Fairy Tales

Anne here, talking about fairy tales. I've been indulging myself lately, reading fairy tales for adults — and no, I'm not talking about Fifty Shades of anything, just the usual fairy tales most of us grew up with, only retold for adults of today. (The pic. on the right is Fairy Tales  by Mary Gow (1851—1929)

I'm also not talking about stories that riff off old and beloved tales, like the many romances spun around the Cinderella, or the Beauty and the Beast theme, which I've done in a number of my books; I'm talking about the retelling of the original stories more or less as is.

It started when I was talking to my friend Jenny and the conversation drifted to what we've been reading, as it usually does. She told me that a few days earlier she'd reread Robin McKinley's Beauty for the umpteenth time and had wept reading it, as she usually does.

 "Sad ending?" I asked, being a terrible wimp about such things.

"No, it's lovely," she said, secretly shocked that I hadn't already read Robin McKinley. "I'll send you a copy."

So she did, and I read it and I loved it. It's a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast tale, and though it sticks pretty much to the original story, it's wonderful—a lush and evocative tale that's told with a freshness and energy that kept me reading far into the night.

Next I read McKinley's Spindle's End — a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, and once more, even though you already know the story, and she doesn't depart radically from it, she brings it to life in a vivid and unexpected way.

I now have her Sunshine to read on the plane when I head up to the Romance Writers of Australia Annual National Conference (where, incidentally Honorary Word Wench Eloisa James is the keynote speaker—and won't that be fun?) Sunshine isn't quite based on the kind of fairytale I grew up with — it's a vampire story. I'm looking forward to it.

So all this reading of fairy tales retold has started me thinking about other fairytale retelling. I was entranced with fairytales when I was a kid even though I hated the way most of them ended — I still boil with resentment that the poor little girl who wanted the frivolous red shoes was so horribly punished, and every time I buy yet another pair of red shoes, I'm making a gesture of solidarity with that poor child and her desire for something pretty to wear. And as for the Little Match Girl, the image of her burning her matches one by one in the freezing night haunts me still. (pics following are by Arthur Rackham)

Strangely, though I disliked so much about fairy tales, I really enjoy the romance novel retellings of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince, Sleeping Beauty and one of my favorites, The Ugly Duckling. The main difference is that in modern versions of fairytales, we prefer the heroine to rescue herself, or at least to have a major role in her own rescue. And the hero and heroine get what they deserve in the end. I love the Jennifer Crusie essay where she talks about this:
 
"As a child, I’d been looking for myself in fairy tales and finding only disappointments. If I’d been a boy, I could have found great role models in stories like “Jack & the Beanstalk,” with a protagonist who climbed to the top to get what he wanted, grabbed the prize, killed the giant, and came back home a hero. Jack’s story remains a great model for little boys, telling them to be active and quest for what they want in life and they will be rewarded. But what did I have as a girl? Well, I had Sleeping Beauty, who got everything she’d ever wanted because she looked really good unconscious. Or there was Snow White, who got everything she’d ever wanted because she looked really good unconscious. Or there was Cinderella, who should be given some credit for staying awake through her whole story, but who got everything she’d ever wanted because she had really small feet. The fairy tales I read as a child told me that boys’ stories were about doing and winning but that girls’ stories were about waiting and being won."

(Read the rest of the essay here and another of her essays dealing with fairy tales here.)

 So I like the fairy-tale elements in stories, but with a modern day slant toward active heroines and justice prevailing. It might not be as true to life — but it's what I enjoy in my escapist reading. Apparently it's also what I enjoy in my own writing. I just made a list of my own books and tried to work out what fairy tale they were most similar to — some I couldn't categorize, but I did discover that Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and The Ugly Duckling featured more than once, and Cinderella is a theme I've revisited quite a few times. (Pic on the left is from The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault )

It reminded me of a writing exercise Jane Porter did many years ago when she came to Australia for a conference. In it she asked us to list our favorite fairy tales, and later on she told us the themes in those stories, might well be themes we'd revisit in our own stories. I can't remember which my favorites were when I was a child, but I think I can see the pattern emerging.

So what about you? Did you enjoy fairy tales as a child? Were there any you hated? What modern day writers' version of fairy tales do you enjoy — romances or other kinds of books. Do you have a favorite fairy tale romance, or maybe a movie or even TV show? Share your favorites. 

Comments

[Jane O]

With all due respect to Jennifer Crusie, there are plenty of fairy tales where the rescuing is done by a girl--Hansel and Gretel, for example, or The Seven Swans, or The Robber Bridegroom. (I particularly liked that last one as a child, bloodthirsty creature that I was.)

Even in the ones where the girl is rescued by the prince, the focus of the story is always on the girl. The hero is just a necessary incidental.

Then there are all those other women--the wicked queens and witches, the good fairies and godmothers.

Perhaps the reason little girls like fairy tales is that in those stories, the girls are the important characters.

[Jenny Haddon]

So glad you enjoyed Beauty, Anne. I love Robin McKinley's books.

I agree with Jane that there are plenty of folk/fairy tales in which the rescuer is the girl - including one of my favourites Tam Lin.There's a fabulous take on that by Diana Wynne Jones called Fire and Hemlock, by the way.

A propos the active heroine, McKinley has also written Deerskin, a version of one of the very darkest fairytales. It is disturbing and powerfully imagined. I found it deeply satisfying but it's strong meat.

[Anne Gracie]

Excellent points, Jane — I'd forgotten about the Robber Bridegroom. I must read it again. And I do agree that the focus of many of them is on the girl, though sometimes in a dire way.

I think that's what Jennifer Crusie is saying in the long run in her articles, though — that romances are about women's concerns and women are the important characters.

[Anne Gracie]

Jenny, I'll be forever grateful that you introduced me to Robin McKinley's stories. My reading has been a bit stale and unsatisfying lately and these books have been an absolute treat.

Tam Lin is another tale I must read again, and the Diana Wyn Jones version. Thanks for dropping by.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne, I loved Robin McKinley's SUNSHINE and wish she'd write more books that are considered adult rather than YA. I don't think of it as a vampire book, despite the vampire. *G*

I read the fairy tales, the Greek myths and legends, the Arthurian stories. And when there weren't strong female characters, I identified with the males. *G*

I don't know if there are particular fairy tales that keep emerging in my stories, though a touch of Cinderella--the heroine's makeover scene where she finds that great clothes make a difference--definitely happens often!

And I LOVED Jenny's TO MARRY A PRINCE!

[CateS]

I was always a fan of fairy tales.. and when little, I had a book of Japanese ones. It had the most beautiful and exotic illistrations also! I'm going out to find some of Robin's books!! Thanks!

[Janga]

I love McKinley's books too, Anne. I'm also a big fan of Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Chronicles. I have to love a princess who prefers cooking for the dragon to waiting for the prince. :)

And Eloisa James's The Ugly Duchess, which received starred reviews from PW, LJ, and Book List and a rare 10 from RT, is my favorite of her fairy tales and one of my favorite adaptations ever.

[Susan/DC]

McKinley's "Beauty" was the last book I read aloud to my oldest son. I loved that bedtime ritual, and Beauty was a lovely last book for us to share in that way.

As a child I devoured Andrew Lang's Red, Yellow, etc fairy tale books because they had such exotic tales in exotic settings. The classic fairy tales were wonderful, but it was nice to go a bit further abroad occasionally. The Greek myths were also favorites, but the gods' relationship to humans was often indifferent or even cruel. The human protagonists, as a result, often came to very sad ends whether they deserved it or not (at least according to my very human sense of justice).

[Jenny Haddon]

Gosh, Mary Jo, I am so grateful. That's praise from a master, indeed. Thank you.

Very grateful for the other suggestions, too. I remember the Andrew Lang Series - for some reason my favourite was the Violet Fairy Book, though I can't now remember which stories were in it. I suspect it may have been the title!

And I have read very recently a modern re-telling of the Wild Swans story, The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott, which I would recommend to anyone, Young Adult or - hem - somewhat older.

[Anne Gracie]

Mary Jo, I don't much care whether a book is labelled YA or adult — I'll go anywhere for a good story. I know I'll be glomming all of Robin McKinley's backlist eventually. Isn't it wonderful to find a new-to you author you really like and they turn out to have a back-list? (And yes, it is indeed the author of the wonderful To Marry A Prince (Sophie Page) who started this glom.)

I loved the Arthurian tales too but I wasn't really counting them as fairy tales. It's so interesting though how since the Harry Potter phenomenon there has been an upswing of magic related stories — I'm thinking of the TV series Arthur, that's bringing the stories to a whole new generation.

[Anne Gracie]

Cate, when I was a student, I used to buy children's books and I still have a couple of Japanese ones — beautiful illustrations indeed.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks for that recommendation, Janga — I don't know Patricia Wrede at all. I'll look out for her.

And I have to admit the Ugly Duchess is sitting on my TBR pile —I thought it might be an ugly duckling story. *g* I'm looking forward to it.

[Anne Gracie]

Susan I think the bedtime reading ritual is a wonderful one — I wish more parents did it. I remember once when I babysat for some friends of mine, their little 4 y.o. girl claimed they read 4 or 5 books every night. I humored her and read them, thinking she was putting one on, but liking the idea anyway — and it turned out to be true!

I've heard other people mention that Andrew Lang collection of fairy stories, but I don't think it ever reached these shores. But I did have a huge beautiful book called Tales from Other Lands and it was full of wonderful stories from almost every country you could think of.

[Margot]

I love Robin McKinley's books. I first came across them in elementary school, and they've been among my favorites ever since. Spindle's End has always been my favorite, though.

Not quite fairy tales, but Diana Wynne Jones' books usually have fairy tale elements in them. The first line of Howl's Moving Castle, for example: "In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes."

Growing up, I read mostly fantasy novels, so most of the books I read had fairy tale elements in them. I still like reading fairy tale and mythology inspired books, although I don't really come across them as often as I'd like. (And they're often so much more interesting than the "sanitized" children's versions everyone knows.)

[theo]

I've never been a huge reader of traditional faerie tales, but aren't all romances faerie tales in some way? For most women, we'll never experience the worlds or character adventures in a great romance book, but then, we'd never experience them in Grimm's stories either.

I do see a lot of beauty and the beast in your tales, Anne. There are a couple beast and beastlier too ;o) Gallant Waif comes to mind, though admittedly, Kate's scars aren't visible.

[Dee]

I would read a frog prince derivative if I knew of one. My favorite fairy tale is puss in boots but I dislike clever kitties in most contemporary novels and I do feel for sorry for the princess in that one as she is married off to a lazy fool. Love Robin McKinley and my favorite is Deerskin- so dark, so powerful and absolutely a keeper. Mercedes Lackey has a fairy tale series going : 500 kingdoms. In particular the fairy godmother book is excellent.

Like others, fantasy was an early offshoot genre for me once I could read on my own. Heck, i could talk fantasy all day. But a fun, tho hard to find, children's story from Shirley Rousseau Murphy is Soonie and the Dragon. Loved it. Clever girl who wins the day
and the man in the end (not a prince). One of the first fantasy books I read on my own with heavy fairy tale elements. I highly recommend it. And, am just waiting until small female children in my family/ friend circle are old enough so I can gift them with it - they have all cut their story telling teeth on the Paperbag Princess already.

And, as for Snow White... There is just so much wrong with that story it gives me hives. The necrophilia is only the tip of that iceberg.

[LilMissMolly]

I love fairy tales. I've read several of the "young adult" versions and retellings too because I enjoy them so much. My favorite is Beauty and the Beast followed by The Little Mermaid.

[Anne Gracie]

Theo, I read somewhere there is a difference between fairy and faerie but I can't recall what it is, and it's on the other computer— I've already headed north for the Romance Writers of Australia conference, and I'm writing this from a hotel room.

Yes, Gallant Waif was a bit of a beast story, and I thought Tallie's Knight was a Cinderella one. I wasn't sure what Honorable Thief would be...

[Anne Gracie]

Margot, what a wonderful first line. The second one's not bad either. *g* I never read Diana Wynn Jones when I was growing up and I can see I need to read more of her.

Spindle's End is superb — I loved it, too. I read somewhere that it was a combination of Victorian sentimentality and Disney that caused so many of the fairy tales to be sanitized. I'm not sure where I stand on this — part of me enjoys the complexity and grit of some of the old tales, but then there's the part of me who likes a happy ending,

[Anne Gracie]

Dee, all these recommendations of Deerskin has caused me to order it immediately — thank you. Thanks also for the other recommendations — Shirley Rousseau Murphy is a new name for me.

I love Mercedes Lackey, though, and I remember when I first discovered her I devoured every book of hers I could find. I really enjoy her fairytale elements — as a young teen I longed for a white horse guardian to come for me.

[Anne Gracie]

LilMissMolly, I think you'd enjoy the McKinley stories.

[theo]

From the dictionary:

fa·er·ie
   [fey-uh-ree, fair-ee]
1.
the imaginary land of the fairies; fairyland.
2.
Archaic . a fairy.

For some reason, I've just always used the archaic spelling. Too many romances set in very ancient history I suppose :o)

[eli yanti]

i do enjoy all fairy tale - cinderella, beauty and beast, snow white and i'm so happy many author wrote thier based on fairy tale :)

[Regan Walker]

Anne,
My mother taught me to read when I was four and by the time I was in second grade, I'd read the entire fairy tale section of our library. I got lost in the world created by imagination, where good triumphed over evil and magical beings frolicked. I think my favorite of the "modern" ones is THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien. But when I had a son, I read him many wonderful stories. I loved re-reading A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L’Engle, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame, and THE BORROWERS by Mary Norton, to name a few. And then, we both discovered Harry Potter. One never loses a love of fairy tales, does one?

[Isobel Carr]

Wow, can't believe no one mentioned McKinley's THE BLUE SWORD. Seriously one of my all-time favorite books (esp when read along with THE HERO AND THE CROWN, where much of the book's backstory and mythology is established).

[Anne Gracie]

Theo, yes, I always thought they were interchangeable, and I like the archaic spelling, too, but this was an article suggesting there was a difference in the way we looked at Faerie and fairy, and it was more than a spelling difference — I have the impression it was some kind of literary distinction, though possibly only in the mind of the writer of that article. Still it interested me enough to stick to my mind like fluff (and about as useful, seeing I can't retrieve the premise. *g*)
I'm sorry, I don't have time to look for it now, but when I get home, I'll see if I can dig it up and send it to you.

[Anne Gracie]

Eli, thanks for visiting — yes, those fairy tales are the ones that most commonly crop up in romance, aren't they? Probably they are just about everybody's favourites.

[Anne Gracie]

Regan, my mother tried to stop me learning to read when I was four — she was an infant teacher (beginners at elementary school) and she was certain if I learned to read before I went to school, I'd be a nightmare for whatever teacher had me. *g* But I learned anyway — a combination of having older siblings, a house full of books, and the kind of impatience that meant I didn't want to wait until somebody had time to read to me.

And all three of those titles and authors are beloved to me, especially The Wind in the Willows and The Borrowers. In fact I suspect the Borrowers are responsible for my lifelong fascination with small things -- dolls houses, etc, where my rule is that I have to make things for the dolls house out of other things — you should see my kitchen chairs made out of champagne cork wire — because that's what they did in the Borrowers, adapted big person's things to small persons' uses. *g*

[Anne Gracie]

Ah, but Isobel, this is a blog posted by a newcomer to McKinley's work (I was going to say 'an ignoramus *g*) so I suspect people are being kind.

I always find it fascinating how different books appeal to different people, and how passionate people can become over which books they love most in an author's repertoire.

Thanks for the recommendation — I'm making up a list and will make a note to read The Hero and the Crown before the Blue Sword.

[deniz]

I'm a huge fan of fairytales. But I haven't read McKinley yet! I'll be adding her to my wishlist.

[Janice]

When I was a kid I loved fairy tales. One summer I raced through all the "color" books - The Green Fairy Book, The Orange Fairy Book, et al. compiled by Daniel Lang, I think it was. I didn't have a favorite - I just liked the weirdness of them being totally different from life in hot, dusty, banal, middle class stucco Los Angeles.

My real love, however, are the American fairy tales begun by L. Frank Baum and continued by Ruth Plumly Thompson. They have both male and female heroes and there are many different ones. I still have all of them. The people who tried to continue the series didn't seem to have Baum's 19c pragmatism or Thompson's light & funny wordplay - she's the one who thought up Pigasus the flying rhyming pig :) I believe they're all being reprinted in lovely reproduction editions with all the John O'Neill illos and the color plates dropped from the reprint editions. What a noble project :)

[Janice]

Oops, I see that Jenny and Susan both mentioned Andrew Lang - I wonder where Daniel came from? My bad. I see also that Susan liked the books for the exact same reason I did. Nice to know :)

[Dee]

Just to clarify (in reference to Isobel Carr's comment), I would argue that McKinley's Blue Sword - while a fantastic story that draws on heroic tradition- is not technically a fairy tale. There are some fantasy elements, and definitely more in the Hero and the Crown, but it's not fairy tale. Her other works such as Beauty, Spindle's End and Deerskin fit that category better. Sunshine is a paranormal. That said, yes, Blue Sword is a must read! (sorry, McKinley-ite here).

[theo]

Oh, Anne! Fluff? I suspect the only thing grey about the matter in my head is that it's actually lint...

If you remember, I'd love to see the article. Not to worry if you don't though.

[Artemisia]

Anne: I too recall an essay or introduction pointing out that Faerie is not the same as Fairy. Faerie is something older, darker, and not for children. So I went digging in my bookcase but I could not find it. I did find a book titled FAERY! dated 1985, and lo! there was a Robin McKinley short story! I do think Faerie is a place, whereas fairy is a being, but anything Faerie is not completely trustworthy and often dangerous to humans.