Mrs. A Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 We went to the library the other day and DD1 picked out a fairy tale book. I didn't look at it closely except to see that it was basic classic fairy tales (Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Boy, etc.) Now that we've actually read some of them I can hardly stand it! In the Three Little Pigs the wolf merely gets burned at the end and runs away (I have seen that version before), in Puss in Boots they left out the part where he threatens to turn the workers into mincemeat, and in the Gingerbread Boy, the fox doesn't even eat the gingerbread boy!!!!! Seriously???? I guess from now on I'll have to be more selective about the versions I check out. :001_rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 No, it doesn't bother me. I have a large collection of fairy tale books, plus I've read many, many more from the library to dd7 (I made a list of fairy tales, and would get 10-15 books on the same story and read them to her). So I've read so many versions, it's just another version to me. I love fairy tales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Yes, lol, that would irk me. And the kids and I would laugh about how the author / publisher thought children couldn't handle the real versions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Yes, this irks me, as do the Disney versions, especially the Disney Princess ones. I figure, start with the real thing, and then MAYBE do the take offs. There is no need and no reason to do the story of the 3 little pigs from the wolf's perspective BEFORE finding out the original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Cinderella's sisters are supposed to have their toes or heels cut off in an effort to fit the shoe. I have yet to find a single version nowadays that mentions this fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Cinderella's sisters are supposed to have their toes or heels cut off in an effort to fit the shoe. I have yet to find a single version nowadays that mentions this fact. Yeah, I don't think I needed to know about that one. That is disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 We're doing a Fairy Tale Study this summer for ALL the kids. My dd (5) is afraid of EVERYTHING!!! (She cannot even watch the Disney version of these movies.) She prefers the Grimm's version read to her. The one where Cinderella's step sisters cut off parts of their feet to fit into the shoe and the one where Snow White's step mother has to dance on hot coals until she dies. It's been interesting!!! But, a really interesting study! And particularly interesting from dd5's perspective. She cannot stand to watch the scary parts, but she prefers them when read to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Cinderella's sisters are supposed to have their toes or heels cut off in an effort to fit the shoe. I have yet to find a single version nowadays that mentions this fact. They are pretty gory--the prince knows the shoe didn't fit because the shoe is dripping with blood. Not something I'd read to my dc at their age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 According to wiki Another well-known version was recorded by the German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century. The tale is called "Aschenputtel" ("Cinderella" in English translations) and the help comes not from a fairy-godmother but the wishing tree that grows on her mother's grave. In this version, the stepsisters try to trick the prince by cutting off parts of their feet in order to get the slipper to fit. The prince is alerted by two pigeons who peck out the stepsisters' eyes, thus sealing their fate as blind beggars for the rest of their lives. In this story, the prince is tricked twice but is spared by the birds. This lowers the Prince's status and he seems less heroic, raising Cinderella's status as a strong-willed individual And there's another version where it's the step mother who does the mutilation of the step sisters, against their wishes. But I've never found printed books containing these versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. A Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 We're doing a Fairy Tale Study this summer for ALL the kids. My dd (5) is afraid of EVERYTHING!!! (She cannot even watch the Disney version of these movies.) She prefers the Grimm's version read to her. The one where Cinderella's step sisters cut off parts of their feet to fit into the shoe and the one where Snow White's step mother has to dance on hot coals until she dies. It's been interesting!!! But, a really interesting study! And particularly interesting from dd5's perspective. She cannot stand to watch the scary parts, but she prefers them when read to. I feel like when you read a story to a child, even if it has something scary/gruesome in it, whatever they imagine themselves can only be as scary/gruesome as their own worst experiences, if that makes sense. When you sit down to watch a movie, where an adult, with much more experience of the world, has come up with the images it can be terrifying to a little mind that has never before conceived of such things. I remember being too scared to watch the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty because of the part when the witch turns into a dragon, and I used to be scared of Pinocchio being swallowed by the whale as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I feel like when you read a story to a child, even if it has something scary/gruesome in it, whatever they imagine themselves can only be as scary/gruesome as their own worst experiences, if that makes sense. When you sit down to watch a movie, where an adult, with much more experience of the world, has come up with the images it can be terrifying to a little mind that has never before conceived of such things. I remember being too scared to watch the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty because of the part when the witch turns into a dragon, and I used to be scared of Pinocchio being swallowed by the whale as well. Very true. Makes sense. I know that, for me, I know the story of Jesus and yet I do not want to watch movies about it. I make the images in my own mind that I can handle. I think that's what my dd does too. Dd has never watched the Disney version of the princess movies (except Beauty and Beast), but she'll listen to the most gruesome stories!!! Interesting heh? (But, she LOVES meeting the princesses at Disney!! She won't go near the bad guys!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooh bear Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 According to wiki Another well-known version was recorded by the German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century. The tale is called "Aschenputtel" ("Cinderella" in English translations) and the help comes not from a fairy-godmother but the wishing tree that grows on her mother's grave. In this version, the stepsisters try to trick the prince by cutting off parts of their feet in order to get the slipper to fit. The prince is alerted by two pigeons who peck out the stepsisters' eyes, thus sealing their fate as blind beggars for the rest of their lives. In this story, the prince is tricked twice but is spared by the birds. This lowers the Prince's status and he seems less heroic, raising Cinderella's status as a strong-willed individual And there's another version where it's the step mother who does the mutilation of the step sisters, against their wishes. But I've never found printed books containing these versions. I have the paperback version of The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by Pantheon and it has the wishing tree, the birds and the cutting of the feet in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) :blink: We buy mostly vintage children books, so not subjected to that very often. :thumbup1: We're big fairy tale fans here, give us Andrew Lang any day. I agree about the "mind's own imaging". I was really disturbed by the orcs in the film version of LOTR!. My imagination never produces such ugliness! Edited June 23, 2011 by Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 woah, and it even has a Kindle version for 99cents! I'm tempted ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Cinderella's sisters are supposed to have their toes or heels cut off in an effort to fit the shoe. I have yet to find a single version nowadays that mentions this fact. That's only the Grimm version. There's also no fairy godmother in that one (it's a bird that sits on the mother's grave), no pumpkin, no mice, and also the father is alive and doesn't seem at all perturbed by his own daughter being relegated to servant. Most of the versions of Cinderella we have are descended from Perrault's telling of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooh bear Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 woah, and it even has a Kindle version for 99cents! I'm tempted ;-) I don't think that is the Pantheon version, it only has 200 something pages. My book has at least 800 pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooh bear Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Here is the paperback at Book Depository The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 woah, and it even has a Kindle version for 99cents! I'm tempted ;-) Is the Kindle version the same one? The picture on the cover is different, so I couldnt' tell. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Yes. We got some old Oak Meadow curriculum books from another member of our homeschooling group who was giving them away. One was a book of fairy tales that had been rewritten to have positive social lessons (Hansel and Gretel meet a "witch" who teaches them to forage effectively, Goldilocks goes back, apologizes, fixes the chair, and they become BFFs, that sort of thing). It made me totally leery of Oak Meadow. That said, we tried to listen to the audiobook of one of the color fairy books, and I thought that was a bit too much in the other direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misidawnrn Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I am reading the original of many fairy tales right now for my class Literature for Children and Adolescents and holy buckets...they are downright scary! There is no way I would read them to my kids. The step mom slams the boys head in the apple drawer and knocks it off then ties it on again with a rag in the Almond Tree, the Prince's mother tries to eat the wife and 2 kids in Sleeping Beauty in the Woods...yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) My mother has a book that contains politically correct versions of all the fairy tales. http://www.amazon.com/Politically-Correct-Ultimate-Storybook-Enlightened/dp/0765108674/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308796484&sr=1-2 Edited June 23, 2011 by Julie Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I have been checking out all kinds of versions of different fairy tales from the library, and my oldest son in particular HATES the scary stuff in the originals. Terrified. As in, begging me to return the book immediately so it won't even be in the apartment. I keep reading how children process the violence in fairy tales differently, that it satisfies some kind of important psychological needs, etc., but clearly my son has not read those experts. So I have developed a new appreciation for the watered-down, happy-dappy versions in which nobody dies and everybody lives happily ever after in peace and harmony. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I have been checking out all kinds of versions of different fairy tales from the library, and my oldest son in particular HATES the scary stuff in the originals. Terrified. As in, begging me to return the book immediately so it won't even be in the apartment. I keep reading how children process the violence in fairy tales differently, that it satisfies some kind of important psychological needs, etc., but clearly my son has not read those experts. So I have developed a new appreciation for the watered-down, happy-dappy versions in which nobody dies and everybody lives happily ever after in peace and harmony. Sigh. What are the pictures like in those versions? I just wonder because of my very scared dd. She handles the scary stories, but only if there aren't scary pictures or movies. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Ah, yes, three words... The Little Mermaid Whoever tells the part about her tongue being cut out? About the knife stabbing pain she feels with every footstep? About her being rejected by her one true love? About her fate as an everlasting puddle of sea foam? So tragic, yet such a tale! Cheap imitations just make me shake my head. I want my daughters to read the original and understand how important it is to pledge their hearts and lives only with great forethought. Edited June 23, 2011 by AuntieM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) I have been checking out all kinds of versions of different fairy tales from the library, and my oldest son in particular HATES the scary stuff in the originals. Terrified. As in, begging me to return the book immediately so it won't even be in the apartment. I keep reading how children process the violence in fairy tales differently, that it satisfies some kind of important psychological needs, etc., but clearly my son has not read those experts. So I have developed a new appreciation for the watered-down, happy-dappy versions in which nobody dies and everybody lives happily ever after in peace and harmony. Sigh. I failed to mention that we don't read Andrew Lang to our very young children. We read more Hans Christian Anderson and a first edition "For The Children's Hour"by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey...they are full of wonderful fairy tales and myths, legends, folk tales, etc. The kids don't tend to read Lang's books until they're 12 or 13, or even older. It just happens that way. Yes, they do alot of "Ewww, gross! Disgusting!" and such. It's a different, darker fairy tale world...for sure. I just bought a couple of replacement books for our Lang collection, from a seller here on the boards. I was effusive in message to her about them. Now that I think of it, she.was.selling.them. When she read my message, she probably was thinking, "SICKO". snicker I have picked up gems from library sales, used book stores, thrift shops, on-line. Golden Books had a series of Fairy Tale books. They're absolutely gorgeous. Like ths: http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Book-Fairy-Tales-Classics/dp/030717025X/ref=pd_sim_b_1#_ ...and Giant ones! We have a Chinese one. http://www.amazon.com/Russian-Fairy-Tales-GIANT-GOLDEN/dp/B000I3EECE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308848566&sr=1-1 Sigh, I wish I knew how to imbed links. Edited June 23, 2011 by Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 What are the pictures like in those versions? I just wonder because of my very scared dd. She handles the scary stories, but only if there aren't scary pictures or movies. :grouphug: I don't think that the pictures are especially scary, but he does complain that some of them are ''too scary." That said, he gobbles up books about war, natural disasters, and other types of upsetting things without batting an eye, so I have no idea what this child's deal is. Battle of Gettysburg? Not a problem. Three Little Pigs? Problem. It has been a great project, though, collecting all of these different versions of traditional fairy tales. I've been amazed at the variety and creativity of the different retellings. And thanks for the links, Geo -- some of those look very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I've gotten over my annoyance. A lot of fairy tales have been around for longer then we can guess and even the ones we'd count as "originals" (Brothers Grimm) are re-tellings of earlier tales. There are exceptions of course but I sort of think the whole point of those stories is that they reflect the time they're being told in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Oh, and this one: http://www.amazon.com/Giant-Golden-Elves-Fairies-Classic/dp/0375844260/ref=pd_sim_b_1 I didn't find the stories and poems "transporting", probably just me...but the illustrations are just precious! Edited June 23, 2011 by Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocCityMom Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 According to wiki Another well-known version was recorded by the German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century. The tale is called "Aschenputtel" ("Cinderella" in English translations) and the help comes not from a fairy-godmother but the wishing tree that grows on her mother's grave. In this version, the stepsisters try to trick the prince by cutting off parts of their feet in order to get the slipper to fit. The prince is alerted by two pigeons who peck out the stepsisters' eyes, thus sealing their fate as blind beggars for the rest of their lives. In this story, the prince is tricked twice but is spared by the birds. This lowers the Prince's status and he seems less heroic, raising Cinderella's status as a strong-willed individual This is the version Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine use to tell the Cinderella story in the musical Into the Woods. PBS filmed a performance which is available on DVD or on-line, if I remember correctly, and the soundtrack is fabulous. The show combines several fairy tales and I loved it as a child (and I still do). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) I've gotten over my annoyance. A lot of fairy tales have been around for longer then we can guess and even the ones we'd count as "originals" (Brothers Grimm) are re-tellings of earlier tales. There are exceptions of course but I sort of think the whole point of those stories is that they reflect the time they're being told in. Absolutely true. However, I guess part of the appeal for me, or us, is touching the past. Hearing/reading stories from a different time/culture than our own. We get plenty of exposure to our modern culture. Plenty. **Note to the interested: I changed the first link on my other post, it's also to amazon, but links to a reprint that is easily available. Geo Edited June 23, 2011 by Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xuzi Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Ah, yes, three words... The Little Mermaid Whoever tells the part about her tongue being cut out? About the knife stabbing pain she feels with every footstep? About her being rejected by her one true love? About her fate as an everlasting puddle of sea foam? So tragic, yet such a tale! Cheap imitations just make me shake my head. I want my daughters to read the original and understand how important it is to pledge their hearts and lives only with great forethought. I have a version of The Little Mermaid that includes the two bolded parts. It doesn't mention her tongue being cut out, and when she dies she ends up becoming a "spirit" who goes around doing good with other spirits. My mom sent me a book of fairy tales for my DD, and I'm very tempted to throw it out (or I guess donate it :p ) because *every* fairytale in there follows the Disney formula for that story (and it's not a Disney-produced book). My DD just this week read her first version of Red Riding Hood where the grandmother and Red are actually *eaten* by the wolf, and then extracted from his stomach by the woodsman (but the wolf is then sewn back together :p ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Personally, I tend to enjoy the "modern" versions, if they are done creatively, humorously and still impart a moral. I have a version of the 3 Little Pigs where a frustrated wolf, unable to blow down the brick house, wanders off to sulk, happens across a county fair, and discovers that he can do something positive with his wind-blowing talent: blowing up balloons, to the delight of the local children! True, that's not necessarily the only version I would want my kids to know, but I found it kind of fun, and enjoyed having two positive messages (use your talents for good, not evil) in addition to the lesson learned by the pigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Personally, I tend to enjoy the "modern" versions, if they are done creatively, humorously and still impart a moral. I have a version of the 3 Little Pigs where a frustrated wolf, unable to blow down the brick house, wanders off to sulk, happens across a county fair, and discovers that he can do something positive with his wind-blowing talent: blowing up balloons, to the delight of the local children! True, that's not necessarily the only version I would want my kids to know, but I found it kind of fun, and enjoyed having two positive messages (use your talents for good, not evil) in addition to the lesson learned by the pigs. Sounds like something I'd like to read to my dd. Who is the author? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Well I read the notes at the back of English Fairy Tales for Fairy Ointment and Joseph Jacobs says, 'I have christened the anonymous midwife and euphemised her profession.' Apparently midwife is too scandalous a profession. I understand the frustration, but don't assume unless you have a very original source material, it wasn't tampered with in some capacity. For HCAndersen I have the translation by Nunnally. I recently read Perrault's Sleeping Beauty and was surprised what happens after the wedding! I didn't know the prince's mother was an ogress!!! Geo - i posted a photo a while back in how to imbed links but I deleted it but here's my description. Edited June 23, 2011 by stripe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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