Fewer fairy tales?
I was browsing through a bookstore recently, when I discovered what looked like a neat little picture book. Titled Grimm's Grimmest, I picked it up, thinking it would be useful for any discussion on children's books. Inside, I found this little gem:
Once upon a time there was a child who was willful, and would not do what her mother wished. For this reason God had no pleasure in her, and let her become ill, and no doctor could do her any good, and in a short time she lay on her death-bed.
When she had been lowered into her grave, and the earth was spread over her, all at once her arm came out again, and stretched upwards, and when they had put it in and spread fresh earth over it, it was all to no purpose, for the arm always came out again.
Then the mother herself was obliged to go to the grave, and strike the arm with a rod, and when she had done that, it was drawn in, and then at last the child had rest beneath the ground.
OK, so I already knew that the fairy tales I had read as a child were a little cleaned up. But THIS? It's horrifying.
Fairy tale scholar (I'm not making this up) Maria Tatar, who edited the book and provides a little historical insight, explains that the stories are better understood as urban myths than actual bedtime stories for children, sort of a medieval version of the Hook Man, I guess.
So if you have a more macabre friend whose childhood you want to bend totally, I'd say get 'em this book. It is fascinating, even if Tracy Arah Dockray's illustrations are a little off-putting. And for those of my generation, think Alvin Schwartz' Scary Stories, but with some historical appeal.
And does anyone even read fairy tales to their kids anymore? With Dr.Seuss, Harry Potter et al., I'm worried that no one under the age of 10 knows who Rumpelstiltskin is anymore.
While she always preferred The Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew, 
Comments
One of the bloggers I read regularly has a real love of fairy tales - both the traditional and their various incarnations. She's hosted blog carnivals on this topic and does reviews of many fairy tale themed books. Check out this link to see some of them.
Personally I don't get the draw, but LOTS of other bloggers do ...
Posted by: Heather J. | July 15, 2008 2:27 PM
My parents read me the usual Dr. Seuss and such, but it was a special treat when Mom would take down the leather-bound copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales. They were hard to read, with big words and morbid endings, so I guess that's why we didn't hear them often. Also, having read to kids now that I'm old, I figured out another reason: They're much longer. Because I was a kid who didn't fall asleep till the end, that was a bigger commitment than "Hop on Pop."
Posted by: J | July 15, 2008 3:57 PM
If you want to read a fun twist on Fairy Tales, I highly suggest "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life & Times" by James Finn Garner.
I found this book a few years ago in a used book store in Dupont Circle, and I immediately fell in love with it. It's an hysterical read, but I suggest not reading it to the kiddies before bedtime.
I especially enjoyed the author's take on Snow White. I'll leave that to all your imaginations!
Posted by: Jenn | July 15, 2008 6:33 PM
I love fairy tales, and at one time even contemplated taking the financially dubious route of pursuing a master's or doctorate in the subject. Now I try to be content with just reading as much about them as I can; in addition to Maria Tatar, Marina Warner is another great author on the subject.
My favorite fairy tale as a child was "Frau Trudy," about a woman who turns a little girl into a brick and throws her in the oven, so there are twisted children out there who enjoy that sort of thing.
Posted by: Marnie Colton | July 17, 2008 8:41 PM