Okay fairy tale admirers: in case you missed it, The Guardian Books published a piece yesterday (December 21st) highlighting the 17th-century French writer Madame d'Aulnoy, an upcoming release of a collection of her fairy tales—The Island of Happiness—, and one tale that will "be published in English for the first time in more than 300 … Continue reading Madame d’Aulnoy and The Island of Happiness (Announcement)
"The fishes had for a long time been discontented because no order prevailed in their kingdom." A pike, gudgeon, perch, carp, sole, and "the rest" of the fish come together in support of a monarchial government in this fairy tale, and we learn why the sole looks the way it does. The story lays out … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Sole
"It happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she thought to herself, 'He is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the world,' she spoke to him in a friendly way. 'Good day, dear Mr. Fox, how are you? How is all with you? How are you going … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Fox and the Cat
"A peasant had a faithful horse which had grown old and could do no more work, so his master would no longer give him anything to eat and said, 'I can certainly make no more use of you, but still I mean well by you; if you prove yourself still strong enough to bring me … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Fox and the Horse
"The fox once came to a meadow in which was a flock of fine fat geese, on which he smiled and said, 'I come at the nick of time, you are sitting together quite beautifully, so that I can eat you up one after the other.'" This is quite a short tale in which not … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Fox and the Geese
"There was once an old fox with nine tails, who wished to put his wife's affection to proof." This tale, [which I first thought was] separated into two sections, is not the most spectacular tale in the Grimm collection, but the rhyming sequences at least make parts of it fun to read. We begin with … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: How Mrs. Fox Married Again