Using Beaumont’s classic story as a touchstone, this work shows how "Beauty and the Beast" takes on different meanings as it is analyzed by psychologists, illustrated in picture books, adapted to the screen, and rewritten by contemporary writers. The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast" provides expert commentary on the tale and on representative critical approaches and contemporary adaptations. This book also includes a variety of original source materials and twenty-three colour illustrations. The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast" is for any reader who wishes to explore this classic, endlessly rich fairy tale.
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"‘Beauty and the Beast’ is one of the most popular tales in the world, but very few critics have been able to account for its immense popularity. Now Jerry Griswold has bravely undertaken that task and has written a fascinating book that explores the manifold meanings of this compelling tale. Not only does Griswold trace the origins of the classical erotic story, but he also interprets the numerous adaptations in literature and film throughout the world. Whether he analyzes the classic version of Madame Leprince de Beaumont, Angela Carter's feminist versions, or the Disney animated films, Griswold is always thought-provoking. This is a book that will certainly interest all readers who are captivated by the mystery of fairy tales." (Jack Zipes )
"While specifically focused on the tale named in its title, Jerry Griswold’s The Meanings of 'Beauty and the Beast' offers a perceptive and entertaining introduction to the subject of fairy tales generally. Interweaving an eclectic collection of variants of 'Beauty and the Beast' within and around a knowledgeable discussion of the history and meaning of the tale, Griswold offers both a useful introduction for those new to the study of fairy tales and insightful ideas about and interpretations of versions of 'Beauty and the Beast' that will greatly interest specialists in the field." (Perry Nodelman )
"A blend of synthesis, anthology, and analysis, this offers a broadly supported expansion of the scholarship on an irrepressible story." (Betsy Hearne )
"While specifically focused on the tale named in its title, Jerry Griswold’s The Meanings of 'Beauty and the Beast' offers a perceptive and entertaining introduction to the subject of fairy tales generally. Interweaving an eclectic collection of variants of 'Beauty and the Beast' within and around a knowledgeable discussion of the history and meaning of the tale, Griswold offers both a useful introduction for those new to the study of fairy tales and insightful ideas about and interpretations of versions of 'Beauty and the Beast' that will greatly interest specialists in the field." (Perry Nodelman )
"A blend of synthesis, anthology, and analysis, this offers a broadly supported expansion of the scholarship on an irrepressible story." (Betsy Hearne )
From the Back Cover
Using Beaumont’s classic story as a touchstone, this work shows how "Beauty and the Beast" takes on different meanings as it is analyzed by psychologists, illustrated in picture books, adapted to the screen, and rewritten by contemporary writers. The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast" provides expert commentary on the tale and on representative critical approaches and contemporary adaptations. This book also includes a variety of original source materials and twenty-three colour illustrations. The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast" is for any reader who wishes to explore this classic, endlessly rich fairy tale.
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More About the Author
A literary critic and cultural observer, I have written hundreds of essays for The Nation, Paris Review, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other publications. I have also been a university professor in New England, in Southern California, and (for one hilarious year) in Ireland. When home in San Diego, I keep my website current (address above) but now I am more often traveling (recently in Central Mexico), biking (my favorite trip is down the Pacific Coast), or lecturing (next up is Japan).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating study of archtypal tale,
By
This review is from: The Meanings of "Beauty & The Beast" A Handbook (Paperback)
Jerry Griswold refers several times to the motif of unpeeling great works of literature like a never-ending artichoke, and that's exactly what he proceeds to do in The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast": A Handbook. This classic fairy tale, which has appeared in myriad forms through the centuries and across cultures, is a particularly rewarding text for this treatment. Griswold traces themes in the ancient sources of the myth to concerns about endogamy (marrying out of one's cultural group), arranged marriages, and xenophobia, and finds in various modern interpretations the urge to reclaim wildness for women, a metaphor for the journey to integrated maturity for men, or a plea for acceptance of the Other. Along the way Griswold includes and comments on the texts of several early literary versions of the tale (Beaumont, Villeneuve, and Apuleius), a number of folkloric variations (most notably "Cinderella" and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon"), two modern retellings (by Angela Carter and Tanith Lee), some well-known illustrations (among them Walter Crane and Mercer Mayer), and two film versions (Cocteau and Disney). The chapter on critical sources, and the explications of each text, draw upon interpretive tools such as Jungian and Freudian analysis, feminist theory, and gay readings, all of which reveal fascinating perspectives on the root story. The inclusion of both text and commentary in this book would make it an excellent text for courses in folklore, world literature, psychology in literature, or fantasy literature. However, its major fault is that it lacks an index -- a crying shame for an otherwise scholarly but accessibly-written study.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
LOVE this book!,
By
This review is from: The Meanings of "Beauty & The Beast" A Handbook (Paperback)
I've loved the fairy tale _Beauty & the Beast_ since a young age, so when I found this book, I knew it was (IS!) a must-have. It doesn't disappoint. Griswold covers many (if not most) of the positive and negative aspects of this fairytale and how it can be "translated" into modern usage. _Beauty & the Beast_ is a fascinating story for many readers, and Griswold proves that it is the never-ending artichoke (a person can keep peeling back more and more layers to find further meaning) that he says it is.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves fairy tales and their underlying meanings and history.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have for B&B Fans,
By Rosemarie S. "Radcliffe" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Meanings of "Beauty & The Beast" A Handbook (Paperback)
I bought this book to help with a paper I was writing on Beauty & the Beast themes in literature, but wanted to finish it even after the paper was done. It covers a wide range of versions of the story, with the full text of some versions preceding the discussion. It even includes two of my favorite versions: the 1987 television series staring Linda Hamilton & Ron Perlman and Disney's movie. The TV show could have had more time spent on it, though, and Disney's movie has some interpretations that I don't really agree with, but overall this book is a good read for any fan of this multi-layered, fairy-tale in all its various forms.
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