Erotic Fairy Tales: A Romp through the Classics [Paperback]

Mitzi Szereto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2001

A traditional source of sexual titillation for adult readers, fairy tales historically boasted licentious themes before being cleaned up for the consumption of children in modern times. Seasoned erotica author Mitzi Szereto restores the explicit sex in these 15 tales — and adds some provocative surprises of her own. Here the bawdy humor of French fable meets the sublime eroticism of ancient Chinese myth; a not-so-virgin damsel weds a Prince Charming with a shoe fetish; Little Red Riding Hood discovers Grandma’s bed is open to any stray wolf; and a Japanese monk stumbles onto an S/M scene behind a forbidden door. Each tale is prefaced by a brief introduction telling its history and the sexual culture in which the work was originally composed.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Like Rollins (see The Empress's New Lingerie, reviewed above), Szereto explains that the sexual content of most fairy tales was deleted by the likes of the Brothers Grimm to make them more family-friendly. Instead of researching and restoring the original erotic elements of each tale, however, the author chose to work from the clean versions and eroticize them as she saw fit, making the stories her own. The writing is sometimes uneven, as she attempts to maintain an antiquated fairy-tale narration but includes some modern phrases. While some of her rewrites take the obvious route (the above-mentioned shoe fetishism of "Cinderella"), each story contains some surprising new aspects, and none seems clich d or unoriginal. The results, in fact, are sexy and often quite humorous Rapunzel, for example, becomes a "rapstress," enticing a horseman with her rhymes. The tales chosen by Szereto, who has published four volumes of erotica under the pen name M.S. Valentine, are quite diverse, and she includes an introduction explaining the origin and history of each. Enthusiastically recommended. Amanda Glasbrenner, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Cleis Press; 1 edition (April 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573441244
• ISBN-13: 978-1573441247
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MITZI SZERETO is a bestselling author and anthology editor of multi-genre and erotic fiction and non-fiction, blogger for the popular ERRANT RAMBLINGS: MITZI SZERETO'S WEBLOG (http://mitziszereto.com/blog), and the creator/presenter for the internet TV channel MITZI TV (http://mitziszereto.com/tv), which offers a quirky take on London.

Her published titles include PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: HIDDEN LUSTS; RED VELVET AND ABSINTHE: PARANORMAL EROTIC ROMANCE; IN SLEEPING BEAUTY'S BED: EROTIC FAIRY TALES (solo short story collection); THE NEW BLACK LACE BOOK OF WOMEN'S SEXUAL FANTASIES (non-fiction/survey); GETTING EVEN: REVENGE STORIES (crime/multi-genre); DYING FOR IT: TALES OF SEX AND DEATH (erotica/multi-genre); WICKED: SEXY TALES OF LEGENDARY LOVERS (erotica/romance/historical); the EROTIC TRAVEL TALES anthology series (erotica/romance); THE WORLD'S BEST SEX WRITING 2005 (non-fiction/criticism); EROTIC FAIRY TALES: A ROMP THROUGH THE CLASSICS; and the popular M. S. VALENTINE erotic novels (which have sold in excess of 100,000 copies). Her short fiction and erotic novels have been translated into Russian, Italian and German.

MITZI SZERETO's Web TV channel MITZI TV covers "all things quirky and London" and has attracted an international audience. Segments have ranged from prowling the streets of London in search of jellied eel and chatting about classic cars with Formula 1 racecar driver/BBC TV presenter Tiff Needell and couture shoe designer Jimmy Choo, to joining in a lively pub singalong, being recruited into dance by a troupe of Morris dancing software geeks, hanging out with a chapter of Harley Davidson riders, and covering a teddy bear festival with her famous bear and cohort, Teddy Tedaloo.

In addition to books and web TV, MITZI SZERETO is a pioneer of the erotic writing workshop in the UK and Europe, teaching them from the prestigious Cheltenham Festival of Literature to the Greek islands. Her outspoken views on the erotic literary scene have made her a trendsetter, cult figure, and frequent interviewee, earning her a reputation as the author and editor who's put the "literature" back into erotica. Frequently sought out for her opinions on a range of topics, she's been featured in the Sunday Telegraph, Independent, Times, Observer, London Evening Standard, Toronto Star, The London Paper, Company Magazine, Dare Magazine, First Magazine, Family Circle, Writing Magazine, Scarlet Magazine, and Forum, as well as on Bravo UK Television, Telecinco TV 5 (Madrid), BBC Radio, Newstalk Ireland, and FM4 ORF Radio (Vienna). She's performed readings of her work from Los Angeles to London and Vienna, and has given talks on such subjects as erotic writing, women's publishing, and social media. Her work as an anthology editor has earned her the American Society of Authors and Writers' Meritorious Achievement Award. She also travels in academic circles, having lectured in creative writing at a number of British universities as well as presenting papers on erotic literature at conferences. Her anthology "Erotic Travel Tales 2" is the first anthology of erotica to feature a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Originally from the USA, she now resides in London, England.

ERRANT RAMBLINGS: MITZI SZERETO'S WEBLOG: http://mitziszereto.com/blog

MITZI TV: http://mitziszereto.com/tv

Follow Mitzi on Twitter @mitziszereto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what i was looking for, April 21, 2001

By 

D. Connor "Random Oasis" (Culver City, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Erotic Fairy Tales: A Romp through the Classics (Paperback)

I was hoping for something a little more erotic, and this book almost never says things straight out, the entire book is based on innuendos. the stories are classics, but the treatment of most of these could have been a lot better.

My biggest problem with this book is that some stories didn;t even make it to the "erotic" level.

-Disappointed

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars admittedly un-arousing, but still an excellent read, December 27, 2001

By 

Megan McCarthy (Hanover, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Erotic Fairy Tales: A Romp through the Classics (Paperback)

I agree with the other reviewers about this book's lack as far as its ability to 'get you off' goes. It never indulges in just straightforward sex, and in fact it almost never gets to the point of coitus at all, but once I got over my initial disappointment, I went on to thoroughly enjoy this well-written, well-researched, light-hearted, and (above all) incredibly funny book. All you really need to do to enjoy it is to read it as a spoof (maybe even as an almost-satire) and expect the explicit sexual details to amuse rather than arouse you. I could not stop laughing throughout this entire book. I think it's wonderful. It's just not what you'd expect, that's all. In the category of comedy, it gets 5 stars from me, but as erotica, I admit that it falls far short of being, well... "erotic." Thus, my final score is 4.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And now for something completely different..., July 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Erotic Fairy Tales: A Romp through the Classics (Paperback)

Never been one for fairy tales myself -- until my boyfriend got me this delightful collection of stories for my birthday. I have since become a convert thanks to author Mitzi Szereto. She works within the original framework of the fairy tales, but molds them into something fresh and deliciously erotic. Her storytelling method is rich with symbolism and illusion, and can be enjoyed by both erotica fans and readers of mainstream fiction. There's a wonderful sense of playfulness in the stories, proving wrong those who claim you cannot have humor in erotica. I found the historical introductions a fascinating read, giving me a greater appreciation of a genre I had been dismissive of. I recommend this book to anyone who has an appreciation of quality erotic writing.