Fairy Tales

[higley]

I'm taking a class this fall that involves a comprehensive study of famous fairy tales as well as lesser known folk fables.

In preparation I'd like to do a little research myself. I know that what are considered the commonplace, ostensibly cheerful versions of popular fairy tales are in fact quite different from their original forms, which are harsher and really more adult-geared.

I know the true versions of a couple of these stories but not all of them. Does anyone know of any anthologies of fairy tales in their original forms? Also, can you recommend any books giving insight into their cultural impact?

Thanks. :)

[applepie]

I can't help with the cultural impact, but The Complete Hans Christian Andersen is a good start. It is a massive book, but it has the more original telling. Here is a link to the book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Christian-Andersen-Fairy-Tales/dp/0517092913/ref=sr_1_3/002-5236816-1786448?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182400780&sr=8-3 Hope this helps.

[JCamilo]

You could just the Grimm's and Perrault books as well, they will have the original version they collected (they modificated a little bit) but they are already very different from each other.

[Niamh]

Go with Grimms Fairytales. you'll be surprised at how gross the originals of disney cute fairytales really are!

[Taliesin]

We found the Disney's versions especially gross. Grimms stuff and original matter was true hardcore and much better stuff.
When we were little, in Estonianthere were these collections "Tales of a Hundred People" where there were fairy-tales ofdifferent nations in every book.
Try Siberian, South-American and other non-European fairy tales, for different experiences. They are especially interesting and freaky. Like, what was the person smoking who made them up?

On the cultural impact, try Bettelheims "Uses of Enchantment" Shows how good fairy-tales are on the childs successful psychological growing and how they help children to cope with their problems. And he uses Freud. Be warned.

(We like, half-edited, half-translated the book - the translation was very bad - and after that Freud was another subject that we and our perverse friends could discuss on. Nevermind)

[JBI]

Sleeping beauty always gives me the creeps. Something about necrophilia disturbs me.