I'm deep in the middle of final grading for the semester, but I just had to alert readers to a review of a new edition of Perrault's fairy tales, titled, fittingly enough, as The Complete Fairy Tales by Charles Perrault, with illustrations by the equally great Gustave Dore. Anyway, here's an interesting review from the LA Times. Clearly, the new edition is promising.
The picture is by Dore, from "Sleeping Beauty."
4 comments:
What a beautiful picture!
They're actually *giving away* a copy of this book over at Wonders and Marvels! Exciting, no?
Oh, and Kate! We've started blogging over at Lit.Scribbles again. May we link to you?
I am really enjoying the readings by Charles Perrault. His work is much older than that of the other authors I have read in class, but his contain a wit that the others lack. We recently discussed in class how he most likely snuck political statements into his work at a time and place where it would be very risky to do so. Perrault has such an interesting and rich background that helped give him insight on society and gave him a voice in which to have his opinions heard. Perrault’s audience seems to lean more toward the adult and that also may be why I favor his writing to that of the other fairy tales. His tales also have more of a personable oral folk tone which would make it more smooth and enjoyable to read aloud. His quips about the King in “Donkeyskin” by exaggerating his integrity make such a horrible story amusing. The morals he leaves at the end of most stories are very thought provoking. I think Perrault had a knack at making his stories intriguing and the hot topic of conversation. I look forward in reading more from him.
Gabrielle L.
I find the inclusion of fairy tale art to be just as telling as most of the tales. For some reason Dore’s work really disturbs me. I think it has something to do with the faces of the older people he renders. He makes SUCH a distinction between young and old. It is obvious in this image too! The young woman is standing upright, she is elegant, and well dressed. The other figure is slumped, almost into a heap, has no neck whatsoever, and it seems like her face is melting off. She is pockmarked and unappealing. We have talked a lot about the emphasis on youth in our discussions, and I can’t help but think that Dore’s work has helped influence our perceptions on youth equating beauty, whereas age equals lack of beauty. Turning through our text, I can’t find a Dore piece that doesn’t have a disturbingly young portrayal of the heroine, or an entirely negative portrayal of anyone older than, say, 6. His work in “Tom Thumb” is downright upsetting.
I much prefer Wanda Gag or Kay Nielsen’s work!
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