In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • The Complete Fairy Tales
  • Shyamala Mourouvapin (bio)
The Complete Fairy Tales. By Charles Perrault. Translated by Christopher Betts. Illustrations by Gustave Doré. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

For centuries, children around the world have heard one version or another of Charles Perrault’s fairy tales. The enchanting stories of talking cats, flying chariots, beautiful princesses and princes, and godmothers’ magical incantations have all been part of children’s and adults’ fantasy worlds. Although tales such as “Cinderella,” “Puss in the Boots,” and “Sleeping Beauty” have been popularized by Walt Disney, few among the uninitiated know that Perrault is the father of these fairy tales. In The Complete Fairy Tales Christopher Betts has revived the works of Charles Perrault for an English-speaking audience by translating his Tales in Verse (Contes en vers) and his stories or Tales of Bygone Times (Histoires ou contes du temps passé) from the seventeenth century. The inclusion of Gustave Doré’s illustrations adds an edge to the book. One cannot say that this volume is a critical work, but it is well suited for the classroom. The elaborate introduction leads budding folklorists and fairy-tale enthusiasts to pose important questions about the origins of Perrault’s tales. Right from the beginning, readers are encouraged to think critically about fairy tales and their implications in our daily lives. Using theories such as psychoanalysis and symbolism, Betts illustrates different ways to analyze Perrault’s tales while pointing out the pitfalls of excessive use of sexual symbolism or Freudian theories to interpret the tales.

The introduction includes a detailed discussion of Charles Perrault’s life and his political and literary career. In his introduction Betts problematizes the origins of Perrault’s tales, but he also draws parallels between Perrault’s tales and the versions originating from such writers as Petrarch, Boccaccio, Straparola, Basile, and his own contemporaries, for example, Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy and Jean de la Fontaine.

In the section in the introduction titled “The Tale in Verse,” Betts discusses the sociohistorical importance of three tales: “Griselda,” “Donkey-Skin,” and “Three Silly Wishes.” Versions from such writers as Boccaccio and Chaucer are different in tone and register particular to their time period. Although the first two tales concern women who are oppressed by men of power, the last tale is just a comedy of events criticizing both the husband and the wife for their greediness. These authors treat women differently in their tales. Often Italian writers use a bawdy style with lewd descriptions of women. The brief discussion about Boileau and his Satire X, a poignant satire on women, sets the mood for these three tales in France. Even though Charles Perrault himself has been considered a misogynist by many scholars and feminist critics, Betts seems to lend a gentler judgment, assuming that Perrault wrote “Griselda” as a homage to his late wife, Marie Guichon, who is compared to Griselda for her patience [End Page 264] and virtue. By placing these tales in a sociohistorical context in France, Italy, and England, Betts sparks interest in comparative analysis. Another important aspect of these three tales in verse is that they are translated in verse. According to Betts, this is the first time that any translator has attempted to translate the three tales in verse. Given that the seventeenth century is rigid in its rules regarding the composition of narratives, Betts has undertaken a gargantuan task of adhering to the rules of the epoch. He renders authenticity not only to the target language but also to the genre.

In the introduction’s section titled “The Tales in Prose,” Betts makes an important distinction between folktale and fairy tale, stating that the folktale implies an adult audience, whereas the fairy tale implies an audience of children. Structural elements such as “Once upon a time,” the repetition of the number 3, and the appearance of ogres, fairy godmothers, and flying carpets all reinforce the idea of stories for children. Betts then analyzes every tale, although not in-depth or with a particular theoretical approach. By using symbolic analysis of certain elements in “Sleeping Beauty” and “Little Red Riding Hood” and psychoanalytic analysis using Bruno Bettelheim’s and Freud...

pdf

Share