Perrault's Fairy Tales

by Charles Perrault, Claude Perrault, Charles Giraud, et al.

Book Overview

Here are the original eight stories from the 1697 volume Contes de temps pass by the great Charles Perrault (1628-1703) in a translation that retains the charming and unsentimental simplicity that has won Perrault a permanent position in French literature. These were among the earliest versions of some of our most familiar fairy tales ("Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Puss in Boots," and "Tom Thumb") and are still among the few classic re-tellings of these perennial stories.
In addition to the five well-known tales listed above, Perrault tells three others that are sure to delight any child or adult: "The Fairies," a short and very simple tale of two sisters, one sweet and one spiteful; "Ricky of the Tuft," a very unusual story of a brilliant but ugly prince and a beautiful but stupid princess; and "Blue Beard," a suspense story perhaps more famous as a classic thriller than as a fairy tale. The witty verse morals that Perrault included in the original edition (often omitted in later reprintings) are retained here in verse translations.
This edition also includes 34 extraordinary full-page engravings by Gustave Dor that show clearly why this artist became the foremost illustrator of his time. These illustrations have long been considered the ideal accompaniment to Perrault's fairy tales. In many cases they created the pictorial image that we associate with the stories.
Along with the collections of Andersen, Lang, and the Brothers Grimm, this volume is among the great books of European fairy tales. These stories have been enjoyed by generation after generation of children in many countries, and are here, with magnificent Dor illustrations, waiting to be enjoyed again.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486223116
• ISBN13: 9780486223117
• Release Date: June 1969
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 117 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.1" x 10.9"
• Age Range: 8 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 9

Customer Reviews

There are no illustrations!!! NOT ONE.

There are no illustrations!!! NOT ONE. I purchased it because I read the reviews and in all of them it talks about the marvelous illustrations. NOT IN MINE. AND I paid 4.89$ for this book on purpose. FOR THE ILLUSTRATIONS. FOR MY KIDS TO READ. NOT COOL

Perrault Tales with Harry Clarke Illustrations

Absolutely marvelous artwork. This is a facsimile reprint of the 1922 George G. Harrap original with 40 b & w and 12 full page colour plates by the inimicable Harry Clarke, macabre illustrator of Poe and Faust. It lends quite a twist to the old tales.

A KEEPSAKE FOR A YOUNG READER'S LIBRARY

Who can resist a fairy tale? This beautifully rendered edition includes such timeless classics as "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty." All eleven of Perault's tales are enchantingly illustrated in ripe watercolors - never has Red Riding Hood's grandmother's cottage looked so venerably aged or forbidding. A handsome volume to be treasured.

For the fairy tales scholar, *NOT* bed time reading...

This is a collection of eight fairy tales originally written in 17th century France. The stories include the familiar "Sleeping Beauty" and "Little Red Riding Hood," but both with unfamiliar endings. Other stories include the incredibly gory "Bluebeard," the esoteric "Rickety Topknot," and the didactic "Diamonds and Toads." The stories highlight traditional themes such as obedience and kindness, but are often subverted by complicated plot twists (the moral of "Bluebeard" is particularly hard to decipher). Unlike their more familiar, sanitized, modernized counterparts, these fairy tales are gruesome stories with a wry sense of humor and without sentimentality - though they all begin "once upon a time," few end "happily ever after." The language is dramatic, with long sentences and difficult syntax. The stories range in length, from 5 to 15 pages. The text is printed large and accompanied by small in-line and full-page illustrations, portraying scenes and characters from the stories. A good match for the stories, the illustrations are very dark and murky, in shades of gray; the people have bulging eyes and grotesque expressions. The book also includes an Afterword about the history of fairy tales and an Appendix offering the original verse morals that concluded each story. Though the book jacket indicates that it is for "All Ages," these stories are entirely inappropriate for most young children; filled with ogres with a particular taste for eating children and other bloody scenes, the subject matter of these fairy tales are not at all appropriate bedtime reading. With its scholarly additions and grisly subject matter, this book may not belong in a juvenile collection, but adults and older children may enjoy exploring the origins of fairy tales.

Excellent source for enthusiasts

Our oral history of the tales of "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty" have certainly changed! This is an excellent source for anyone hoping to find the roots of the fairy tales which we all know and love today. Perrault's prose is surprisingly terse, which may grate with the modern conception of these tales, but he also holds nothing back. Thankfully, Philip and Simborowski include all of his tales, even the dark and disturbing "Donkeyskin," which has been left out of most translations. I have used this book as pleasure reading, but it really shines when I pull it off the shelf for serious essays and presentations. Philip and Simborowski provide helpful anecdotes on Perrault's life and the stories themselves, rounding out a work as complete as Perrault's original.

Classic tales

Charles Perrault was a French civil servant in the late 1600s. He had a little son, and decided to write down to old French folk tales that he heard the servants telling and retelling. These include Cinderella, Blue Beard and even Sleeping Beauty.