Perrault's Fairy Tales

By Charles Perrault and Gustave Doré

Here are the original eight stories from the 1697 volume Contes de temps passé by the great Charles Perrault (1628–1703) in a translation that retains the charming and unsentimental simplicity that has won Perrault a permanent position in French literature. These were among the earliest versions of some of our most familiar fairy tales ("Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Puss in Boots," and "Tom Thumb") and are still among the few classic re-tellings of these perennial stories.
In addition to the five well-known tales listed above, Perrault tells three others that are sure to delight any child or adult: "The Fairies," a short and very simple tale of two sisters, one sweet and one spiteful; "Ricky of the Tuft," a very unusual story of a brilliant but ugly prince and a beautiful but stupid princess; and "Blue Beard," a suspense story perhaps more famous as a classic thriller than as a fairy tale. The witty verse morals that Perrault included in the original edition (often omitted in later reprintings) are retained here in verse translations.
This edition also includes 34 extraordinary full-page engravings by Gustave Doré that show clearly why this artist became the foremost illustrator of his time. These illustrations have long been considered the ideal accompaniment to Perrault's fairy tales. In many cases they created the pictorial image that we associate with the stories.
Along with the collections of Andersen, Lang, and the Brothers Grimm, this volume is among the great books of European fairy tales. These stories have been enjoyed by generation after generation of children in many countries, and are here, with magnificent Doré illustrations, waiting to be enjoyed again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Mar 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486117584

Charles Perrault

Charles Perrault (1628-1703) was a French author best known for his contribution to the creation of the fairy-tale genre. His most notable works include "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Puss in Boots," "The Sleeping Beauty," and "Bluebeard." Many of his tales have been adapted into operas, ballets, plays, and films.

Reviews for Perrault's Fairy Tales

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This contains not only the regular tales, but also three summaries of poems, one of which (Donkey's Skin) was the basis of a recent fantasy. Of the original stories, my personal favorite is Puss in Boots. Some of the others e.g. Hop o;my thumb, are rather grisly.

[cynical_ames · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a brilliant book, with amazing but terrifying engravings by Dore. This edition of Perrault's fairy tales also include morals which read like rhyming verse, my favourite was the LRRH moral. This book is well worth the money if you are interested in fairy tales and the associated illustrations.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I actually read these while I was in France, but I reread a couple of them this week while my online group was discussing them. The online discussion reminded me how dark these stories were, full of violence and terror and unpredictability. The things we face in life, in other words. The things we seek out in books.

[ftmckinstry · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The stories are beautiful enough, but the Dore illustrations are breathtaking...

[mahallett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i didn't realize that perrault had written so few stories. anderson and grimm have huge volumes. it's interesting to see the differences in stories. an interesting history by betts. i chose this book because it was illustrated by dore. we saw his great summer exhibition at the nag this past summer.

[samsattler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Charles Perrault, a minor government official in 17th century France, is best remembered today for the collection of fairy tales he published in 1697, just six years before his death. Perrault, however, was not the author of any of the tales collected in his book. Rather, he rewrote various folk tales, tales of unknown origin snatched from the oral tradition of his time, and published those stories in the versions that most closely resemble the ones children grow up on today.This new Christopher Betts translation of Perrault’s work presents a few of the stories in simple verse, the rest in prose, and it includes an all-star list of fairy tales. Among the stories in “The Complete Fairy Tales” are: “Little Red Riding-Hood,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Bluebeard,” “Puss in Boots,” “Cinderella,” and a story very similar to that of ”Hansel and Gretel.” But make no mistake about it – these are not the fairy tales you heard from your mother and they are, most definitely, not the ones made famous by Mr. Disney. Nevertheless, Perrault did intend that his stories be read to small children by their parents. For that reason, his versions of the folk tales are shorter than the stories with which adults of the period would have been more familiar, they encompass a limited number of characters and motivations, and much of the most obvious sexual content has been removed or, at the least, disguised. In addition, within his stories, Perrault emphasizes lessons and warnings about the process of growing up and he attaches at least one moral to the end of each tale. The attached morals, however, do seem to be aimed more at the parent/reader than at the listening children.Adult readers will be intrigued by the editing process to which Perrault subjected his chosen tales and probably a little shocked by some of the details he excluded. Perrault clearly felt it necessary to clean up the old folk tales before publishing them as children’s entertainment. Who might have imagined, for instance, that Snow White would be raped by her prince and would give birth to twins before she was awakened? Or that Little Red Riding-Hood would be forced by the wolf to eat part of her dismembered grandmother? Or that incest would play a prominent role in some of the tales?“The Complete Fairy Tales” includes twenty-six remarkable illustrations by 19th century French literary illustrator Gustave Doré (including the book’s cover and the “Cinderella” illustration shown here) and it is amply footnoted. Most intriguing, though, is the book’s presentation of alternate versions of several of today’s most beloved fairy tales, versions that make it obvious why Perrault felt obliged to edit the tales to fit his intended audience. Readers preferring their history in unexpurgated form will much appreciate “The Complete Fairy Tales” as translated by Christopher Betts.Rated at: 5.0

[yarb_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not the most enchanting edition (Clarion, 1993) of these tales I would have thought, but it gets the job done.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The complete fairy tales of Charles PerraultLiked hearing of the stories and also about the author who wrote these in the 1670's. Some of them are quite scary and gruesome and they all come with a moral or two at the end.Had never heard of Bluebeard and Hop of My Thumb and Donkeyskin.About the author and translations done are included at the end.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).