The Complete Fairy Tales

by Charles Perrault, Christopher Betts

Overview

"Oh grandmama, what great big teeth you have!"

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 the salons of Louis XIV as much as they were loved in the nursery, and it is their wit, humor, 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.

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. This translation by Christopher Betts captures the tone and flavor of Perrault's world, and the delightful spirit of the originals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199585809
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/05/2010
Series:	Oxford World's Classics Series
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	458,491
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Christopher Betts was a Senior Lecturer in French at the University of Warwick until retirement. He has translated Montesquieu's Persian Letters for Penguin, and Rousseau's Social Contract and Jean de La Fontaine's Selected Fables for Oxford World's Classics.

Table of Contents

The History of GriseldaThree Silly WishesDonkey-SkinThe Sleeping Beauty in the WoodLittle Red Riding-HoodBluebeardPuss in BootsThe FairiesCinderellaRicky the TuftHop o'my Thumb

Editorial Reviews

Perrault's tales are well known (e.g., "Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella," and "Little Red Riding Hood"), but they are most often reprinted singly within anthologies. This new translation and collection of the tales in one volume is especially useful for serious students of the folk tale, though it is also billed by the publisher as a gift edition. In his strong introduction, retired French professor Betts presents a biography, cultural background, and brief analytical comments, Freudian and otherwise. Three verse tales ("Griselda," "Donkey-Skin," and "Three Silly Wishes") are translated as poetry rather than prose for the first time in English, Betts believes. Explanatory notes deal with problematic cultural and language issues, and an appendix covers Aarne-Thompson-Uther and other classifications and related literature. The 19th-century illustrations by Doré (some of them gruesome) add to the gift quality of this collection, but it is not for the very young, even if read aloud. VERDICT Decidedly scholarly in tone, this will best serve those in an academic context. For the translation alone, it is worthy of purchase, even for libraries already holding a collection of Perrault tales.—Katherine Koenig, Ellis Sch., Pittsburgh

Library Journal

"Mr. Betts' translation trips lightly off the tongue and Gustave Doré's intricate and beautifully executed illustrations are a perfect match. A brainy but fun read."
—Sacramento Book Review

"Perrault was an iconoclast, a rebel against the tyranny of classical education in the 17th century, who set out to prove that myths based on European folk tales could have as enduring and profound an appeal as the stories of the Greeks and Romans. A new translation of his little book, by Christopher Betts, proves him triumphantly right about that." —Los Angeles Times

From the Publisher