Fairy tales

Fairy tales are held in fascination by both children and adults alike, but what are they? Intricately linked with folklore and myth, while now more well-known as literary tales read when young; they are perhaps more rightly called ‘Wonder Tales’ in German. Author Marina Warner insists that fairy tales ‘maintain attributes of the oral tradition of folklore but are inextricably linked with literary retellings’.

Curiously ‘fairies’ rarely appear in Fairy Tales, instead talking animals and the presence of magic and enchantments are more common. However, the mere presence of animals that talk does not make a tale a fairy tale. Fairy tales usually reside in ‘a land far away’ and take place ‘once upon a time’. Specific places, people, and events are not mentioned, with religion only rarely. The name “fairy tale” (“conte de fées” in French) was first ascribed to them by Madame d’Aulnoy in the late 17th century.
Non-fiction books on this interesting genre, including literary criticism, biographies of the writers and collectors, the artists and illustrators and collections of Fairy Tales from Germany, France, Russia and India can all be foundin the Gibson Library.