. If you are interested in the history of story, folklore, or the classics, this book is an excellent and relatively quick read. I only wish I had owned this book in the days when I was studying the classics as an undergraduate. It would have made reading the classics even more interesting than it was then.

That pretty much sums it up. I regularly reference this book when considering fairy tale variants or themes. No, many of these old myths are not necessarily directly related to our modern fairy tales, but the commonality of themes and plot devices is impressive. This one makes you think and it makes you want to return to classic mythology--especially when you realize how much you may have missed of mythology. I have an English degree which partially focused on the Greek and Roman classics and I missed much of these stories.

Best yet, many of the most popular fairy tales are found in these pages, from Cinderella to Little Red Riding Hood to Snow White and others, there is some fascinating reading in this short book. When Fairy Tales from Before Fairy Tales: The Medieval Latin Past of Wonderful Lies by Jan M. Ziolkowski hit my own shelves, I was unfair to it because I wanted it to be more like Fairytale in the Ancient World. It is also a fine book with extensive discussion of lesser known tales, but I rarely return to it the same way I return over and over again to Fairytale in the Ancient World.

No More Adventures in Wonderland by Maria Tatar

Speaking of the dark (see my previous post), Maria Tatar had an op-ed piece in the New York Times over the weekend about the dark in children's literature.

From No More Adventures in Wonderland by MARIA TATAR:

J. M. Barrie’s Neverland, like Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland before it, delivers on the luminous promise of magic, with fairy dust and rainbow water, in a world ablaze with color and expressive energy. Yet the authors of “Peter Pan” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” also understood that “what if?” had a dark side: the Queen of Hearts ritually demands nearly everyone’s head and Captain Hook repeatedly brandishes his trademark weapon, while a clock ticking inside a crocodile reminds us that time is running out.

These are the traditional villains of children’s books — fabulous monsters with a touch of the absurd. Like Maurice Sendak’s Wild Things and countless others, they walk a fine line between horror and zany eccentricity. They may frighten young readers, but their juvenile antics strip them of any real authority. Alice shrieks with delight when she learns that the Duchess has boxed the Queen’s ears and shouts words like “Nonsense!” to banish threats, while Peter triumphs over a pirate who undermines himself by worrying about “good form” and then resorting to childish practices like biting.

Many authors of more recent books for children and teenagers have similarly crossed over to the dark side, and we applaud them for it. But the savagery we offer children today is more unforgiving than it once was, and the shadows are rarely banished by comic relief. Instead of stories about children who will not grow up, we have stories about children who struggle to survive.

You'll have to click through to read more and Tatar's final opinions, but it is certainly worth the time. Feel free to come back here and share any thoughts.

Upcoming Film: Black Forest: Hansel and Gretel and the 420 Witch

Bits and pieces from Indies light up 'The 420 Witch': Duane Journey directing stoney take on Hansel and Gretel tale by Jeff Sneider at Variety:

With Paramount wrapping its Jeremy Renner starrer "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters," three indie companies are prepping an alternate take on the Grimm brothers' classic fairy tale titled "Black Forest: Hansel and Gretel and the 420 Witch."

Duane Journey will direct from David Tillman's script, which concerns a witch living in Pasadena who lures teens into her house with a special blend of marijuana so she can eat them in order to maintain her youth.

"Twilight" thesp Michael Welch and "Castle" star Molly Quinn will play the endangered siblings, with Lara Flynn Boyle ("Men in Black II") as the sinister witch.

"'420 Witch' is not your average fairy-tale adaptation. It's a reinvention of the story with a dark edge that I think audiences will love," Hudson said.

Dark edged fairy tale retelling? Yep, that's new and cutting edge. (Snort.) But this one goes into production next month so it's an almost definite coming to you in the future unlike some of the other smaller projects we see. And I admit to liking Molly Quinn on Castle, so that could be interesting, too.

While I admit I wasn't overwhelmed with some of the Lily Collins' Snow White imagery, I think I prefer it to so many of these "How dark can we get?" trends right now. Yes, fairy tales are dark, but they are also usually hopeful. When the emphasis is on the bleak and scary, I wonder if we lose some of the magic, too? That said, Hansel and Gretel is one of the scariest fairy tales of all, so a horror interpretation is not far off the mark.

Library Essentials: Touch Magic by Jane Yolen

Touch Magic by Jane Yolen is today's library essential. No, this one isn't as much for research and learning about fairy tales, although you may certainly learn something. But why I love this book is how eloquently and thoroughly Yolen discusses the power of fairy tales and folklore, why they are important. This book is for fairy tale apologists. It inspires and puts into words many of the thoughts and feelings you may have already had but couldn't get out.

After all, Yolen has been working with folklore for decades and has faced the same looks and derision and misunderstanding we all do if we work with fairy tales or children's literature, too. When people ask me what I do--such an American question--and I say fairy tales, well, the confusion and derision is often quite palatable. It's not secret and I am quite proud of it, but if the circumstances are such, I avoid the question. Most people in my circle of real world life don't understand the power and legacy of fairy tales or even folklore. I wish I could assign them all this book to read.

But as for me, it reminds me why I love this realm and why I keep doing this work. The good news is that Harry Potter and the movement he spawned have made fantasy much more acceptable and mainstream, so this book is now preaching to a larger choir. But fairy tales are still a negative term and the stuff of childish fantasy to too many. And as we know, if they only knew, they'd be banning them from children instead. So perhaps it is good they don't know....

From the publisher:

“Our children are growing up without their birthright: the myths, fairy tales, fantasies and folklore that are their proper legacy.” The essays in Touch Magic, Jane Yolen's classic call-to-arms advocating the use of fantasy and folklore in children's literature, echo that statement. Yolen argues persuasively that fantasy, folklore, and the realm of story provide children with the necessary tools for facing the world, understanding its ways and capriciousness—indeed, becoming truly human....

“I believe that culture begins in the cradle.” she writes. “To do without tales and stories and books is to lose humanity's past, is to have no star map for our future.” August House now offers a richly expanded version of this seminal volume. With six new essays that tender fresh perspectives on the morality of fairy tales, time travel, the definition of story—and of course, why such themes are essential to the development of today's children—Touch Magic heralds a new millennium of fantasy, myth, and storytelling. “Story is our wall against the dark,” Yolen contends, and as adults, we must equip our children with story in order to keep them linked with the past and ready for the future. Touch magic, and pass it on.

Library Essentials Month: Andrew Lang's Colored Fairy Books

   

Today's library essential is pretty much a library unto itself, but easily "owned" by every reader here. As you can see, I am talking about Andrew Lang's famous collection of 12 books in his Colored Fairy Book series. I won't list them all here, just provide covers and links to print versions from Dover at Amazon. I own all of these books and they sit within easy reach on my shelf despite their ready availability on the internet.

This series was multicultural a century before that word was used so imperatively. It also--even a hundred years later--has tales that haven't been translated into English anywhere else. Then there are the wonderful illustrations by Henry Justice Ford and G. P. Jacomb Hood.

   

Then there's the secret knowlege that much of this series was translated and edited by women despite Andrew Lang's name on the cover. He was the big name and had brand recognition so his name is on the cover, but his wife and other women were the primary editors and translators. He often acknowledges them as such in his introductions.

   

The colored fairy books were the introduction to fairy tales for several generations and are still fairly well known today. I see random references to them in other books--just this past week a character in a book I was skimming kept referring to the Green Fairy Book.

But in the end, the treasure trove of hundreds of tales from around the world gathered into this small library is a wonder and an essential in my library. You can see the old editions on Google Books, even download PDFs of the scans, or find editions on Gutenberg, or if you need a quick list and sorting capabilities of the entire library, I recommend the collection at Mythfolklore.net. The illustrations aren't there, but you can sort the text by author, country, book, etc.

So that's an easy addition to your own folklore library. Makes up for some of the more expensive titles I'll still be featuring this month.