Fairy Tale as Myth/Myth as Fairy Tale (Clark Lectures) [Paperback]

Jack Zipes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Clark Lectures | Publication Date: October 25, 1994

" Explores the historical rise of the literary fairy tale as genre in the late seventeenth century. In his examinations of key classical fairy tales, Zipes traces their unique metamorphoses in history with stunning discoveries that reveal their ideological relationship to domination and oppression. Tales such as Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and Rumplestiltskin have become part of our everyday culture and shapers of our identities. In this lively work, Jack Zipes explores the historical rise of the literary fairy tale as genre in the late seventeenth century and examines the ideological relationship of classic fairy tales to domination and oppression in Western society. The fairy tale received its most "mythic" articulation in America. Consequently, Zipes sees Walt Disney's Snow White as an expression of American male individualism, film and literary interpretations of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz as critiques of American myths, and Robert Bly's Iron John as a misunderstanding of folklore and traditional fairy tales. This book will change forever the way we look at the fairy tales of our youth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Should be read by anyone who feels that our postindustrial culture has outgrown the need to express its desires and anxieties in the material of traditional narrative." -- Australian Folklore

"For many readers the fascination of these essays will lie... in the revelatory detail of his close comparative textual readings." -- Times Literary Supplement

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (October 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813108349
• ISBN-13: 978-0813108346
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #937,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent., October 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fairy Tale as Myth/Myth as Fairy Tale (Clark Lectures) (Paperback)

Zipes' qualifications for writing about this subject are impeccable, and his years of teaching show easily here. Chapters include stuff about traditional fairy tales, sure, but also writeups on Disney animation (hint: he's not real thrilled at some ways Disney has "tidied up" fairy tales). You'll never watch "The Little Mermaid" in quite the same way again.

This is more of a philosophical treatment than anything else. There isn't extensive hard history here; they're writeups of lectures, not papers, though sources are cited. Consider these ruminations on fairy tales and their relevance to modern culture -- how they are treated, how they are disseminated, how they've changed in the past couple hundred years. The book isn't very long, but it has a lot of good observations in it.

I found it invaluable for its insights; Zipes has found a sincere admirer in me. If you are interested in fairy tales in modern culture, this is definitely somewhere you might enjoy playing.

4.0 out of 5 stars Using for my Thesis, December 26, 2011

By 

The Book Runner (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fairy Tale as Myth/Myth as Fairy Tale (Clark Lectures) (Paperback)

Jack Zipes' Fairy Tale As Myth; Myth as Fairy Tale was a deeply insightful and intriguing book to read. He traces the evolution of the fairytale, beginning with how it was conveyed through oral tradition as the voice of the community; commandeered by the aristocrats with the advent of the printing press and used as a tool to socialize children; then reconstructed again by film and absorbed by the culture industry. He explores what happens every time the narrator is shifted - women to men, poor to aristocrats, the many to one - and evaluates what worldviews and life values these tales portray, specifically looking at only a couple of well-known stories and showing how their values evolve over time as they are retold by different narrators who place their own perspectives on the work.

I got this book and other of Zipes' works to aid in my research for my senior thesis and have been particularly fascinated by what he has to say. He writes in a very understandable and interesting manner (not like some sociologists whose texts are exhaustingly dry) and brings continual fresh perspectives to stories that are hundreds of years old. I do not feel like I agree with him all the time; he seems to take Theodor Adorno's position on the culture industry which is a deeply captivating argument but it undermines the masses' ability to think for themselves and cheapens the very provocative messages imbedded within every film for those willing to look hard enough to see them. He is not as extreme as Adorno, but he sometimes does seem to dismiss fairytale films as vapid commodities and contrast them with the cultural richness of oral tradition. He does have a great point here, but I cannot help but feel that though the medium for and narrator of the story has changed, orally conveyed tales and films both express the values/worldviews/philosophies of their society, revealing what that society thinks is ideal/beautiful/evil/heroic/appropriate/etc. Regardless, this book is a terrific and enlightening read that brings a new understanding to the times we live in as compared to the past.

Would I/Did I buy it? Yes
Would I read it again? No
Would I recommend it to friends? Yes

5.0 out of 5 stars a smart look at fairy tales, September 30, 2011

By 

Caroline Lamb (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fairy Tale as Myth/Myth as Fairy Tale (Clark Lectures) (Paperback)

This is a collection of essays, rather than a full-length study. I found all the essays to be interesting and insightful. And fun. If you are interested in the stories behind the stories, these essays could be a good starting place--after which you will want to read more of Zipes' work.