Fairy tales!!! They make me so happy. Let's get started, shall we?
There are a few famous fairy tale collectors (not authors) around. How many do you know?
1) Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs was an Australian who was a historian and critic, and collected English folklore. Like most fairy tale "authors," he collected his fairy tales from a variety of sources. The stories were well-known and had been past down through generations. He lived from 1854-1916. He wrote: English Fairy Tales, The Fables of Aesop, Celtic Fairy Tales, and many others. Remember, he didn't actually write the fairy tales, he just collected them. For example, Aesop was the author of Aesop's Fables, Joseph Jacobs just collected the stories. Some of the stories he "wrote" were: "The Three Little Pigs," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and "Jack the Giant Killer."
2) The Brothers Grimm
Jacob Grimm lived from 1785 to 1863, and Wilhelm Grimm lived from 1786 to 1859. They were Germans who collected fairy tales. Their fairy tales were collected from the middle/lower class, and were often violent. For example, the version of Cinderella in Grimm's tales includes the stepsisters cutting off parts of their feet, and birds pecking the sisters' eyes out, as well as some differences from the Disney movie. They published numerous versions of Grimm's Fairy Tales throughout their lives. Some of their well-known stories are: "Hansel and Gretel," "The Frog King," and "Little Red Cap" (Little Red Riding Hood). Also, they collected "The Robber Bridegroom" and "Fitcher's Bird," which I talk about in my post Books: Fairy Tales: The Robber Bridegroom, Fitcher's Bird, Bluebeard, and Mr. Fox. 3) Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault lived from 1628 to 1703. He collected fairy tales in a volume called Mother Goose. He was a French poet, writer, and story teller. His stories were meant for aristocratic families, unlike Grimm's Fairy Tales. Some of his tales are "Cinderella" (The version in Disney's original Cinderella movie), "Puss in Boots," and "Little Red Riding Hood."
Have fun with these fairy tales!
Spruce Nogard
Sources:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/publication-grimm%E2%80%99s-fairy-tales
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Perrault
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Jacobs
Attributions:
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Grimms-Fairy-Tales/dp/0394709306
https://www.amazon.com/Fables-Aesop-Childrens-Evergreen-Classics/dp/0486418596
https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Perraults-Mother-Goose-Fairy/dp/1841357278
It is very interesting to read that there were different intended audiences for the different fairy tales. I always assumed they were all for children, but I never thought about it beyond that. : )
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