Tag Archive: giambattista basile
Reviewer Maria Tatar says these stories are “marked by vertiginous fantasy, spirited wit, and baroque excess.” The Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones is made up of 49 fairy tales within a fiftieth frame story, containing the earliest versions of Rapunzel, All-Fur, Hansel and Gretel, The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. Bawdy and irreverent as well as tender and whimsical, this modern translation is by Nancy L. Canepa, with pen-and-ink illustrations by Carmelo Lettere.
A world of fairy-tale unreality is revealed within these pages, as well as the everyday rituals of life in seventeenth-century Naples. These stories influenced later writers like Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, and they will inspire 21st century readers as well. Fully annotated.
We are giving away two copies of The Tale of Tales. To enter, simply comment by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) December 19, 2009 in response to this imaginative question: In Hansel and Gretel, why were breadcrumbs scattered to mark a path? Please be as creative as possible in your answers. Good luck and have fun! (Sorry, at this time we can only ship to U.S. addresses.)
All are invited to a weeklong celebration of the meaning and mystery of fairy tales.
Come hither into the marvelous, mysterious, complex and fascinating world of fairy tales for grown-ups at the Wonders and Marvels website all week beginning December 13. The History of the Fairy Tale week will feature guest blog posts, book giveaways, profiles of the earliest fairy tale writers, and much more.
“Fairy tales weren’t initially written for children. The earliest tales are full of sex, desire, and violence. Hardly the stuff of sweet dreams,” says cultural historian Holly Tucker, who curates Wonders and Marvels.
Among the guest posts from university professors and specialists of the fairy tale will be “5 Fairy Tales about Fairy Tales,” “5 of the Best Tales You’ve Never Read,” and “5 Reasons Why I Would Not Read These Fairy Tales to My Child.”
All week long, readers will be eligible to win copies of fairy tale collections such as The Complete Tales of Charles Perrault (Oxford University Press.)
Those who wrote the earliest fairy tales were many times as colorful as their tales. Readers will be treated to the profiles of such fairy tale authors as Giovanni Francesco Straparola, Giambattista Basile, Madame d’Aulnoy, Charles Perrault, and Madame de Beaumont (author of “Beauty and the Beast.”)
Stayed tuned, as the fun begins December 13th. And if you haven’t signed up for the newsletter for updates, please do so here.
Graphic: The Frog Prince art ©Kris Waldherr 2001. All rights reserved.
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