Once you find a book on your topic, be sure to look at the book's subject heading. Following the link to this heading will take you to other books on your topic.
Below is some suggested reading related to the course syllabus. Use the MU library catalog to locate additional titles. Books not available from MU can be requested via Interlibrary Loan.
Fairy Tales: A New History by
Overturns traditional views of the origins of fairy tales and documents their actual origins and transmission. 2009 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Where did Cinderella come from? Puss in Boots? Rapunzel? The origins of fairy tales are looked at in a new way in these highly engaging pages. Conventional wisdom holds that fairy tales originated in the oral traditions of peasants and were recorded for posterity by the Brothers Grimm during the nineteenth century. Ruth B. Bottigheimer overturns this view in a lively account of the origins of these well-loved stories. Charles Perrault created Cinderella and her fairy godmother, but no countrywoman whispered this tale into Perrault's ear. Instead, his Cinderella appeared only after he had edited it from the book of often amoral tales published by Giambattista Basile in Naples. Distinguishing fairy tales from folktales and showing the influence of the medieval romance on them, Bottigheimer documents how fairy tales originated as urban writing for urban readers and listeners. Working backward from the Grimms to the earliest known sixteenth-century fairy tales of the Italian Renaissance, Bottigheimer argues for a book-based history of fairy tales. The first new approach to fairy tale history in decades, this book answers questions about where fairy tales came from and how they spread, illuminating a narrative process long veiled by surmise and assumption.
Annotated Classic Fairy Tales by
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.
The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales by
From its ancient roots in the oral tradition to the postmodernist reworkings of the present day, the fairy tale has retained its powerful hold over the cultural imagination of Europe and North America. Now The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales provides the first authoritative reference source for this complex, captivating genre. With more than 800 entries written by a team of 67 specialists from around the world, the Companion offers an illuminating look at the classic tales themselves, both ancient and modern, from Jack and Jill and Cinderella to Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. The contributors also profile the writers who wrote or reworked these luminous tales, as well as the illustrators, film-makers, choreographers, and composers who have been involved with creating or interpreting them. The Companion also covers such related topics as film, art, opera, ballet, music, even advertising. An introductory overview by Jack Zipes sets the subject in its historical and literary context, and special survey articles explore the development of the fairy-tale tradition in individual countries, focusing particularly on the European and North American traditions. The volume includes a detailed bibliography, to aid in further research into this fascinating topic. Strikingly illustrated with 70 beautiful pictures, from early engravings to 20th-century film stills, this is an essential companion for everyone who loves fairy tales and storytelling.
The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales by
Murder, mutilation, cannibalism, infanticide, and incest: the darker side of classic fairy tales figures as the subject matter for this intriguing study of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's Nursery and Household Tales. This updated and expanded second edition includes a new preface and an appendix containing new translations of six tales, along with commentary by Maria Tatar. Throughout the book, Tatar skillfully employs the tools not only of a psychoanalyst but also of a folklorist, literary critic, and historian to examine the harsher aspects of these stories. She presents new interpretations of the powerful stories in this worldwide best-selling book. Few studies have been written in English on these tales, and none has probed their allegedly happy endings so thoroughly.
Old-Fashioned Fairy Tales by
A fantastic collection of 19 traditional fairytales by English children's writer Juliana Horatia Ewing.
Irish Fairy Tales - the Original Classic Edition by
This was more a book of Faerie Tales than one of Fairy Tales--instead of Cinderella-like maidens being rescued by princes and aided by fairy godmothers, there are the shi of Faery who mingle with the humans for mischief and pleasure, although often the humans manage both of those quite well on their own. Most of the tales deal with Fionn the son of Uail, and his life and times. They are well-written and witty, and captured my attention. The first story, though. The first story was boring, uninteresting and had nothing to do with Fionn (although I admit I had no idea who he was when I read it). It was about Tuan, the son of Cairill and how he started as one of Noahs grandsons, and then after achieving old age, managed to be reborn as every notable creature that inhabits Ireland. It was...not a great start to this otherwise wonderful book, and I was expecting the worst after reading it, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the rest of the stories were actually interesting. Stories included are: The Story of Tuan mac Cairill The Boyhood of Fionn The Birth of Bran Oisins Mother The Wooing of Becfola The Little Brawl at Allen THe Enchanted Cave of Cesh Corran Becuma of the White Skin Mongans Frenzy (which has VENOMOUS SHEEP in it)
The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature by
Thousands of authoritative and accessible entries on every aspect of children's literature, covering authors, illustrators, works, characters, genres, and much more. From Mark Haddon to Harry Potter, Raymond Briggs to Maurice Sendak, and Douglas Adams to The Gruffalo