The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions)

I was thoroughly impressed by the sheer number of diverse tales in this volume. I also really appreciate the way in which they're organized as well; tales are grouped together under thematic headings instead of by tale. There's also a good amount of criticism in this volume, but most focuses on fairy tales and the history thereof in general, rather than on specific tales. This text makes for an excellent accompaniment to The Classic Fairy Tales, edited by Maria Tartar.

This is a decent book, it has the earliest translations of many fairy tales that we grew up with. It has detailed biographies of the translators and writers. If you love fairy tales then you will enjoy this book but be warned this is not for children. These stories were originally intended for adult audiences so you may find more mature themes than you'd expect.

I love fairy tales and always have ever since I was a little girl. I've always been partial to the Grimm's fairy tales and actually had no idea that there was an older tradition of fairy tales from other European cultures until a few years ago. So far I have enjoyed (aside from the Grimm's) Straparola, Basile, and Perrault. I'm not too fond of D'Aulnoy or the other female authors. I haven't finished the book and so I can't comment on the scholarly articles included towards the end of the book. I enjoy Zipes comentary, however, before each section of fairy tales. This is a thick book and so it is taking me a while to finish it. However, I would recommend it.

Jack Zipes has brought together a comprehensive collection of fairy tales that surprises the reader with how insightful and timeless these tales are in regards to the human condition. Many of these tales, which are not found in more polite and juvenile collections, still have the power to enchant the imagination.

I have not finished it, as it is a book that you pick up whenever, and not lose your train of thought. It is short stories. So far I am enjoying it. Very extensive collection of tales.

the book is great it helps a lot if you have to do a thesis statement plus it helps me in my current class with all the things we are reading from this book

Good knowlegeable overview of the European literary fairy tale, written by a leading scholar on the subject.

didn't use it for class but was a required textbook

I bought this as it was on my reading list for a university module.It's an amazing collection of tales and has a really incredible range which is not only helpful for my degree but immensely informative and entertaining. I use that word lightly as 'entertaining' is a strange term for some of the disturbing, violent, and misogynistic themes you'll find in pretty much all of them (though I have to admit I've not read all 991 pages yet).It's chunky and heavy but the pages are very thin so it's not too thick, just be careful because they're delicate.I would 100% recommend this book if you're new to exploring the origins of Fairy Tales or a seasoned expert, it covers most of the obscure Fairy Tales but also an almost unmatched range of the 'classics' too.

I have been a fan of fairy tales for a long time. They give an interesting perspective on life - the challenges and magic that happen daily. I was aware I think that most fairy tales have a lineage from the time they were transmitted only be words to when they were written down. And there are variations within countries and cultures. This is a great anthology of Fairy Tales organized by the expert Jack Zipes. The tales are collected by theme which is very helpful and in each theme, there may be as many a three or four tales - some that are quite similar and share most of the same beats and some that are unique.If you are interested in fairy tales and where they are from and how some of them evolved then this is a great starting point. Highly recommended.

The book is very useful for my thesis and I am so happy to own a copy of the book!But it is slightly disappointing that the book's paper quality is low.