The Fairy Tale

by Steven Swann Jones

Overview

One of the best known and enduring genres, the fairy fales origins extend back to the preliterate oral societies of the ancient world. This books surveys its history and traces its evolution into the form we recognized today. Jones Builds on the work of folklorist and critics to provide the student with a stunning, lucid overview of the genre and a solid understanding of its structure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138153141
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/17/2016
Series:	Genres in Context
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Folklore Origin and the Definition of the Fairy Tale; Chapter 2 The Thematic Core of Fairy Tales; Chapter 3 The Literary History of the Fairy Tale; Chapter 4 Fairy Tales with Male Protagonists; Chapter 5 Fairy Tales with Female Protagonists; Chapter 6 The Fairy Tale Influence in The Wizard of Oz, The Cat in the Hat, and Where the Wild Things Are;

Editorial Reviews

Fairy tales, one of the oldest and most popular of literary forms, possess distinctive formal characteristics that have remained consistent from the first printed edition of Boccaccio's "Decameron" in the fourteenth century to today's high-tech productions, such as Disney's "Aladdin". Jones identifies these essential ingredients as the use of fantasy or magic, the confronting of a problem and its successful resolution, the use of a sympathetic protagonist, and a thematic core. His concise and effective analysis of each element includes examples of fairy tales, discussion of such factors as gender roles, and consideration of the thematic emphasis on concerns of young people, such as fear of abandonment, cruel siblings, tyrannical authority figures, and prospective mates. Drawing upon the work of such scholars as Bruno Bettelheim and Joseph Campbell, Jones examines clearly and succinctly the psychological and sociohistorical aspects of fairy tales. Some of his most interesting arguments are found in his tracing of the fairy-tale influence in "The Wizard of Oz", "The Cat in the Hat", and "Where the Wild Things Are".

Donna Seaman