The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social History of a Genre
- ISBN-10
- 0691153388
- ISBN-13
- 9780691153384
- Category
- Literary Criticism
- Pages
- 235
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2012
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Author
- Jack Zipes
Description
If there is one genre that has captured the imagination of people in all walks of life throughout the world, it is the fairy tale. Yet we still have great difficulty understanding how it originated, evolved, and spread--or why so many people cannot resist its appeal, no matter how it changes or what form it takes. In this book, renowned fairy-tale expert Jack Zipes presents a provocative new theory about why fairy tales were created and retold--and why they became such an indelible and infinitely adaptable part of cultures around the world. Drawing on cognitive science, evolutionary theory, anthropology, psychology, literary theory, and other fields, Zipes presents a nuanced argument about how fairy tales originated in ancient oral cultures, how they evolved through the rise of literary culture and print, and how, in our own time, they continue to change through their adaptation in an ever-growing variety of media. In making his case, Zipes considers a wide range of fascinating examples, including fairy tales told, collected, and written by women in the nineteenth century; Catherine Breillat's film adaptation of Perrault's "Bluebeard"; and contemporary fairy-tale drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs that critique canonical print versions. While we may never be able to fully explain fairy tales, The Irresistible Fairy Tale provides a powerful theory of how and why they evolved--and why we still use them to make meaning of our lives.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2013-10-06
- 235 pages
- Paperback
- Princeton University Press
-
- 2012-03-19
- 256 pages
- Ebook
- Princeton University Press
Similar books
-
Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre
By Jack ZipesIf Fitcher is a false representative of God on earth and if God does not exist, then Fitcher as a religious leader has amassed his power based on lies and stories. The political implications of Frost's novel are clear, especially at the ...
-
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry
By Jack ZipesFirst Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
-
The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
By Jack David ZipesEssays discuss the history and development of fairy tales in cultures from all over the world and throughout history, including adaptation for film, art, opera, ballet, music, and commercial use.
-
Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion
By Jack ZipesIn the United States, for instance, writers and illustrators of fairy tales for young readers, such as Jane Yolen, William Steig, Maurice Sendak, Donna Jo Napoli, Francesca Lia Block, Gregory Maguire, ...
-
Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk and Fairy Tales
By Jack ZipesZipes also looks at how folk tales influence our popular beliefs and the ways they have been exploited by a corporate media network intent on regulating the mystical elements of the stories.
-
Fairy Tales and Fables from Weimar Days: Collected Utopian Tales / New and Revised Edition
By Jack ZipesThis book is a collection of traditional German fairy tales and fables, deliberately transformed into utopian narratives and social commentary by political activists in the Weimar Republic (1919-1933).
-
Relentless Progress: The Reconfiguration of Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Storytelling
By Jack ZipesMaguire, Gregory. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Illustr. Bill Sanderson. New York: Regan Books, 1999. Malamud, Bernard. God's Grace. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982. Mamet, David. The Frog Prince. 1986. Mann, Pamela.
-
The Golden Age of Folk and Fairy Tales: From the Brothers Grimm to Andrew Lang
“But there's a whole lake before you. ... A man was walking in the forest, and on his shoulders was a bundle of wood. “Good-day, uncle. ... “It is of such a sort that if you scatter it, a whole army will spring up.
-
Victorian Fairy Tales: The Revolt of the Fairies and Elves
By Jack ZipesFirst published in 1989. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
-
Frozen Fairy Tales
By Charity Tahmaseb, Gavin Bradley, Alison McBainFrom a drafty castle to a blustery Japanese villiage, from a snow-packed road to the cozy hearth of a frammhouse, from an empty coffee house in Buffalo, New York, to a cold night outside a university library, these stories fully explore the ...