The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales
Not since Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment has there been such an illuminating contribution to the world of children's fairy tales.
The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales is a remarkable treasure trove, a work that celebrates the best-loved tales of childhood and presents them through the vision of Maria Tatar, a leading authority in the field of folklore and children's literature. Into the woods with Little Red Riding Hood, up the beanstalk with Jack, and down through the depths of the ocean with the Little Mermaid, this volume takes us through many of the familiar paths of our folkloric heritage. Gathering together twenty-five of our most cherished fairy tales, including enduring classics like " Beauty and the Beast," " Jack and the Beanstalk," " ," and " Bluebead," Tatar expertly guides readers through the stories, exploring their historical origins, their cultural complexities, and their psychological effects. Offering new translations of the non-English stories by the likes of Hans Christian Andersen, Brothers Grimm, or Charles Perrault, Tatar captures the rhythms of oral storytelling and, with an extraordinary collection of over 300 often rare, mostly four-color paintings and drawings by celebrated illustrators such as Gustave Doré, George Cruikshank, and Maxfield Parrish, she expands our literary and visual sensibilities. As Tatar shows, few of us are aware of how profoundly fairy tales have influenced our culture. Disseminated across a wide variety of historical and contemporary media ranging from opera and drama to cinema and advertising, they constitute a vital part of our storytelling capital. What has kept them alive over the centuries is exactly what keeps life pulsing with vitality and variety: anxieties, fears, desires, romance, passion, and love. Up close and personal, fairy tales tell us about the quest for romance and riches, for power and privilege, and, most importantly, they show us a way out of the woods back to the safety and security of home. Challenging the notion that fairy tales should be read for their moral values and used to make good citizens of little children, Tatar demonstrates throughout how fairy tales can be seen as models for navigating reality, helping children to develop the wit and courage needed to survive in a world ruled by adults. This volume seeks to reclaim this powerful cultural legacy, presenting the stories that we all think we know while at the same time providing the historical contexts that unlock the mysteries of the tales. The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales is a volume that will rank as one of the finest fairy tale collections in many decades, a provocative and original work to be treasured by students, parents, and children. Over 300 often rare, mostly four-color paintings and drawings by celebrated illustratorsReviews (60)
Rehashes several tales but still delightful
In spite of what some other reviews say, these are not all the original versions, as mentioned in the annotations. Maria Tatar did however often go for the best known versions from the authors she chose. I was disappointed to find that most of these stories are the exact same ones from her other annotated books with the same versions and the same annotations. Already owning most of them didn't stop me from enjoying them, however and as usual for this series the books are well illustrated and fun to explore. I'd love to see more annotated books in the future, including more from the Oz series and the Narnia series.
Beautifully-illustrated and well-annotated classic fairy tales
Having purchased and read
Interesting annotations on fairy tales
The book has interesting annotations and a very interesting and informative introduction. I was happy with the sellers, too.
Got it for college, keeping it for life
It has a little less stories than I'd prefer, but still plenty and with good side information as well. Personally I still feel these stories are much better than anything meant for kids now-a-days.
High quality book
Beautiful illustrations. This was an assigned textbook for a course I took. I love this book. I read it from cover to cover. Excellent history and commentary from an expert in the field.
In my library
I bought this book a few years ago for a college class and this is one of the books I held on to. I didn’t hold on to many of my college books but this one is in my library. A lot of cute little nursery rhymes in there
This is used in college classes
Great book for study of fairytales. I recommend not reading them all to kids. Some are good to go for kids.
Another outstanding book in the Annotated Classics Series!
This is a beautiful book on the magical, scary, enchanting and wonderful world of the fairy tale! Marie Tatar a Harvard German professor has done a superb job in putting this book together! The stories range from the classics of the borthers Grimm, Perrault and Hans Christen Anderson. Fairy tales from several cultures are included from Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Denmark. The volume is beautifully illustrated with the illustrations from such giants as Cruikshank, Rackham, Parrish and several others. This work is a beautiful way to share story time with one's children or grandchildren. If you are going to buy one book of fairy tales appealing to both children and adults then this is the lavish lifetime volume for you! Excellent!
Wonderful Buy!
Ordered for a class in Fairytales and Mythology as a requires textbook. I was amazed at the price and the stories are AMAZING. Maria Tatar' s annotations are well written, logical, and easy to understand. I really enjoyed this book!
Utterly Delightful
I am always fascinated by annotations of classic works because of the insights I gain from them. The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales is especially interesting because the works Maria Tatar includes are familiar (at least most of them are) but, her notes reveal, have a much deeper and sometimes darker history than we thought. The book includes some universal favorites like The Emperor's New Clothes and Cinderella and some less known but interesting stories like Molly Whuppie and The Juniper Tree. Each story has a great variety of classic illustrations from masters like Cruikshank and Dore. Another nice touch are the biographies of some of the authors and illustrators included at the end. Whether you are a child, have a child, or are a child at heart, you will love this collection.
