The Borzoi Book of French Folk Tales
Mar. 12th, 2012 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marycatelliThe Borzoi Book of French Folk Tales edited by Paul Delarue
French fairy tales are some of the hardest because Perrault dominates the field so much. Even international collections of fairy tales often use his when they use no other literary tales.
This is not a collection of literary tales, not at all. It has a folkloric version of LIttle Red Riding Hood -- easily recognized because she doesn't have a red hat of any kind, and escapes on her own. It has a version of Rapunzel, one with an unhappy ending.
Then it has some tales I recognize the type of, but wide reading in the fairy tale area would be needed for that. "Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie the Devil's Daughter' is the girl helps the hero flee, like Master Maid; "The Three May Peaches" is like "Jesper who Herded Rabbits"; there are two different variants of the kind and unkind girls, and two variants of "Faithful Johannes."
And some that combine some familar motifs in new ways, and one "La Ramee and the Phantom" that was new to me entirely.
Also some humorous tales and animals tales, which are less my cuppa, but mostly fairy tales.
French fairy tales are some of the hardest because Perrault dominates the field so much. Even international collections of fairy tales often use his when they use no other literary tales.
This is not a collection of literary tales, not at all. It has a folkloric version of LIttle Red Riding Hood -- easily recognized because she doesn't have a red hat of any kind, and escapes on her own. It has a version of Rapunzel, one with an unhappy ending.
Then it has some tales I recognize the type of, but wide reading in the fairy tale area would be needed for that. "Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie the Devil's Daughter' is the girl helps the hero flee, like Master Maid; "The Three May Peaches" is like "Jesper who Herded Rabbits"; there are two different variants of the kind and unkind girls, and two variants of "Faithful Johannes."
And some that combine some familar motifs in new ways, and one "La Ramee and the Phantom" that was new to me entirely.
Also some humorous tales and animals tales, which are less my cuppa, but mostly fairy tales.