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Product Description
Product Description
Jack Zipes aims to disprove conventional wisdom regarding the origins of the Grimm fairy tales, which holds that the Grimms collected their tales from the oral tradition of peasants. He argues that the Grimms took most of their tales from literary sources, rewriting them again and again. These tales are based on a great literary tradition. The tales, 116 in all, are thematically grouped, and are accompanied by detailed introductions and annotations. The "Criticism" section includes seven important assessments of different aspects of the fairy tale tradition. Brief biographies of the storytellers and a selected bibliography are included.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you love fairy tales and would like to look into their history, this book is an excellent starting point. The tales in this book are grouped by theme (Cinderella, animal children, etc.), and for each theme, there are 3 or 4 versions of the tale that were written down in different countries and at different times. It's absolutely fascinating to see how the basic story elements mutate over time and distance, as well as how different they often are from the sanitized versions I usually see in children's bookstores. I will admit that I don't care much for the literary French versions that are included; they are intricate and detailed, but they lack the energy and humor of the older Italian tales.
I had the good fortune to take an informal class with Dr. Zipes himself a few years ago that used this book as a text, and it was a wonderful experience. I would really recommend this book as a good introduction to looking at fairy tales from a literary point of view, as well as introducing the reader to some excellent pre-Brothers Grimm authors.
Format:Paperback
I already knew about fairy tale writers like Straparola, Basile, Perrault and the Grimm brothers. That is, I was aware that they had written a large number of folk and fairy tales between them and that some of their stories were different versions of the same tale. What I did not know was where their ideas came from and how political and cultural beliefs had influenced those underlying themes and ideas.
Jack Zipes' book answered all my questions. The book also contains a number of critical articles by other experts in the field.
As an A/Level English teacher, I found this book a gold mine of information but it would appeal to anyone with an interest in the subject and is very reasonably priced.
Jack Zipes' book answered all my questions. The book also contains a number of critical articles by other experts in the field.
As an A/Level English teacher, I found this book a gold mine of information but it would appeal to anyone with an interest in the subject and is very reasonably priced.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
A Wonderful Textbook
4 Dec 2003
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If I was teaching a course on fairy tales, this book would be the course's primary text. Editor Jack Zipes compiled the book with such a purpose in mind and it's a job well done. The largest section, The Texts of the Great Fairy Tale Tradition, is comprised of fairy tale texts grouped into over 35 themes. Examples of themes include: Love Conquers All, Abandoned Children, Shrewd Cats, and Envious Sisters. Each theme has a minimum of two tales--usually more--with an introduction explaining the history of the theme and its tales. Zipes' introduction includes a definition of the literary fairy tale and its history as a genre. Critical essays by respected scholars are included in the Criticism section. Short biographies of the authors, black and white illustrations, and a selected bibliography add to the resources found inside. My only wish is that an index to aid with finding and cross-referencing tales had been included. This book makes a great reference book or textbook for the armchair scholar at an affordable price.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
The Non-Disney Versions...Dark, Sinister, and Evil
9 Aug 2009
Format:Paperback
Forget all that happy junk you watched in the Disney movies. These are the real deal. Some of these tales are pretty gruesome so I don't recommend reading them to your kids. However, if you're a sick twisted freak like me you'll enjoy the entries collected here. There are over 100 fairy tales in here including many obscure fairy tales that you probably never heard of. Don't let the fact that this was designed for course work scare you away. You don't have to be in college to enjoy this book. It's great to have notes and critiques of the texts on hand.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
More Than You Imagined
21 Sep 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Jack Zipes has brought together a comprehensive collection of fairy tales that surprises the reader with how insightful and timeless these tales are in regards to the human condition. Many of these tales, which are not found in more polite and juvenile collections, still have the power to enchant the imagination.
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