Customer Reviews

The Outspoken Princess and the Gentle Knight

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If you like fairy tales that turn the genre traditions on their head, this is the book for you. Contains: "Little Polly Riding Hood" by Catherine Starr; "The Gentle Knight" by Richard Schickel; "The Faithful Bull" by Ernest Hemingway (yes, THAT Hemingway); "The Signal" by Jack Sendak; "Princess Dahli" by Tanith Lee; "Molly Mullett" by Patricia Coombs; "Gudgekin the Thistle Girl" by John Gardner; "The Cat-King's Daughter" by Lloyd Alexander; "The White Seal Maid" by Jane Yolen (a bittersweet tale of love and sacrifice); "The Dark Princess" by Richard Kennedy; "Petronella" by Jay Williams; "The Wrestling Princess" by Judy Corbalis (this, along with "Petronella", was my favorite. Both had strong female leads and great characterization); "The Enchanter's Daughter" by Antonia Barber; "The Story of the Eldest Princess" by A.S. Wyatt; and "The Outspoken Princess" by Dov Mir.

I loved the stories. Most of them were simple and easy to read but lots of fun. Good for people of all ages.

With just the right amount of sarcasm mixed with a delightful sense of humor, Jack Zipes continues his tradition of presenting flexible alternatives to conventional fairy tales. To see Zipes' own comments on the variations of the Little Red Riding Hood story, his essay in Don't Bet On The Prince and his book The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood are demonstrations of his research and understanding.

Dumbed down "politically correct" post modernist bed-time stories. Not a hint of fairy tale delight, magic or wisdom exists in these stories. In one story, Little Polly (a/k/a Little Red Riding Hood)lives in the city yet even in this urban environment is being pursued by a wolf. Nonetheless she cleverly escapes by such tactics as taking the bus to her grandmother's house (No really.). In another story with a feminist subtext, a princess rescues a prince then decides he is a jerk (he is) and abandons him for the evil sorcerer. Then there is the tale of the knight that does not want to hunt dragons but prefers to read. Fortunately when pressed into service the dragon is friendly and harmless and actually helps the knight rescue a princess from a "Huff" by outwitting it. No violence please. If you are looking for bed-time stories worthty of your child's intelligence, try "Italian Folktales" by Italio Calvino.