I ended up getting a duplicate book for my birthday last week, so I decided I would use this as an opportunity for a giveaway! The book is
The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm, selected and edited by Jack Zipes. The book tracks how some of the most famous fairy tale plots have evolved over time, from the often neglected Italian authors Straparola and Basile, but going no further chronologically than the Grimms (hence, the title. There are occasionally some Perrault stories and some obscure authors in there too) with helpful introductions by Zipes and a few essays in the back for good measure. It was from this book I got the information for my recent post on the
history of Rumplestiltskin.
So to enter, just leave a comment on this post saying your favorite fairy tale and why, and/or how you got interested in learning about the history of fairy tales. I'll accept entries until Memorial Day, May 28, and then I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner.
I got some other fairy tale books for my birthday, including the much anticipated
The Meanings of Beauty and the Beast by Jerry Griswold!! So be on the lookout for lots of BATB-themed posts!
I'll be looking forward to reading your comments!
My favorite oral tale is Rumpelstiltskin. The plot holes spoke to me as mysteries: why would a little man want a gold ring? What kind of name is Rumpelstiltskin? Why would he take pity on the miller's daughter after he went through all that trouble? Things I knew were significant but which didn't have any obvious answers. A lot like life.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite literary one is The Snow Queen by HCA.
Not an entry--I own the book!--but Happy Birthday. Mine was last week, too, on the 8th.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite fairy tale is East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I'm not sure how I first got into studying fairy tales except I came across a few mashup versions and retellings (back, oh, 15 years ago now...) and the evolution of the stories just got a grip on my mind. And I've been reading new versions and studying old versions ever since!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
Hello, happy late birthday (or happy unbirthday, as you wish).
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tales is Beauty and the Beast, hand down, with all the variants and a few of beastly bride tales too.
I've been interested in fairy tales since my bedtimes story when I was little and just never stopped loving the tales, even thought I only been studying them for the last five years.
Have a nice day!
I backtracked into reading fairy tales via Angela Carter. Little Red Riding Hood remains a fav, not so much for the story, but for the possibilities of imagination.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite fairy tale is Jorinda and Joringel by the Brother's Grimm. It's quite obscure really, barely anyone I know has read it! I am also a big sucker for Beauty and the Beast. I got into fairy tales as a child, my mother would read them to me every night, or tell me stories while we were playing or on long car trips. Though I've learned that they are a bit more beastly than I was previously aware, they still bring me back to that magical age where anything can happen.
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased to find myself here via Sur La Lune! I can't wait to explore this blog further :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast, though many tales hold a special place in my heart. I love Beauty and the Beast for many reasons, one of which is the fact that the characters are actually allowed to get to know each other before they fall in love. I always worried about Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (though I enjoyed those tales as well)--how could they agree to marry the Prince after one dance, one kiss?
inkyhooves@hotmail.com
My favourite fairy tale is Sun, Moon & Talia by Basile; I first became very interested in fairy tales (I always liked them!) when I got to thinking about how every 'prince charming' in popular culture seems to be the same person. So I looked into princes and kings and...well, the King in this tale is pure evil! But it shows how we've gone and sanitised stories, and for me this is the reminder of the literary traditions of the past.
ReplyDeleteHow kind of you to share your book!
ReplyDeleteI have a soft spot for so many old tales, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Alice and Peter Pan. But my favourite is The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I'm a winter person and have always loved Narnia. I also like the idea that he used an ordinary, yet magical object to gain access. Growing up in America I was fascinated by old carved wood wardrobes and to this day I cannot resist peeking inside of them!
My favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast. I became interested in the history of fairy tales because when I started reading Beauty and the Beast stories, I noticed similarities to older tales, like Cupid and Psyche. I became utterly fascinated and started trying to trace the story to its earliest roots, which spawned a lifelong love for folklore studies.
ReplyDeleteHow'd I get interested in the history of fairy tales? It just sort of happened. I mean, I'd liked them well enough as a kid, and I always liked fantasy stories. Then when I was 13 I discovered the Colored Fairy Books, and spent three months or so reading through those. I just liked seeing all the different types of stories, structured similarly enough to be familiar, but with the trappings of so many different cultures.
ReplyDeleteThen the phase subsided for a while, remaining only a passive interest, until I was 17 and haphazardly found an ebook download of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Having become a devotee of Wikipedia at this point, I Wiki'd it, and one link led to another, and suddenly I wanted to know more about the whole form.
That led to my finding a link to Sur La Lune at the bottom of the page, and I spent hours on the site in the next few weeks going through the history of fairy tales, exposing myself to the famous tales and different tale types. That combined with a lot of Wikipedia articles on various aspects of fairy tales. And ever since I've tried to learn whatever I could about them. I'm fascinated by the human capacity for fantasy, and by how human cultures differ yet have similar cores, and fairy tales tie into both of those nicely.
I love all fairy tales and love collecting them. If I had to pick a favorite it would be the Wizard of Oz, if it is considered a fairy tale! This book looks very interesting, thanks for the chance to win it. I love your blog and have become a follower.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite fairy tale is "East of the Sun, West of the Moon". I just love the fact that it has a girl rescuing the guy! Is this contest international? I'm from Canada. If it's only US, count me out :)
ReplyDeleteMy first real academic interest in fairy tales started when I was in college in the nineties. There were so many great fairy tale interpretations published during that time, and I had easy access because I worked in my university bookstore. Reading those new interpretations made me wonder about the traditional tales. My internet research led me to Sur la Lune, and I've been reading and studying fairy tales ever since personally, as a middle school language arts teacher, and now as a middle school librarian. Many students today know next to nothing about fairy tales, and I love introducing them to these stories that span cultural and geographic divides.
ReplyDeleteMy two favorite tales are The 12 Dancing Princesses and Wild Swans. I really am not sure why I love them both so much, but I do. Every time I hear about a new re-telling of either one I run out and get it. And although I write re-imagined fairy tales myself I have never been able to re-do either of these tales. I'm just too close to them!
ReplyDeleteFairy tales are story boiled down to its essence. For whatever reason, these are the stories that have stuck with us and if you want to write fiction, what better stories to study. My favorite is "The Hand with the Knife." It's a very short tale I came across in Zipes's collection of the Grimm's tales. It has some of the classic elements: an elf, a magic item, sibling rivalry, betrayal, and a cruel mother. Not sure why this one stuck in my head. It seems unfinished, like the first leg of a journey. Eventually I wrote my own version.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which is my favorite fairy tale. I did get interested in them when I started actually reading the Grimm and Perrault stories and realized they were totally different thatn the fairy tales I had heard as a child.
carolsnotebook at yahoo dot com
I am working on my dissertation, studying the portrayal of old women in fantasy literature. This includes fairy tales.
ReplyDeleteWow, I found your blog through SurLaLune - I didn't realize there were other fairy tale blogs. How awesome! And happy belated birthday!
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in being an English lit major and then moving to folklore for grad school. For me, the interest in folklore, mythology, and fairy tales comes from an inherent love of analyzing literature combined with a fascination with subjects that aren't quite mainstream in the field.
My favorite fairy tale is the Six Swans, though I love reading Cinderella retellings because there's so much authors can do with them.
My favorite fairy tale is "Beauty and the Beast". In some way it touches my soul and that's the best reason I can give. Loving fairy tales it is just natural to want to know more about them and hence the interest. Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteSince I was a kid I loved Disney movies, specially Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid, when I learnt they were based on fairy tales I started to read them all. I was hooked!
ReplyDeleteI'm currently studying English literature at college and I am thinking of getting into children's literature and folklore... and there's no better way to do it than reading Zipes's books! So, yeah, I'd love to own it!
Happy birthday!
I already have that book but wanted to stop by and say Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! I wasn't really into fairy tales when I was a child, but I soon fell in love with them after reading contemporary retellings like those of Angela Carter and Tanith Lee. Then I began reading Jack Zipes's and Marina Warner's fairy tale research and never lost interest from then on. My favorite (at the moment) is probably 'East of the Sun and West of the Moon,' but I also enjoy other tales such as 'Kate Crackernuts' in which the heroines are smart, resourceful, and capable of taking care of themselves and others.
ReplyDeletethanks for the chance to win! My kids are all grown and I no longer have-or need-the excuse to still be fascinated by fairy tales, I'd love to add this book to my collection
ReplyDeletethanks again
That looks like a wonderful book! My favorite fairy tale currently (it changes as I read more and more fabulous tales!) is The Mud Snail Bride, a Korean tale about a farmer who marries a magical snail-maiden. It is a Frog Prince type tale.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where my interest in fairy tales began. I've always loved fantastical stories with magic and strange wonders. In college I took a Fables and Tales class, which was wonderful for introducing me to fairy tale collections and analysis. Since then I've collected some of my own and I love the SurLaLune blog. :)
...Um for some reason it's not letting me sign in with my word press account. I'm Davina and my blog is davinabehinjones.wordpress.com
Oops, I guess it did sign me in... Sorry. >.<
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway! My favorite fairy tale has always been Beauty and the Beast (except for the brief stint when I was three and told everyone my name was Cinderella!) but I love many of the variations and animal bridegroom stories in general. Working on an essay on what we can learn from these :-)
ReplyDeleteI believe I became interested in doing more studies of them when I realized that my childhood interests in them weren't going away. I'm scholarly by nature, so I figured increasing their depth would only add to the fairy tale experience.
I've recently become interested again in fairy tales after having children - I read the Brothers Grimm fairytales over the last week or two, my favourite was Jorinda and Jorindel. I'm moving on to Hans Christian Andersen next.
ReplyDelete