Once upon a time… Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are part of the oral tradition of literature. What makes the fairy tale different from folklore, fables, and tall tales is its use of magic and fantasy.

The supernatural characters in fairy stories are not always fairy godmothers or winged sprites. They may be magicians, ogres, elfs, dragons goblins, gnomes, or leprechauns.

Often fairy tales involve ordinary people who have experiences of a supernatural kind and are affected by charms, disguises, spells, or other fantastic occurrences. In The Sleeping Beauty, a princess is shut up by enchantment in a castle and sleeps for 100 years; the thick wood that grows up around the castle is penetrated by a prince who awakens the princess with a kiss.

Authors of Fairy Tales include: Although the stories were told centuries ago to entertain children, many were originally written for adults. As their popularity spread, the fairy tale came to have a major influence on children's literature. Authors of Fairy Tales include:

Charles Perrault Born in Paris, France in 1628 Collected fairy tales and published Tales of Mother Goose in 1697 Among the eight stories in this book are The Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Blue Beard, and Cinderella. Died in 1703

Grimm Brothers In the early 19th century the Grimm brothers of Germany claimed to have traveled around the countryside collecting stories. It has recently been discovered that they collected the stories from literate bourgeois women. However, they kept their identities a secret. Their 200 stories commonly called Grimm’s Fairy Tales have been translated into 70 languages. Fewer people know about the lives of the Grimm brothers and how they went about the countryside listening to folktales as told by those who had heard them from their mothers and fathers.

Wilhelm Carl Grimm was born on Feb. 24, 1786. The brothers were born in Germany. Wilhelm Carl Grimm was born on Feb. 24, 1786. Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm was born on Jan. 4, 1785. The brothers went to school determined to study law as their father had done. However, while attending school, Jacob became interested in the legends and both discovered that they enjoyed folk poetry. Because of these interests, Wilhelm obtained a job in a library and Jacob joined him.

The brothers and the more friendly, jovial Wilhelm quiet, scholarly Jacob spent some 13 years collecting stories "from the lips of people" of Hesse in middle Germany. The first volume of Nursery and Household Tales was published in Berlin in 1812 A second volume was published in 1815 and a third in 1822.

Sometimes there were several versions of the stories, and these the Grimms combined into one. Wilhelm revised and altered the fairy tales to be the voice of the people and to reflect German bourgeois tendencies. Should Rumpelstiltskin ride around the fire in a ladle, or should he hop around it on one foot? or a witch Should a wolf live in the sugar house found by Hansel and Gretel?

Hans Christian Andersen Another writer whose tales became universally popular was Hans Christian Andersen He was born April 2, 1805, on the island of Fyn, off the coast of Denmark. He memorized and recited plays to anyone who would listen. To put an end to this, his mother apprenticed him first to a weaver, then to a tobacconist, and finally to a tailor.

Hans Christian knew these occupations were not for him Hans Christian knew these occupations were not for him. The only things that held his interest were the theater, books, and stories When he was 14, he decided to go to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, and seek his fortune.

Andersen's writings began to be published in Danish in 1829 Andersen's writings began to be published in Danish in 1829. His first works were poems, plays, novels, and impressions of his travels. He was slow to discover that he especially excelled in explaining the essential character of children. In 1835 Andersen published Fairy Tales Told for Children. He published these short stories with little appreciation of their worth and returned to the writing of novels and poems. However, people who read the stories--adults as well as children--wanted more.

In 1833 the king gave him a grant of money for travel, and he spent 16 months wandering through Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy. Germany Switzerland France Italy

Andersen published 168 fairy tales in all. "The real ones come of themselves," he said. "They knock at my forehead and say, 'Here I am'." Although he never married and had no children of his own, he was at his best as an interpreter of the nature of children. He died on Aug. 4, 1875.

Although these authors lived long ago and far away... Andersen--Denmark Perrault--France Us--United States Grimm Brothers--Germany ...the appeal and popularity of the tales, continue to entertain us and we live happily ever after.

Resources: Compton’s Encyclopedia Online v3.0 c 1998 The Learning Co., Inc. “Andersen, Hans Christian” “Fairy Tale” “Grimm Brothers” “Mother Goose” “Perrault, Charles” “Perault Tales” Maps: European Countries; c. 1996 Houghton Mifflin Co. Denmark; About.com World; Silver Burdett Gim Inc. Pictures: Sleeping Beauty--Compton’s Encyclopedia Online v3.0 c. 1998, The Learning Co., Inc., “Fairy Tale” Charles Perrault--Petit Larousse, Dictionnaire des citations Hans Christian Andersen--www.kb.dk/elib/illbooks/hcaportr/ Clip Art: Witch--www.clip-art.com