Definitions
A fairytale is a Genre of magical story, usually originating in folklore. Typically in European fairy tales, a poor, brave, and resourceful hero or heroine goes through testing adventures to eventual good fortune. (fairy tale. (2010). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide.
Technically, the word “folktale,” as used by folklorists, refers to fictional oral narratives such as fairy tales, formula tales, tall tales, and jokes. However, in common usage—and sometimes even in professional writings—the word is employed generically for any traditional oral narrative—myths, legends, anecdotes, and other “true story” forms included. (Folktale. (2001). In Encyclopedia of Urban Legends.
A fable is Genre of story, in either verse or prose, in which animals or inanimate objects are given the mentality and speech of human beings to point out a moral. Fables are common in folklore and children's literature, and range from the short fables of the ancient Greek writer Aesop to the modern novel Animal Farm (1945) by English writer George Orwell. (fable. (2010). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide.
The tall tale is a comedic form closely connected to the American frontier. In tall tales, a fictive situation is portrayed as factual through a personal narrative or anecdote that challenges the listener with its comic improbability. The teller uses a deliberately exaggerated or an extravagantly understated manner that strains the limits of the listener's credibility, while exposing personal or societal values, customs, behaviors, or character (tall tale, the. (2005). In Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature.
Selected Books
Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm by
#1 New York Times bestseller Philip Pullman retells the world's best-loved fairy tales on their 200th anniversary Two centuries ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children's and Household Tales. Now Philip Pullman, one of the most accomplished authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm. Pullman retells his fifty favorites, from much-loved stories like "Cinderella" and "Rumpelstiltskin," "Rapunzel" and "Hansel and Gretel" to lesser-known treasures like "The Three Snake Leaves," "Godfather Death" and "The Girl with No Hands." At the end of each tale he offers a brief personal commentary, opening a window on the sources of the tales, the various forms they've taken over the centuries and their everlasting appeal. Suffused with romance and villainy, danger and wit, the Grimms' fairy tales have inspired Pullman's unique creative vision--and his beguiling retellings will draw you back into a world that has long cast a spell on the Western imagination.
Call Number: GR166.K5613 2012ISBN: 9780670024971Publication Date: 2012-11-08
The Complete Fairy Tales by
Charles Perrault's versions gave classic status to the humble fairy tale, and it is in his telling that the stories of Little Red Riding-Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and the rest have been passed down from the seventeenth century to the present day. Perrault's tales were enjoyed in thesalons of Louis XIV as much as they were loved in the nursery, and it is their wit, humour, and lively detail that capture the imagination of adult and child alike. They transmute into vivid fantasies the hidden fears and conflicts by which children are affected: fears of abandonment, or worse,conflicts with siblings and parents, and the trials of growing up. This new translation by Christopher Betts exactly captures the tone and flavour of Perrault's world, and the delightful spirit of the originals.In addition to the familiar stories, this edition also includes the three verse tales - the troubling account of patient Griselda, the comic Three Silly Wishes, and the notorious Donkey-Skin. The introduction explores the nature of the stories and how they have been interpreted; Gustave Dore'swonderful illustrations add a further dimension to their imaginative power.
Call Number: JUV PQ1877.A27 2009ISBN: 9780199236831Publication Date: 2009-10-04
Hans Christian Andersen by
In her most ambitious annotated work to date, Maria Tatar celebrates the stories told by Denmark's "perfect wizard" and re-envisions Hans Christian Andersen as a writer who casts his spell on both children and adults. Andersen's most beloved tales, such as "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid", are now joined by "The Shadow" and "Story of a Mother", mature stories that reveal his literary range and depth.Tatar captures the tales' unrivalled dramatic and visual power, showing exactly how Andersen became one of the world's ten most translated authors, along with Shakespeare, Dickens and Marx. Lushly illustrated with more than a hundred and fifty rare images, many in full colour, by artists such as Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, "The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen" will captivate readers with annotations that explore the rich social and cultural dimensions of the nineteenth century and construct a compelling portrait of a writer whose stories still fascinate us today.
Call Number: JUV PT8116.E5 T38 2008ISBN: 9780393060812Publication Date: 2007-11-17
The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales by
Not since Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment has there been such an illuminating contribution to the world of children's fairy tales. The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales celebrates the best-loved stories of childhood through the vision of Maria Tatar, a leading expert in the field of folklore and children's literature. Challenging the notion that fairy tales can be read for their morals and used to make model citizens of little children, Tatar guides readers through the stories, exploring their historical origins, their cultural complexities, and their psychological effects. By providing children with powerful models for navigating reality, Tatar shows, these tales help children survive in a world ruled by adults. Tatar presents twenty-six classic stories -- including "Beauty and the Beast," "Little Red Hiding Hood," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and "The Little Mermaid." She has personally retranslated the stories that did not appear originally in English and has also assembled over 300 often rare, mostly four-color photographs, paintings, and illustrations, creating a volume that will rank as one of the finest fairy tale collections in many decades. 350 four-color illustrations.
Call Number: PN6071.F15 A66 2002ISBN: 0393051633Publication Date: 2002-10-17
Feathers and Tails : animal fables from around the world by
The book design enhances each selection's impact. Like the fables they illustrate, Hogrogian's pen-and-ink and watercolor drawings are spare, uncluttered, and engaging. Her beautifully drawn animals remain animals despite their human activities and foibles . . . Children will flock to this volume.--School Library Journal, starred review.
Call Number: JUV PN980.K45 1992ISBN: 0399218769Publication Date: 1992-09-16
American Tall Tales by
A collection of tall tales about such American folk heroes as Paul Bunyan, Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, Pecos Bill, and John Henry.
Call Number: JUV GR105 .O8 1991ISBN: 0679900896Publication Date: 1991-09-24
Selected Websites
- SurLaLune Fairy Tales: eBooks IndexSurLaLune offers over 40 eBooks, including fairy tale and folklore anthologies, critical texts, poetry and fiction.
- Aesop's Fables - Online Collection - 656+ fables -Online collection of Aesop's Fables includes a total of 655+ Fables, indexed in table format, with morals listed.
- Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales and StoriesDigital Collection of 168 tales by Hans Christian Anderson
- Whootie Owl's StoriesFairytales, Folktales & Children's Plays with Positive Themes for Kids
- Cinderella Project: Home PageA text and image archive containing a dozen English versions of the fairy tale. The Cinderellas presented here represent some of the more common varieties of the tale from the English-speaking world in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. Materials to construct this archive were drawn from the de Grummond Children's Literature Research Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi.