This delightful collection of fables draws on tales from many disparate traditions, though mostly European with a few notable Arabian tales adding some spice to the mix. Though the tales vary widely in their style and themes, the common threads are their moral nature and the presence of fairies to either vex or benefit the human characters whom they encounter.
While I will not touch upon every tale included in this volume, readers are likely to find a mix of familiar and unfamiliar stories here. Among the familiar are stories like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, and Hansel and Grettle, however, the versions given here often differ considerably from what you might expect.
Full of darkness and danger they were
Some of the lesser-known stories, but ones which stand out as particularly enjoyable, are Prince Hyacinth, East of the Sun West of the Moon (my favorite), The Pot of Pinks, The White Cat, Prince Ahmed and the Fairy, The Red Etin, and Hansel and Grettel. Those last two have more of that Northern flavor, and The Red Etin is one of two stories rendered in an Old English prose that, while a bit harder to grasp for the modern ear, is delightful if given the chance.
The Red Etin and Hansel and Grettel, along with stories like Blue Beard, The Forty Thieves, Prince Darling, and others have some fairly dark elements. Beheadings are not uncommon and more than a few characters, both good and evil, meet swift and untimely ends. But these deaths are not brooded upon. The narrative swiftly moves on to other things.
Death is a very ordinary and present reality for the people in these tales. Nor are the ill fates of the characters bemoaned. It seems rather expected that bad turns are just around the corner. And they sometimes come for no good reason or through no fault of those who suffer them. At the same time, goodness, magnanimity, truthfulness, and noble character are always rewarded. Prince Darling, in particular, gives us the wonderful transformation of a thoroughly spoiled cur into a selfless and wholly admirable man.
The play’s the thing
The language here, because these stories are older, is often elevated beyond what passes for modern prose. Yet even then, there are many stories, even among those written for children, with better writing. But the value of these stories is not as examples of great literature, but of imaginative and fanciful excursions into the shadowlands that border upon the world of fairies and men. They give us visions that show us the world can be seen in a far more enchanted light than we typically allow. Though today we may seem fairy stories as trite or juvenile, these tales offer us the chance to see the world with surprise, if only we will let them.
This is a tome that should be read by all parents to their children. It is one I wish I had had read to me as a child. No, these are not the best stories ever written. Sophisticated readers may find them simple and lacking in cleverness. But they have a “lived-in” feel to them. They are not trying to impress. They are utterly absent of any sort of pretension or lecturing, even when explicitly laying out what is morally right in a given instance.
These are simply stories to be enjoyed and savored, to be read and re-read. They tell us that the world is full of mystery and not very safe, but that unexpected help may come when we need it most, and that doing the right thing is its own reward. And, sadly, we often must go to the old books to find such things. No matter your age or life experiences, these are things worth discovering, and you will find them in abundance here.
