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First Sentence
A MILLER bequeathed to his three sons all his worldly goods, which consisted just of his mill, his ass, and his cat. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
A MILLER bequeathed to his three sons all his worldly goods, which consisted just of his mill, his ass, and his cat. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
When I first saw this book in a certain book store I was not sure if it was what I was looking for. I was trying to find an accurate English translation of Beauty And The Beast. When I picked this book up and looked through it, I realized that this was exactly what I wanted. This book contains the best traditional stories I have ever read. Jack Zipes' introduction to the book is brilliant. I learned so many things about the traditional French Stories that I didn't already know. Many people believe that the French Stories were told and writen by men. Actually, the majority of the stories were told and writen by French aristocratic women. What Zipes says about these women is very important. "Many Critics and educators have often complained that the Grimms' tales are too harsh and cruel to be read to children, and some have even gone so far as to maintain that German fairy-tale writers indulged themselves in violence. But in fact, the salon tales of the refined French ladies make the Grimms' tales look prudish". Zipes also says that the women were better at telling their stories than the French men were because they were the ones who included all of the horrific and gory detailes. The french ladies used a great deal of imagery to make their stories seem vivid and real. "In particular, Mme. d'Aulnoy was a genius in conceiving ways to torture her heroines and heroes". In fact three of her stories end tragically. Unlike what people see in the Disney films and in modified versions, not all of the stories have a "happy ending". Even the ones that do have a happy ending are much more serious. The traditional stories all have a wide range of endings. Even Beauty And The Beast is more serious than how it is portrayed in the Disney film.... Read more ›
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great collection of French fairy tales
30 Mar 2000
By Heidi Anne Heiner
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
This paperback collection is an abbreviated version of the original hardbound which is now out of print. Even with some of the material missing, this collection is well worth the money. It can be hard to find fairy tale collections that contain the work of the women (such as Beaumont and d'Aulnoy) in the French salons that influenced Charles Perrault. This is one of the best collections, and it includes many of the tales that are mentioned by scholars but hard to locate. None of the stories are watered down and they paint a picture of why fairy tales are an important part of literature. In the end, they are entertaining stories and can be read just for fun, too.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and Informative
20 April 2000
By Diana R. Sherman
- Published on Amazon.com
Not only is this collection of fairy tales entertaining reading, Zipes goes into the history of the French literary salon and the backgrounds of the fairytales. Wonderful book.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Collection I Have Ever Read
13 Feb 2005
By Jennifer Richards
- Published on Amazon.com
This is a wonderfull collection. Jack Zipes is unrivalled in his knowledge and understanding of the Traditional stories. Very few people know the entire story of Beauty And The Beast. Most of them don't even know what the story is about or what the true meaning of the story is. Most people assume that the Traditional French stories were told and writen by men. Actually, they were told and writen by French aristocratic women. The majority of the writers in this book are women, while only two of them are men. The women were the ones who put in all of the horrific and gory details into their stories. They came up with all kinds of ways to make their heroines and heroes suffer. Despite what many people believe about the traditional stories (especially the Disney script-writers), not all of them have a happy ending. Some of the stories in this book have either a sad or a tagic ending. the Yellow Dwarf, The Ram, and The Palace Of Revenge are perfect examples. Finally, the magic spell is never broken by the kiss on the lips or saying "I love you". Spells are broken either through an act of violence or through self-sacrifice; the heroines and heroes have to experience a great deal of pain and suffering. The characters are not always able to overcome the terrible and cruel forces that are always persuing and tormenting them. Whatever happens these stories are rich in depth and complexity. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to add to their collection of Traditional stoeies, or anyone who wants to know and understand these stories better. I also reccommend reading J.R.R. Tolkien's lecture/essay On Fairy Stories.
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