Customer Reviews

The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales (Oxford Books of Prose)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is a wide variety of writing styles in this collection although it should be noted there is an emphasis on British authors until you reach the more contemporary tales. It is also a little outdated, cutting just short of the sudden wave of contemporary fairy tale writers from the 1990s.

Also, this may not be an ideal collection for children for a few reasons: the vocabulary from some tales is likely to be difficult, most children will not grasp/enjoy the more modern narrative structures and some parents may object to the overt sexual content in some of the tales.

Alison Lurie, whose brilliant book "Don't Tell the Grownups" demonstrates both her knowledge of and insight into children's literature, has done a wonderful job of collecting fairy tales from the 19th Century all the way up to the present, including authors such as Dickens, Thurber, and Le Guin. Anyone familiar with Lang's "Prince Prigio" will wish it had been included, but the other tales more than compensate for its absence.

This book is a comprehensive of 19th Century up to today of fairy tales. It is a great buy because of all the stories you get for your money. It has all the fairy tales we have loved throughout the ages. It is great to give to your children.