The Queen's Mirror: Fairy Tales by German Women, 1780-1900 (European Women Writers) [Paperback]

Shawn C. Jarvis (Editor, Translator), Jeannine Blackwell (Editor, Translator)

Book Description

Series: European Women Writers | Publication Date: May 1, 2001

This exciting and comprehensive anthology—the first anthology of German women's fairy tales in English—presents a variety of published and archival fairy tales from 1780 to 1900. These authors of these stories used fairy tales to explain their own lives, to teach children, to examine history, and to critique society and the status quo. Powerful and conflicted females are queens, girls on quests, mothers, daughters, magical wisewomen, and midwives to the fairies; they love, hate, murder, save children, fight tyranny, overcome cannibals, and rescue the working poor.

 

Jeannine Blackwell's introduction places the tales in their historical, social, and critical context, and Shawn C. Jarvis's afterword presents a thematic analysis of the texts and approaches to reading them in conjunction with other European and American tales.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

While the Grimm brothers' fairy tales are widely recognizable as the hallmarks of German popular literature, contemporaneous women's writings of the same genre and language are less familiar, despite their wide-ranging variation. In this outstanding anthology, the editors/translators present a cross-section of tales by German-speaking women from various walks of life. The opening story of the book, "The Tale of Fewei," which is also the first known fairy tale in German by a woman, was written in 1784 by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. The book spans the next 11 decades, introducing writers in brief biographical sketches, followed by selected tales. The editors justify their 1900 cut-off by explaining that at this time fairy tales started to fade in popularity, owing mainly to the proliferation of mass media. In general, characters here encounter different interactions and transformations than in the traditional fairy tales. Rather than being the stereotypical submissive types, cast out by the evil stepmother or "sent out into the world," many of these female characters actively participate in fantastic and magical experiences (for instance, the queen in Bettina von Arnim's "The Queen's Son," who seeks refuge in the wilderness and learns the language of animals). The anthology includes a general introduction by Blackwell (German, Univ. of Kentucky), placing the tales in their historical, social, and critical contexts. Jarvis (German, St. Cloud State) wraps up the volume with an afterword, presenting an analysis of the fairy tales and comparing them to the "standard" tales that most people grew up with. Original black-and-white theme illustrations or portraits of the writers precede most of the stories. Highly recommended for literary, women's studies, and comprehensive collections. Ali Houissa. Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The tales in The Queen's Mirror open a window into the literary culture of nineteenth-century Germany, telling of the quest for romance, wealth, power, justice, and, most importantly, a way home. While women writers produced fairy tales with an astonishing range and play, their work has been effaced by the popular success of the Grimms' fairy tales. With this ambitious archaeological project, Jarvis and Blackwell reclaim stories that are up close and personal, but also culturally symptomatic, broadening our understanding of the anxieties and desires of an earlier era."--Maria Tatar, author of Classic Fairy Tales. "In this outstanding anthology, the editors/translators present a cross-section of tales by German-speaking women from various walks of life."--Library Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803261810
• ISBN-13: 978-0803261815
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars WOW..., November 8, 2011

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This review is from: The Queen's Mirror: Fairy Tales by German Women, 1780-1900 (European Women Writers) (Hardcover)

It's really a shame this book isn't better known! The tales are lush and vivid... teeming with deep, thought provoking imagery. An amazing find!