The Golden Age of Folk and Fairy Tales
"Jack Zipes is back with a massive, beautifully produced volume. It is basically an anthology of mostly translated texts, but with a thirty-seven-page presentation and illuminating introductions to each of the eighteen thematic sections. At the end, we get fifteen pages of short biographies of the collectors of the tales and a twenty-eight-page bibliography of collections, reference works, and criticism. . . . A master in his field has to be congratulated on yet another achievement." —Hans Kuhn, Australian National University, in Journal of Folklore Research
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In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, attitudes toward history and national identity fostered a “romantic” rediscovery of folk and fairy tales. This is the period of the Golden Age of folk and fairy tales, when European folklorists sought to understand and redefine the present through the common tales of the past, and long neglected stories became recognized as cultural treasures.
In this rich collection, distinguished expert of fairy tales Jack Zipes continues his lifelong exploration of the story-telling tradition with a focus on the Golden Age. Included are one hundred eighty-two tales—many available in English for the first time—grouped into eighteen tale types. Zipes provides an engaging general Introduction that discusses the folk and fairy tale tradition, the impact of the Brothers Grimm, and the significance of categorizing tales into various types.
Short introductions to each tale type that discuss its history, characteristics, and variants provide readers with important background information.
Also included are annotations, short biographies of folklorists of the period, and a substantial bibliography.
Eighteen original art works by students of the art department of Anglia Ruskin University not only illustrate the eighteen tale types, but also provide delightful—and sometimes astonishing—21st-century artistic interpretations of them.
Click here to see the full Table of Contents for The Golden Age of Folk and Fairy Tales.
Reviews:
"Jack Zipes is back with a massive, beautifully produced volume. It is basically an anthology of mostly translated texts, but with a thirty-seven-page presentation and illuminating introductions to each of the eighteen thematic sections. At the end, we get fifteen pages of short biographies of the collectors of the tales and a twenty-eight-page bibliography of collections, reference works, and criticism. . . . A master in his field has to be congratulated on yet another achievement."
—Hans Kuhn, Australian National University, in Journal of Folklore Research
"With the publication of The Golden Age of Folk and Fairy Tales, Zipes has presented us with a rich and comprehensive anthology which functions equally well as a reference/resource book and a textbook, thus being well-suited for both the seasoned researcher and the novice scholar. It seems to lend itself particularly well for use in the classroom. This accessible and highly useful volume will certainly make an excellent addition to the library of any scholar or student interested in folk narratives in general, and folk and fairy tales in particular."
—Nada Kujundžić, in Libri & Liberi
"Those with a particular interest in the early attempts at what is now considered the heart of the discipline of folklore will be delighted by what Zipes has gathered.
"The stories are divided by ATU numbers into eighteen different categories that contain the most well-known tales. . . . Each category has at least seven tales, often more, and Zipes provides each with a concise but helpful introduction that describes the "general format" of the tale type and an overview of its history. The tales themselves are annotated, always including the precise source in which the text was found. Every category begins with the earliest Grimm version of the text and, if possible, a later version of two from the brothers. Also included in the book is a large variety of less familiar versions of tales. . . . I was excited to discover so many tales and tellers I had never come across before.
"The book has an extensive bibliography, which by itself is an enormous contribution to nineteenth-century fairy-tale scholarship, and, helpfully a section with short biographies of the contributing collectors.
"The Golden Age of Folk and Fairy Tales fills a neglected gap by gathering the brightest examples of oral fairy-tale collection in its golden age. Such a text aids immeasurably the work of scholars who are interested in both folklore and the nineteenth century but his highly recommended for anyone fascinated by the fairy-tale form and its history."
—Brittany Warman, The Ohio State University, in Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies
About the Author:
Jack Zipes is Professor Emeritus of German and Comparative Literature at the University of Minnesota, and the author of more than fifteen books on folk and fairy tales.
