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165 21 [Editor] Mercure galant, Presentation of Histories, or Tales of Past Times1 (January 1697) Introduction Although Perrault is not explicitly named as the author of the Histoires ou contes du temps passé (Histories, or Tales of Past Times), the announcement of its publication appeared directly after the announcement of Perrault’s final volume of Parallèle and the first volume of his new project, Hommes illustres. The fictive anonymity of the book’s author may have been part of an authorial strategy,2 since other elements of the announcement are equally, or more, counterfactual. Note that once again the announcement date of the book’s publication places it during the gift-giving season at the beginning of the year, although perhaps not before the Feast of the Three Kings on January 6th, when gifts were exchanged. Mercure galant, “Histories, or Tales of Past Times”3 (January 1697) I remember sending you the story (conte) of “The Sleeping Beauty”4 last year, which you acknowledged having read with much satisfaction. Thus I don’t doubt that you’ll learn that its author has just delivered a collection 1. (1697), 249–252; in Contes merveilleux: Perrault, Fénelon, Mailly, Préchac, Choisy et anonymes, ed. Tony Gheeraert (Paris: Honoré Champion, 2005), 335. 2. Gheeraert (2005), 334. 3. (1697), 249–252; in Gheeraert (2005), 335. 4. The Mercure galant gives the title in its French form, “La Belle au bois dormant” (The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest). 166 / Fairy Tales Framed of tales containing seven more, including this one. Those who create these kinds of works are ordinarily comfortable with people believing they are of their own invention. For him [the author of these seven tales] he wants people to know that he has done nothing other than report them simply in the manner in which he heard them told in his childhood (enfance). Connoiseurs argue that they are more estimable, and that their authors should be viewed as an infinitude of fathers, mothers, grandmothers, governesses and intimate friends (grand-amies), who perhaps more than a thousand years have continued adding to them with pleasant details, while letting everything ill-conceived fall away. They say that they’re all good old-fashioned original tales (contes) that can be remembered easily and whose morality is very clear, two of the most certain signs of the goodness of a tale. Whatever it is, I am convinced that they will entertain you a great deal, and that you will find there all the merit that such trifles (bagatelles) can have. They can be found at Mr. Barbin’s. ...

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