The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm (Norton Critical Editions) [Paperback]

Jack (editor). ZIPES (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 039397636X | ISBN-13: 978-0393976366 | Publication Date: December 2000 | Edition: annotated edition

The first edition of its kind, The Great Fairy Tale Tradition is indispensable for students of fairy tales.

The tales—116 in all—are thematically grouped. Each grouping is introduced and annotated by Jack Zipes, the genre’s reigning expert. Twenty illustrations accompany the texts.

"Criticism" includes seven important assessments of different aspects of the fairy tale tradition, written by W. G. Waters, Benedetto Croce, Lewis Seifert, Patricia Hannon, Harry Velten, Siegfried Neumann, and Jack Zipes.

Brief biographies of the storytellers and a Selected Bibliography are included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack Zipes (Ph.D. Columbia University) is a Professor of German at the University of Minnesota. In addition to his scholarly work on children’s literature, he is an award-winning storyteller in public schools and has worked with various children’s theaters. His major publications include Sticks and Stones: The Troublesome Success of Children’s Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter (2000), Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry (1997), Fairy Tale as Myth/Myth as Fairy Tale (1994), The Brothers Grimm: From Enchanted Forests to the Modern World (1988), and Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion: The Classical Genre for Children and the Process of Civilization (1983).

Product Details

• Paperback: 1008 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; annotated edition edition (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039397636X
• ISBN-13: 978-0393976366
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Children's Literature Guides

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Textbook, December 3, 2003

By 

Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

If I was teaching a course on fairy tales, this book would be the course's primary text. Editor Jack Zipes compiled the book with such a purpose in mind and it's a job well done. The largest section, The Texts of the Great Fairy Tale Tradition, is comprised of fairy tale texts grouped into over 35 themes. Examples of themes include: Love Conquers All, Abandoned Children, Shrewd Cats, and Envious Sisters. Each theme has a minimum of two tales--usually more--with an introduction explaining the history of the theme and its tales. Zipes' introduction includes a definition of the literary fairy tale and its history as a genre. Critical essays by respected scholars are included in the Criticism section. Short biographies of the authors, black and white illustrations, and a selected bibliography add to the resources found inside. My only wish is that an index to aid with finding and cross-referencing tales had been included. This book makes a great reference book or textbook for the armchair scholar at an affordable price.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Than You Imagined, September 21, 2008

By 

John C. Stewart - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

Jack Zipes has brought together a comprehensive collection of fairy tales that surprises the reader with how insightful and timeless these tales are in regards to the human condition. Many of these tales, which are not found in more polite and juvenile collections, still have the power to enchant the imagination.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Non-Disney Versions...Dark, Sinister, and Evil, August 8, 2009

By 

Elvis Zombie "Dustin" (Angola, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

Forget all that happy junk you watched in the Disney movies. These are the real deal. Some of these tales are pretty gruesome so I don't recommend reading them to your kids. However, if you're a sick twisted freak like me you'll enjoy the entries collected here. There are over 100 fairy tales in here including many obscure fairy tales that you probably never heard of. Don't let the fact that this was designed for course work scare you away. You don't have to be in college to enjoy this book. It's great to have notes and critiques of the texts on hand.