Feminist Fairy Tales (Paperback)

by Barbara G. Walker (Author) "Once upon a time there was a poor widower who lived with his daughter, Lupa, in a wretched hut on a stony little farm..." (more)
Key Phrases: three little pinks, littlest mermaid, magic silk, Snow Night, White Riding Hood, Fairy of the Forest (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Walker has applied her considerable scholarship to re-spin classic fairy tales, reinterpret folklore staples and write a few original stories of her own in a manner that reflects a serious?and sometimes funny?feminist mind. Wordplay groaners (characters named Barbidol, Devi Jones, Lowkey) and contemporary mores, terms and conveniences in ancient settings (running water, a silicon-based race, true-crime stories, private schools) may amuse some. But the strength of the work lies in rich, lyrical straight pieces like "The Descent of Shaloma," "The Oracle" and "The White God." In perfect read-aloud cadence, the stories elevate women to the heroic roles: Gorga, who umasks the dragon; Ugly, who lives narcissism-free with the Beast; Jill, who descends the beanroot into the earth; Ala Dean, who asks the lamp not for riches but for peace and equality; White Riding Hood, who feeds the hunter to the wolves. Walker introduces each of the 28 stories with a brief commentary on its origins and meaning?from Gotterdammerung to Jung. Her feminism is couched in complexities that make this a book to build a seminar around. Illustrated by Laurie Harden.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
YA?Traditional fairy tales describe the princess (or heroine) as beautiful, obedient, generous, and kind; of all these, beauty is the most prized attribute. Walker's women are gutsy, resourceful, realistic, and firmly in tune with nature; their beauty comes from within. In "Ugly and the Beast" (one of the turnabout stories), Ugly is loved by her family and by the Beast for her sweetness; her far-from-perfect looks are irrelevant. "Princess Questa" confronts her fears of making changes, and, with growing confidence, takes control of her life. Environmental messages are woven into such stories as "White Riding Hood" and "The White God." Antiviolence themes appear in "Barbidol"; in "Snow Night," the good stepmother effectively thwarts the attempted rape and murder of her stepdaughter. The excellent explanations that precede each story provide scholarly references to Babylonian, Sumerian, Biblical, Greek, Roman, Celtic, and German myths and creation stories. The author's writing style is witty, whimsical, creative, clever, mostly smooth, and only occasionally heavy-handed in message. Her 28 stories belong in all YA collections. The book can be used for booktalking and as a source for creative writing or short-story assignments. It is not, however, for those who believe in the very traditional views of women. These fairy tales are tools for empowerment.?Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1 edition (December 6, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062513206
• ISBN-13: 978-0062513205
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #223,207 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars mixed messages, December 4, 2000

By	A. E. Vidal "princessarwen" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although Walker says that she was tired of hearing about "beautiful princesses" waiting to be rescued by princes, I noticed that almost all of the illustrations of her heroines depicted lovely young women, albeit wielding swords or looking competent in some way. Also, I was hoping to give this book to a younger cousin, but after reading it, I decided against it. In several of the stories the women are sexually harrassed and/or assualted. Although women do face these threats, I think I'd approach the subject a little differently with children. Still, I will say that I enjoyed most of her stories. The "Goddess" and "wiccan/natural theology" themes were incorporated in many stories. Some of these retellings were clever, others predictable. Bottom-line: good for earth-mother, liberal, or literature-focused feminists and fairy-tale fans looking for more modern adaptations, bad for younger audiences, or conservative, traditional fairy-tale fans.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars READ FEARLESS GIRLS, WISE WOMEN AND BELOVED SISTERS INSTEAD, May 28, 2002

By	Janis A. Varo (Seattle, WA. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was terrible. The women in it are not anymore powerful than in traditional fairy tales (and they are involved with both attempted rape and domestic violence because they pick the wrong guys--they are sooo powerful because they kick men in the crotch to escape!). Plus, it seems that it is ok to say that men who are ugly are not as good as men who are attractive--basically she is advocating being a sexist as long as it is not against women. She also seems to have missed the fact that lots of "negative" aspects of traditional fairy tales (esp wolves) serve an allegorical purpose and taking them all so literally only makes her new stories very dull and wooden as she tries so hard to correct thses "mistakes". Please, please read Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan instead--far and above the best book with strong female heroines in a fairy tale/folktale setting!!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent and pleasent surprise, November 10, 1998

By A Customer

This book is not the basic fairy tale written from an exclusivly "girl power" viewpoint. Yes, it has the heroines rescuing the prince, or rescuing themselves when they get bored waiting for the prince, but it is also about female spirtuality, goddess religion, and filled with folklore and legends that have long since been lost to the general public.