The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

For two hundred years, the stories brought together by the Brothers Grimm have enchanted, frightened, and amused both children and adults alike, for we are never too old to feel the power of their fascination. "Cinderella:' "Hansel and Gretel:' "Little Red Riding Hood:' "Rumpelstiltskin"-these are all household names, and are an essential part of our childhood experience, not only as a source of interest and amusement, but also because of the homely wisdom that these tales impart. All we need to hear are the words "Once upon a time" and we are transported into a realm of fairies and princesses, witches and goblins, castles and dragons. But how well do we know these stories? We are familiar and comfortable with Disney's rose-tinted view of the world and penchant for "happily ever after" endings, but did Cinderella really go to the ball in a pumpkin carriage with the help of a fairy godmother, and how did the evil queen really get her comeuppance in "Snow White"? It is worthwhile to go back to the original stories, many of which are rather darker than the film versions that we know and love. Indeed, some of them were darker still on original publication- so much so that they were not all deemed suitable for children, and changes were made to make them more palatable: evil mothers became wicked stepmothers, no longer does Rapunzel become pregnant from the prince's visits and betray her indiscretion by her bulging waistline, and some stories were cut altogether! Titles have changed too: we are more familiar with "Sleeping Beauty" than with "Briar Rose:' or with "Cinderella'' than ''Ashenputtel:' and here we have chosen to use the more popular names. This version is based, with a few updates, on the first English translation by Edgar Taylor from the 1820s, modified at the start of the following century by Marian Edwardes. We have included some of the most popular stories, and some less well known, all illustrated with original artwork by the acclaimed Victorian illustrator Sir Arthur Rackham. Let the magic begin . . .