Susan here, in the midst of a week that’s turned so busy (moving furniture, painting, family coming soon, and a book in need of writing!) –- and no doubt you all are busier than normal too — that today I’m trotting out a Goldie Oldie, aka a Wench Classic. And in the current climate of stressful news and some crazy things out there, what better than to take a break and think about fairy tales? Ahh, there, now I feel better …
“The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow as sharp as swords.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, "On Fairy-Stories"
I've been thinking about fairy tales lately. My bookshelves are crammed full, like the bookshelves of every Wench author and our blog readers too. A few of my shelves are devoted to legends, myths–and fairy tales. Old, tattered, beloved childhood copies; antique fairy tale books; anthologies and academic studies of fairy tale themes–these books don't gather much dust at my house. I still read them, ponder over them. I still love them.
“I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.” –Mae West
I have some familiar favorites, like an old copy of the complete tales of The Brothers Grimm (the real ones — not fancied or scrubbed up, these!), the tales of Hans Christian Anderson, Charles Perrault, and of course Andrew Lang—The Blue Fairy Book, The Red Fairy Book, the Green Fairy Book (and The Yellow, Pink, Grey, Violet, Crimson, Scarlet, Orange, Olive and Lilac Books). One of my favorite Little Golden Books was The Twelve Dancing Princesses, exquisitely illustrated by Sheilah Beckett. When I was very little, I treasured an old copy of The Tall Book of Fairy Tales by Eleanor Graham Vance. Not sure where it came from, but once I got my sticky little hands on it, it was mine, mine. Another favorite is a gift book in my college days, a beautiful reprint of Steel’s English Fairy Tales, illustrated by Arthur Rackham. And then there are the Joseph Jacobs Celtic Fairy Tales, and Irish fairy tales collected by W.B. Yeats … and so many others, old and new.
That’s just the stories. I enjoy academic studies of fairy tales, such as my dog-eared, well-read copy of Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment and Marina Warner’s fabulous From the Beast to the Blonde. I love fresh spins on fairy tale themes, such as stories by Jack Zipes–and there's a long list of romances and other novels based on fairy tale arcs.
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” –Albert Einstein
Fairy tales go back eons, as far back as myths and legends, probably as far back as the darkest of caves and the brightest of fires, and the urge to explain why the stars wink, why the wind blows, why thunderclouds look like dragons, why a shaft of sunlight or rainbows can be like a good fairy come to the rescue. Stories explore life and give us choices and tools to address and comprehend what we encounter in the realm of reality.
But what did I know about absorbing life lessons–and storytelling techniques–from fairy tales. I was into the princess, the frog, the prince, wicked witch, good fairy, ragamuffin, the castle, the mountain, the happy ending–and the chills when things didn't work out, and the thrill when they did. I was all about the illustrations, too–I would sit turning pages just for the pictures, copied them in crayons. Whatever lessons about good and evil, right and wrong were definitely subliminal. I was just having a great time, and yet I was learning life skills for what I might encounter later.
"In a utilitarian age, of all other times, it is a matter of grave importance that fairy tales should be respected." –Charles Dickens
Fairy tales, myths and legends are not just entertaining — they're important for building, expanding and strengthening a child’s understanding of the big wide world, of life, of good and evil, right and wrong, clever and stupid, cruel and kind and everything in between. Fairy tales give us something to hope for and to achieve, something to fear and overcome. They show kids that there are basic tools in life for everyone to use—like compassion, independence, loyalty, cleverness and ingenuity, as well as their not-so-rewarding opposite qualities of cruelty, greed, so on.
Good doesn’t always triumph in fairy stories, though it often does. Whatever the outcome of the story, fairy tales provide a matrix for understanding people and situations through essential archetypes, classic scenarios, what choices work and what choices don’t turn out well.
Fairy tales give us a glimpse of another, more mysterious world beyond our own practical earthly world—the Otherworld of fairies, elves, witches, dragons, dark ones. It’s not that kids might think these are real—that’s not the point. They learn that there are forces in life that we can’t always control or explain, they learn that what seems dark and scary can be met with strength and integrity. And they learn that no matter the outcome, it’s possible to find courage to do the best thing for ourselves and others.
“The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending: or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous 'turn' (for there is no true end to any fairy-tale): this joy, which is one of the things which fairy-stories can produce supremely well, is not essentially 'escapist,' nor 'fugitive.' In its fairy-tale–or otherworld–setting, it is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur.” –J. R. R. Tolkein
And of course there’s that happily ever after thing that we associate with fairy tales, particularly the later homogenized versions–the beautiful princess and prince charming, the courtship, the challenges, the misunderstanding, the final reveal, the foregone conclusion of the beautiful happy people in their beautiful happy kingdom. But anyone who has read fairy tales in their older and original versions knows that the HEA is never guaranteed. We’re sometimes on the edge of our seat, metaphorically so, when following a fairy tale, and we might be left dangling, disappointed, even horrified—or richly rewarded. And that’s life.
“There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.” ― G.K. Chesterton
Reading fairy tales early on led me to reading and then writing romance, especially historical, sometimes paranormal. It’s a short leap in the storytelling canon from fairy tales to the fairytale existence of romance. There’s more to fairy tales than courtship and HEA – and far more to romance novels, too. The elements of good storytelling found in romance can be found in fairy tales, elements that can elevate the story to something powerful and lasting. There's the hero, the heroine, the challenge, the courtship, the quest, the villain–and the need for hero/prince and heroine/princess to conquer their shadow self in order to grow and overcome and find the final prize, the love that they have been seeking. Toss in a villain or two, the excitement of quests and personal journeys, and you can have a solid romance based on enduring fairytale elements.
So I cut my baby writer’s teeth on fairy stories, absorbed their forms and designs even while I thought I was just enjoying some good tales. As a kid, I took in mythologies and themes and archetypes and carried that forward into life and into my own stories. There’s a fairy tale or three woven into every novel I’ve ever written, one way or another.
"Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.” –G. K. Chesterton
What about you? Did you love fairy tales, did you cut your writer’s or reader’s teeth on Cinderella and Snow White, Rose Red and other stories? What were your favorites – what scared you, inspired you, gave you something to dream about?
What sweet memories this post brings back!
Each night my mother would ask my sisters and I if we would rather have a song or a story. Most often we would pick story, but I loved it when she sang for us also (I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover, Bye, Bye Blackbird).
I don’t remember her reading the stories too often. Most times she told them from memory. She was one of fourteen children, and as one of the oldest, I’m sure that was something she often did with her younger siblings.
I also loved nursery rhymes. There is something about the sing-songy rhythm that appealed to me.
My all time favorite fairy tale story is Beauty and the Beast – one my mother never read to us. I discovered a book in my grade school library and read it myself. When I asked by mother why she never read that one to us, she said that every time she tried I would start crying. I must have been very young because I have no memory of that. Maybe it was a little too “grown up” for a two year old.
What sweet memories this post brings back!
Each night my mother would ask my sisters and I if we would rather have a song or a story. Most often we would pick story, but I loved it when she sang for us also (I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover, Bye, Bye Blackbird).
I don’t remember her reading the stories too often. Most times she told them from memory. She was one of fourteen children, and as one of the oldest, I’m sure that was something she often did with her younger siblings.
I also loved nursery rhymes. There is something about the sing-songy rhythm that appealed to me.
My all time favorite fairy tale story is Beauty and the Beast – one my mother never read to us. I discovered a book in my grade school library and read it myself. When I asked by mother why she never read that one to us, she said that every time she tried I would start crying. I must have been very young because I have no memory of that. Maybe it was a little too “grown up” for a two year old.
What sweet memories this post brings back!
Each night my mother would ask my sisters and I if we would rather have a song or a story. Most often we would pick story, but I loved it when she sang for us also (I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover, Bye, Bye Blackbird).
I don’t remember her reading the stories too often. Most times she told them from memory. She was one of fourteen children, and as one of the oldest, I’m sure that was something she often did with her younger siblings.
I also loved nursery rhymes. There is something about the sing-songy rhythm that appealed to me.
My all time favorite fairy tale story is Beauty and the Beast – one my mother never read to us. I discovered a book in my grade school library and read it myself. When I asked by mother why she never read that one to us, she said that every time she tried I would start crying. I must have been very young because I have no memory of that. Maybe it was a little too “grown up” for a two year old.
What sweet memories this post brings back!
Each night my mother would ask my sisters and I if we would rather have a song or a story. Most often we would pick story, but I loved it when she sang for us also (I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover, Bye, Bye Blackbird).
I don’t remember her reading the stories too often. Most times she told them from memory. She was one of fourteen children, and as one of the oldest, I’m sure that was something she often did with her younger siblings.
I also loved nursery rhymes. There is something about the sing-songy rhythm that appealed to me.
My all time favorite fairy tale story is Beauty and the Beast – one my mother never read to us. I discovered a book in my grade school library and read it myself. When I asked by mother why she never read that one to us, she said that every time she tried I would start crying. I must have been very young because I have no memory of that. Maybe it was a little too “grown up” for a two year old.
What sweet memories this post brings back!
Each night my mother would ask my sisters and I if we would rather have a song or a story. Most often we would pick story, but I loved it when she sang for us also (I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover, Bye, Bye Blackbird).
I don’t remember her reading the stories too often. Most times she told them from memory. She was one of fourteen children, and as one of the oldest, I’m sure that was something she often did with her younger siblings.
I also loved nursery rhymes. There is something about the sing-songy rhythm that appealed to me.
My all time favorite fairy tale story is Beauty and the Beast – one my mother never read to us. I discovered a book in my grade school library and read it myself. When I asked by mother why she never read that one to us, she said that every time she tried I would start crying. I must have been very young because I have no memory of that. Maybe it was a little too “grown up” for a two year old.
It’s amazing what some authors thought was suitable for children in years past. I’m reminded of “The Addams Family” movie, where Morticia and Gomez are looking at a Brothers Grimm book and saying, Such a lovely name, Grimm. How could they write such things for children?!” But we try to clean up the horrorible and sad things for modern children “Disneyfied” and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Because there is evil and sadness in the world that we have to work through somehow. Fairy tales may give a more real picture of the world and the resources of the ones considered helpless than “literature.” Just a thought.
It’s amazing what some authors thought was suitable for children in years past. I’m reminded of “The Addams Family” movie, where Morticia and Gomez are looking at a Brothers Grimm book and saying, Such a lovely name, Grimm. How could they write such things for children?!” But we try to clean up the horrorible and sad things for modern children “Disneyfied” and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Because there is evil and sadness in the world that we have to work through somehow. Fairy tales may give a more real picture of the world and the resources of the ones considered helpless than “literature.” Just a thought.
It’s amazing what some authors thought was suitable for children in years past. I’m reminded of “The Addams Family” movie, where Morticia and Gomez are looking at a Brothers Grimm book and saying, Such a lovely name, Grimm. How could they write such things for children?!” But we try to clean up the horrorible and sad things for modern children “Disneyfied” and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Because there is evil and sadness in the world that we have to work through somehow. Fairy tales may give a more real picture of the world and the resources of the ones considered helpless than “literature.” Just a thought.
It’s amazing what some authors thought was suitable for children in years past. I’m reminded of “The Addams Family” movie, where Morticia and Gomez are looking at a Brothers Grimm book and saying, Such a lovely name, Grimm. How could they write such things for children?!” But we try to clean up the horrorible and sad things for modern children “Disneyfied” and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Because there is evil and sadness in the world that we have to work through somehow. Fairy tales may give a more real picture of the world and the resources of the ones considered helpless than “literature.” Just a thought.
It’s amazing what some authors thought was suitable for children in years past. I’m reminded of “The Addams Family” movie, where Morticia and Gomez are looking at a Brothers Grimm book and saying, Such a lovely name, Grimm. How could they write such things for children?!” But we try to clean up the horrorible and sad things for modern children “Disneyfied” and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Because there is evil and sadness in the world that we have to work through somehow. Fairy tales may give a more real picture of the world and the resources of the ones considered helpless than “literature.” Just a thought.
I loved the Andrew Lang fairy tale collections when I was a girl, and I used some of the tales when my sons would ask me to tell them a story. I have fond thoughts of Robin McKinley’s retelling of Beaut and the Beast because it was the last book I read aloud to my oldest son. Even though he could have easily read the book to himself, I treasured that quiet time just before sleep. We were both so caught up in the story that we went over our allotted time each evening, and part of the memory is my husband calling up the stairs for me to turn off the light and let my son go to sleep.
I loved the Andrew Lang fairy tale collections when I was a girl, and I used some of the tales when my sons would ask me to tell them a story. I have fond thoughts of Robin McKinley’s retelling of Beaut and the Beast because it was the last book I read aloud to my oldest son. Even though he could have easily read the book to himself, I treasured that quiet time just before sleep. We were both so caught up in the story that we went over our allotted time each evening, and part of the memory is my husband calling up the stairs for me to turn off the light and let my son go to sleep.
I loved the Andrew Lang fairy tale collections when I was a girl, and I used some of the tales when my sons would ask me to tell them a story. I have fond thoughts of Robin McKinley’s retelling of Beaut and the Beast because it was the last book I read aloud to my oldest son. Even though he could have easily read the book to himself, I treasured that quiet time just before sleep. We were both so caught up in the story that we went over our allotted time each evening, and part of the memory is my husband calling up the stairs for me to turn off the light and let my son go to sleep.
I loved the Andrew Lang fairy tale collections when I was a girl, and I used some of the tales when my sons would ask me to tell them a story. I have fond thoughts of Robin McKinley’s retelling of Beaut and the Beast because it was the last book I read aloud to my oldest son. Even though he could have easily read the book to himself, I treasured that quiet time just before sleep. We were both so caught up in the story that we went over our allotted time each evening, and part of the memory is my husband calling up the stairs for me to turn off the light and let my son go to sleep.
I loved the Andrew Lang fairy tale collections when I was a girl, and I used some of the tales when my sons would ask me to tell them a story. I have fond thoughts of Robin McKinley’s retelling of Beaut and the Beast because it was the last book I read aloud to my oldest son. Even though he could have easily read the book to himself, I treasured that quiet time just before sleep. We were both so caught up in the story that we went over our allotted time each evening, and part of the memory is my husband calling up the stairs for me to turn off the light and let my son go to sleep.
I loved fairy tales and Greek myths and legends equally–wonderful stories from magical times. I can’t offhand pick one that I particularly loved (though for a romantic, it’s hard to beat Beauty and the Beast), but these classic tales of love, danger, and triumph resonate perfectly in modern romances. And plenty of romances have been specifically built around traditional fairy tales.
I loved fairy tales and Greek myths and legends equally–wonderful stories from magical times. I can’t offhand pick one that I particularly loved (though for a romantic, it’s hard to beat Beauty and the Beast), but these classic tales of love, danger, and triumph resonate perfectly in modern romances. And plenty of romances have been specifically built around traditional fairy tales.
I loved fairy tales and Greek myths and legends equally–wonderful stories from magical times. I can’t offhand pick one that I particularly loved (though for a romantic, it’s hard to beat Beauty and the Beast), but these classic tales of love, danger, and triumph resonate perfectly in modern romances. And plenty of romances have been specifically built around traditional fairy tales.
I loved fairy tales and Greek myths and legends equally–wonderful stories from magical times. I can’t offhand pick one that I particularly loved (though for a romantic, it’s hard to beat Beauty and the Beast), but these classic tales of love, danger, and triumph resonate perfectly in modern romances. And plenty of romances have been specifically built around traditional fairy tales.
I loved fairy tales and Greek myths and legends equally–wonderful stories from magical times. I can’t offhand pick one that I particularly loved (though for a romantic, it’s hard to beat Beauty and the Beast), but these classic tales of love, danger, and triumph resonate perfectly in modern romances. And plenty of romances have been specifically built around traditional fairy tales.
Thanks for an enjoyable post. I have good memories of fairy tales. I remember my Hungarian grandmother, who we called Oma because of her many years spent in the Netherlands, reading to us in New Zealand from a collection of Russian fairy tales. Can you say multicultural?!
Thanks for an enjoyable post. I have good memories of fairy tales. I remember my Hungarian grandmother, who we called Oma because of her many years spent in the Netherlands, reading to us in New Zealand from a collection of Russian fairy tales. Can you say multicultural?!
Thanks for an enjoyable post. I have good memories of fairy tales. I remember my Hungarian grandmother, who we called Oma because of her many years spent in the Netherlands, reading to us in New Zealand from a collection of Russian fairy tales. Can you say multicultural?!
Thanks for an enjoyable post. I have good memories of fairy tales. I remember my Hungarian grandmother, who we called Oma because of her many years spent in the Netherlands, reading to us in New Zealand from a collection of Russian fairy tales. Can you say multicultural?!
Thanks for an enjoyable post. I have good memories of fairy tales. I remember my Hungarian grandmother, who we called Oma because of her many years spent in the Netherlands, reading to us in New Zealand from a collection of Russian fairy tales. Can you say multicultural?!
My favorite fairy tale would be These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, or maybe The Ghost and Lady Alice by Marion Chesney 🙂
As a child I also read all the “(Color) Book of Fairy Tales” collections by Andrew Lang. I don’t remember being impressed by the plots or characters so much as the settings. I loved the ones with dark dangerous forests, spooky cold castles, rivers, ice palaces, all that stuff that we didn’t have in LA 🙂
My favorite fairy tale would be These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, or maybe The Ghost and Lady Alice by Marion Chesney 🙂
As a child I also read all the “(Color) Book of Fairy Tales” collections by Andrew Lang. I don’t remember being impressed by the plots or characters so much as the settings. I loved the ones with dark dangerous forests, spooky cold castles, rivers, ice palaces, all that stuff that we didn’t have in LA 🙂
My favorite fairy tale would be These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, or maybe The Ghost and Lady Alice by Marion Chesney 🙂
As a child I also read all the “(Color) Book of Fairy Tales” collections by Andrew Lang. I don’t remember being impressed by the plots or characters so much as the settings. I loved the ones with dark dangerous forests, spooky cold castles, rivers, ice palaces, all that stuff that we didn’t have in LA 🙂
My favorite fairy tale would be These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, or maybe The Ghost and Lady Alice by Marion Chesney 🙂
As a child I also read all the “(Color) Book of Fairy Tales” collections by Andrew Lang. I don’t remember being impressed by the plots or characters so much as the settings. I loved the ones with dark dangerous forests, spooky cold castles, rivers, ice palaces, all that stuff that we didn’t have in LA 🙂
My favorite fairy tale would be These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, or maybe The Ghost and Lady Alice by Marion Chesney 🙂
As a child I also read all the “(Color) Book of Fairy Tales” collections by Andrew Lang. I don’t remember being impressed by the plots or characters so much as the settings. I loved the ones with dark dangerous forests, spooky cold castles, rivers, ice palaces, all that stuff that we didn’t have in LA 🙂
I wouldn’t be a lover of fairy tales other than the usual like Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella or those along that line. I don’t know if you’d call them fairy tales but when I was young I’d read books by Patricia Lynch, an Irish author. My favourite was the Turf Cutter’s Donkey. The donkey was magical and I read it until my copy fell to pieces. Literally!! There was always a ‘little something’ in these books. Ah the memories.
I wouldn’t be a lover of fairy tales other than the usual like Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella or those along that line. I don’t know if you’d call them fairy tales but when I was young I’d read books by Patricia Lynch, an Irish author. My favourite was the Turf Cutter’s Donkey. The donkey was magical and I read it until my copy fell to pieces. Literally!! There was always a ‘little something’ in these books. Ah the memories.
I wouldn’t be a lover of fairy tales other than the usual like Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella or those along that line. I don’t know if you’d call them fairy tales but when I was young I’d read books by Patricia Lynch, an Irish author. My favourite was the Turf Cutter’s Donkey. The donkey was magical and I read it until my copy fell to pieces. Literally!! There was always a ‘little something’ in these books. Ah the memories.
I wouldn’t be a lover of fairy tales other than the usual like Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella or those along that line. I don’t know if you’d call them fairy tales but when I was young I’d read books by Patricia Lynch, an Irish author. My favourite was the Turf Cutter’s Donkey. The donkey was magical and I read it until my copy fell to pieces. Literally!! There was always a ‘little something’ in these books. Ah the memories.
I wouldn’t be a lover of fairy tales other than the usual like Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella or those along that line. I don’t know if you’d call them fairy tales but when I was young I’d read books by Patricia Lynch, an Irish author. My favourite was the Turf Cutter’s Donkey. The donkey was magical and I read it until my copy fell to pieces. Literally!! There was always a ‘little something’ in these books. Ah the memories.
I was always a fan of the tragic stories – The Little Mermaid, for example! And not that awful Disney aberration with singing lobsters and fish. 🙂 I was seven when it came out at the cinema, and even then I was hugely upset about what they’d done to the plot!
I was a ballet dancer, and my favourite roles were the tragic roles, so I guess I’m a bit strange. Dying tragically as Giselle always meant more to me than snagging the prince like Cinderella.
I was always a fan of the tragic stories – The Little Mermaid, for example! And not that awful Disney aberration with singing lobsters and fish. 🙂 I was seven when it came out at the cinema, and even then I was hugely upset about what they’d done to the plot!
I was a ballet dancer, and my favourite roles were the tragic roles, so I guess I’m a bit strange. Dying tragically as Giselle always meant more to me than snagging the prince like Cinderella.
I was always a fan of the tragic stories – The Little Mermaid, for example! And not that awful Disney aberration with singing lobsters and fish. 🙂 I was seven when it came out at the cinema, and even then I was hugely upset about what they’d done to the plot!
I was a ballet dancer, and my favourite roles were the tragic roles, so I guess I’m a bit strange. Dying tragically as Giselle always meant more to me than snagging the prince like Cinderella.
I was always a fan of the tragic stories – The Little Mermaid, for example! And not that awful Disney aberration with singing lobsters and fish. 🙂 I was seven when it came out at the cinema, and even then I was hugely upset about what they’d done to the plot!
I was a ballet dancer, and my favourite roles were the tragic roles, so I guess I’m a bit strange. Dying tragically as Giselle always meant more to me than snagging the prince like Cinderella.
I was always a fan of the tragic stories – The Little Mermaid, for example! And not that awful Disney aberration with singing lobsters and fish. 🙂 I was seven when it came out at the cinema, and even then I was hugely upset about what they’d done to the plot!
I was a ballet dancer, and my favourite roles were the tragic roles, so I guess I’m a bit strange. Dying tragically as Giselle always meant more to me than snagging the prince like Cinderella.
When I was a child I just about read my book of Grimms fairy tales to death, but I absolutely loathed Hans Christian Anderson. I didn’t mind the gory bits of the Grimms stories, like the wicked sisters in Cinderella lopping off bits of their feet to fit into the slipper, but the Anderson ones terrified me. I will never forget the little girl who trod on a loaf to protect her new shoes, and for her vanity sank down through the mud until she was underground and snakes and creepy things crawled all over her.
Ugh.
When I was a child I just about read my book of Grimms fairy tales to death, but I absolutely loathed Hans Christian Anderson. I didn’t mind the gory bits of the Grimms stories, like the wicked sisters in Cinderella lopping off bits of their feet to fit into the slipper, but the Anderson ones terrified me. I will never forget the little girl who trod on a loaf to protect her new shoes, and for her vanity sank down through the mud until she was underground and snakes and creepy things crawled all over her.
Ugh.
When I was a child I just about read my book of Grimms fairy tales to death, but I absolutely loathed Hans Christian Anderson. I didn’t mind the gory bits of the Grimms stories, like the wicked sisters in Cinderella lopping off bits of their feet to fit into the slipper, but the Anderson ones terrified me. I will never forget the little girl who trod on a loaf to protect her new shoes, and for her vanity sank down through the mud until she was underground and snakes and creepy things crawled all over her.
Ugh.
When I was a child I just about read my book of Grimms fairy tales to death, but I absolutely loathed Hans Christian Anderson. I didn’t mind the gory bits of the Grimms stories, like the wicked sisters in Cinderella lopping off bits of their feet to fit into the slipper, but the Anderson ones terrified me. I will never forget the little girl who trod on a loaf to protect her new shoes, and for her vanity sank down through the mud until she was underground and snakes and creepy things crawled all over her.
Ugh.
When I was a child I just about read my book of Grimms fairy tales to death, but I absolutely loathed Hans Christian Anderson. I didn’t mind the gory bits of the Grimms stories, like the wicked sisters in Cinderella lopping off bits of their feet to fit into the slipper, but the Anderson ones terrified me. I will never forget the little girl who trod on a loaf to protect her new shoes, and for her vanity sank down through the mud until she was underground and snakes and creepy things crawled all over her.
Ugh.
Edith Layton wrote a beautiful Christmas story based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” called “Two Dancing Daughters”. Such a lovely story. We miss you, Edith.
Edith Layton wrote a beautiful Christmas story based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” called “Two Dancing Daughters”. Such a lovely story. We miss you, Edith.
Edith Layton wrote a beautiful Christmas story based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” called “Two Dancing Daughters”. Such a lovely story. We miss you, Edith.
Edith Layton wrote a beautiful Christmas story based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” called “Two Dancing Daughters”. Such a lovely story. We miss you, Edith.
Edith Layton wrote a beautiful Christmas story based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” called “Two Dancing Daughters”. Such a lovely story. We miss you, Edith.
My early picture books were sanitized fairy tailes, Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales, and a Peter Pan picture book. So I definitely grew up with fairy tales. As soon as I was reading, I found my mother’s copy of an academic study of English fairy tales (Jacobson?).
As to more modern ones, I like what Robin McKinley has done with many of the old tales, and also what Mercedes Lackey had done in her Elemental Masters series and also her Four-Hundred Kingdom series.
And, as others have mentioned, there is always a good historical (or modern, or paranormal) romance.
My early picture books were sanitized fairy tailes, Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales, and a Peter Pan picture book. So I definitely grew up with fairy tales. As soon as I was reading, I found my mother’s copy of an academic study of English fairy tales (Jacobson?).
As to more modern ones, I like what Robin McKinley has done with many of the old tales, and also what Mercedes Lackey had done in her Elemental Masters series and also her Four-Hundred Kingdom series.
And, as others have mentioned, there is always a good historical (or modern, or paranormal) romance.
My early picture books were sanitized fairy tailes, Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales, and a Peter Pan picture book. So I definitely grew up with fairy tales. As soon as I was reading, I found my mother’s copy of an academic study of English fairy tales (Jacobson?).
As to more modern ones, I like what Robin McKinley has done with many of the old tales, and also what Mercedes Lackey had done in her Elemental Masters series and also her Four-Hundred Kingdom series.
And, as others have mentioned, there is always a good historical (or modern, or paranormal) romance.
My early picture books were sanitized fairy tailes, Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales, and a Peter Pan picture book. So I definitely grew up with fairy tales. As soon as I was reading, I found my mother’s copy of an academic study of English fairy tales (Jacobson?).
As to more modern ones, I like what Robin McKinley has done with many of the old tales, and also what Mercedes Lackey had done in her Elemental Masters series and also her Four-Hundred Kingdom series.
And, as others have mentioned, there is always a good historical (or modern, or paranormal) romance.
My early picture books were sanitized fairy tailes, Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales, and a Peter Pan picture book. So I definitely grew up with fairy tales. As soon as I was reading, I found my mother’s copy of an academic study of English fairy tales (Jacobson?).
As to more modern ones, I like what Robin McKinley has done with many of the old tales, and also what Mercedes Lackey had done in her Elemental Masters series and also her Four-Hundred Kingdom series.
And, as others have mentioned, there is always a good historical (or modern, or paranormal) romance.
I don’t know how I came to do it, but I left out the American fairy tales — the Oz books. I read them all, I read them to bits, and I still have most of them. My favorite of all was The Wishing Horse of Oz. I just loved Pigasus the flying rhyming pig.
I don’t know how I came to do it, but I left out the American fairy tales — the Oz books. I read them all, I read them to bits, and I still have most of them. My favorite of all was The Wishing Horse of Oz. I just loved Pigasus the flying rhyming pig.
I don’t know how I came to do it, but I left out the American fairy tales — the Oz books. I read them all, I read them to bits, and I still have most of them. My favorite of all was The Wishing Horse of Oz. I just loved Pigasus the flying rhyming pig.
I don’t know how I came to do it, but I left out the American fairy tales — the Oz books. I read them all, I read them to bits, and I still have most of them. My favorite of all was The Wishing Horse of Oz. I just loved Pigasus the flying rhyming pig.
I don’t know how I came to do it, but I left out the American fairy tales — the Oz books. I read them all, I read them to bits, and I still have most of them. My favorite of all was The Wishing Horse of Oz. I just loved Pigasus the flying rhyming pig.
I love, love, LOVE ‘The Ghost and Lady Alice!’ It IS a great fairy tale. Thanks Janice 🙂 I never thought about it that way, but you’re right….’These Old Shades’ can be considered rather fairy tale-like. But then, I am now thinking many of G.H.’s books could.
I love, love, LOVE ‘The Ghost and Lady Alice!’ It IS a great fairy tale. Thanks Janice 🙂 I never thought about it that way, but you’re right….’These Old Shades’ can be considered rather fairy tale-like. But then, I am now thinking many of G.H.’s books could.
I love, love, LOVE ‘The Ghost and Lady Alice!’ It IS a great fairy tale. Thanks Janice 🙂 I never thought about it that way, but you’re right….’These Old Shades’ can be considered rather fairy tale-like. But then, I am now thinking many of G.H.’s books could.
I love, love, LOVE ‘The Ghost and Lady Alice!’ It IS a great fairy tale. Thanks Janice 🙂 I never thought about it that way, but you’re right….’These Old Shades’ can be considered rather fairy tale-like. But then, I am now thinking many of G.H.’s books could.
I love, love, LOVE ‘The Ghost and Lady Alice!’ It IS a great fairy tale. Thanks Janice 🙂 I never thought about it that way, but you’re right….’These Old Shades’ can be considered rather fairy tale-like. But then, I am now thinking many of G.H.’s books could.
Our Mom did not read to us when we were children, but she herself was a great reader. Almost everything she read was passed on to her though by the grocery bag full, mostly romance novels. So my exposure to fairy tales were from television, first cartoons then The Wonderful World of Disney. I never enjoyed the stories that told of someone being unwittingly expected to rise above a natural fear of pain, or personal safety, or dislike of something yucky and slimy, or scary, or ugly in order to be considered the princess or the receiver of some wonderful gift.
I have no problem with the romance genre I read now that includes human beings being faced with other human beings in need or in pain and overcoming their fears and insecurities. In fact on of my favorite story arcs is the Beauty and the Beast story.
I discovered the Narnia tales some time after high school and fell in love. Other children’s literature too. I couldn’t wait for my son to be old enough to read to. So I started him out when he was still in a carrier seat. It was a plasticized cloth book about a teddy bear doing different things, of which one particular page always made him giggle as only a 5 or 6 month baby can only do. Our reading together worked too well, he took upon himself to read on his own when quite young. Broke my heart. I never got to read the Narnia tales to him. But he loved reading them.
Thank you Susan, for this post, and also the Jessie Wilcox Smith art.
Our Mom did not read to us when we were children, but she herself was a great reader. Almost everything she read was passed on to her though by the grocery bag full, mostly romance novels. So my exposure to fairy tales were from television, first cartoons then The Wonderful World of Disney. I never enjoyed the stories that told of someone being unwittingly expected to rise above a natural fear of pain, or personal safety, or dislike of something yucky and slimy, or scary, or ugly in order to be considered the princess or the receiver of some wonderful gift.
I have no problem with the romance genre I read now that includes human beings being faced with other human beings in need or in pain and overcoming their fears and insecurities. In fact on of my favorite story arcs is the Beauty and the Beast story.
I discovered the Narnia tales some time after high school and fell in love. Other children’s literature too. I couldn’t wait for my son to be old enough to read to. So I started him out when he was still in a carrier seat. It was a plasticized cloth book about a teddy bear doing different things, of which one particular page always made him giggle as only a 5 or 6 month baby can only do. Our reading together worked too well, he took upon himself to read on his own when quite young. Broke my heart. I never got to read the Narnia tales to him. But he loved reading them.
Thank you Susan, for this post, and also the Jessie Wilcox Smith art.
Our Mom did not read to us when we were children, but she herself was a great reader. Almost everything she read was passed on to her though by the grocery bag full, mostly romance novels. So my exposure to fairy tales were from television, first cartoons then The Wonderful World of Disney. I never enjoyed the stories that told of someone being unwittingly expected to rise above a natural fear of pain, or personal safety, or dislike of something yucky and slimy, or scary, or ugly in order to be considered the princess or the receiver of some wonderful gift.
I have no problem with the romance genre I read now that includes human beings being faced with other human beings in need or in pain and overcoming their fears and insecurities. In fact on of my favorite story arcs is the Beauty and the Beast story.
I discovered the Narnia tales some time after high school and fell in love. Other children’s literature too. I couldn’t wait for my son to be old enough to read to. So I started him out when he was still in a carrier seat. It was a plasticized cloth book about a teddy bear doing different things, of which one particular page always made him giggle as only a 5 or 6 month baby can only do. Our reading together worked too well, he took upon himself to read on his own when quite young. Broke my heart. I never got to read the Narnia tales to him. But he loved reading them.
Thank you Susan, for this post, and also the Jessie Wilcox Smith art.
Our Mom did not read to us when we were children, but she herself was a great reader. Almost everything she read was passed on to her though by the grocery bag full, mostly romance novels. So my exposure to fairy tales were from television, first cartoons then The Wonderful World of Disney. I never enjoyed the stories that told of someone being unwittingly expected to rise above a natural fear of pain, or personal safety, or dislike of something yucky and slimy, or scary, or ugly in order to be considered the princess or the receiver of some wonderful gift.
I have no problem with the romance genre I read now that includes human beings being faced with other human beings in need or in pain and overcoming their fears and insecurities. In fact on of my favorite story arcs is the Beauty and the Beast story.
I discovered the Narnia tales some time after high school and fell in love. Other children’s literature too. I couldn’t wait for my son to be old enough to read to. So I started him out when he was still in a carrier seat. It was a plasticized cloth book about a teddy bear doing different things, of which one particular page always made him giggle as only a 5 or 6 month baby can only do. Our reading together worked too well, he took upon himself to read on his own when quite young. Broke my heart. I never got to read the Narnia tales to him. But he loved reading them.
Thank you Susan, for this post, and also the Jessie Wilcox Smith art.
Our Mom did not read to us when we were children, but she herself was a great reader. Almost everything she read was passed on to her though by the grocery bag full, mostly romance novels. So my exposure to fairy tales were from television, first cartoons then The Wonderful World of Disney. I never enjoyed the stories that told of someone being unwittingly expected to rise above a natural fear of pain, or personal safety, or dislike of something yucky and slimy, or scary, or ugly in order to be considered the princess or the receiver of some wonderful gift.
I have no problem with the romance genre I read now that includes human beings being faced with other human beings in need or in pain and overcoming their fears and insecurities. In fact on of my favorite story arcs is the Beauty and the Beast story.
I discovered the Narnia tales some time after high school and fell in love. Other children’s literature too. I couldn’t wait for my son to be old enough to read to. So I started him out when he was still in a carrier seat. It was a plasticized cloth book about a teddy bear doing different things, of which one particular page always made him giggle as only a 5 or 6 month baby can only do. Our reading together worked too well, he took upon himself to read on his own when quite young. Broke my heart. I never got to read the Narnia tales to him. But he loved reading them.
Thank you Susan, for this post, and also the Jessie Wilcox Smith art.
I THOUGHT I had recognized Jesse Wilcox Smith! Thank you for verifying this. I grew up with her pictures.
In the 80s, when we were at Chad’s Ford, we lucked out seeing an exhibit of her work (and some work from her contemporary illustrators) as well as all the wonder Wyatt Work.
I THOUGHT I had recognized Jesse Wilcox Smith! Thank you for verifying this. I grew up with her pictures.
In the 80s, when we were at Chad’s Ford, we lucked out seeing an exhibit of her work (and some work from her contemporary illustrators) as well as all the wonder Wyatt Work.
I THOUGHT I had recognized Jesse Wilcox Smith! Thank you for verifying this. I grew up with her pictures.
In the 80s, when we were at Chad’s Ford, we lucked out seeing an exhibit of her work (and some work from her contemporary illustrators) as well as all the wonder Wyatt Work.
I THOUGHT I had recognized Jesse Wilcox Smith! Thank you for verifying this. I grew up with her pictures.
In the 80s, when we were at Chad’s Ford, we lucked out seeing an exhibit of her work (and some work from her contemporary illustrators) as well as all the wonder Wyatt Work.
I THOUGHT I had recognized Jesse Wilcox Smith! Thank you for verifying this. I grew up with her pictures.
In the 80s, when we were at Chad’s Ford, we lucked out seeing an exhibit of her work (and some work from her contemporary illustrators) as well as all the wonder Wyatt Work.
Oh my, you really did luck out. We loved Chad’s Ford and the Wyeth museum. What a beautiful area there, too.
I just loved Jessie Wilcox Smith and collected all the ‘starving-art-collector’ versions of her works that I could many years ago…i.e., greeting cards! 😀 And I also got as many books with N.C. Wyeth illustrations for our young son. Thanks for the memories, Sue.
Oh my, you really did luck out. We loved Chad’s Ford and the Wyeth museum. What a beautiful area there, too.
I just loved Jessie Wilcox Smith and collected all the ‘starving-art-collector’ versions of her works that I could many years ago…i.e., greeting cards! 😀 And I also got as many books with N.C. Wyeth illustrations for our young son. Thanks for the memories, Sue.
Oh my, you really did luck out. We loved Chad’s Ford and the Wyeth museum. What a beautiful area there, too.
I just loved Jessie Wilcox Smith and collected all the ‘starving-art-collector’ versions of her works that I could many years ago…i.e., greeting cards! 😀 And I also got as many books with N.C. Wyeth illustrations for our young son. Thanks for the memories, Sue.
Oh my, you really did luck out. We loved Chad’s Ford and the Wyeth museum. What a beautiful area there, too.
I just loved Jessie Wilcox Smith and collected all the ‘starving-art-collector’ versions of her works that I could many years ago…i.e., greeting cards! 😀 And I also got as many books with N.C. Wyeth illustrations for our young son. Thanks for the memories, Sue.
Oh my, you really did luck out. We loved Chad’s Ford and the Wyeth museum. What a beautiful area there, too.
I just loved Jessie Wilcox Smith and collected all the ‘starving-art-collector’ versions of her works that I could many years ago…i.e., greeting cards! 😀 And I also got as many books with N.C. Wyeth illustrations for our young son. Thanks for the memories, Sue.