The Fairies Return: Or, New Tales for Old (Oddly Modern Fairy Tales): 4

by Maria Tatar (Editor), Maria Tatar (Editor), Peter Davies (Compiler)

New
Hardcover
2012
$25.41

Originally issued in 1934, The Fairies Return was the first collection of modernist fairy tales ever published in England, and it marked the arrival of a satirical classic that has never been surpassed. Even today, this reimagining of fourteen timeless tales--from Puss in Boots to Little Red Riding Hood --is still fresh and bold, giving readers a world steeped not in once upon a time, but in the here and now. Longtime favorites in this playfully subversive collection are retold for modern times and mature sensibilities. In Jack the Giant Killer, Jack becomes a trickster who must deliver England from the hands of three ogres after a failed government inquiry. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is set in contemporary London and the world of financial margins and mergers. In The Little Mermaid, a young Canadian girl with breathtaking swimming skills is lured by the temptations of Hollywood. And Cinderella becomes a spinster and holy woman, creating a very different happily ever after. These tales expose social anxieties, political corruption, predatory economic behavior, and destructive appetites even as they express hope for a better world. A new introduction from esteemed fairy-tale scholar Maria Tatar puts the collection in context. From stockbrokers and socialites to shopkeepers and writers, the characters in The Fairies Return face contemporary challenges while living in the magical world of fairy tales.

Synopsis

Originally issued in 1934, The Fairies Return was the first collection of modernist fairy tales ever published in England, and it marked the arrival of a satirical classic that has never been surpassed. Even today, this reimagining of fourteen timeless tales--from Puss in Boots to Little Red Riding Hood --is still fresh and bold, giving readers a world steeped not in once upon a time, but in the here and now. Longtime favorites in this playfully subversive collection are retold for modern times and mature sensibilities. In Jack the Giant Killer, Jack becomes a trickster who must deliver England from the hands of three ogres after a failed government inquiry. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is set in contemporary London and the world of financial margins and mergers. In The Little Mermaid, a young Canadian girl with breathtaking swimming skills is lured by the temptations of Hollywood. And Cinderella becomes a spinster and holy woman, creating a very different happily ever after. These tales expose social anxieties, political corruption, predatory economic behavior, and destructive appetites even as they express hope for a better world. A new introduction from esteemed fairy-tale scholar Maria Tatar puts the collection in context. From stockbrokers and socialites to shopkeepers and writers, the characters in The Fairies Return face contemporary challenges while living in the magical world of fairy tales.

$25.41

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 09 Sep 2012
ISBN 10: 0691152306
ISBN 13: 9780691152301

Media Reviews

[M]odern answers to Grimm, variously satirical, queered and jaunty, by a diverse, intriguing group of writers. --Marina Warner, Times Literary Supplement In the wake of the Great War, in the deep bowl of economic depression, on the doorstep of World War II, these stories are the cultural tradition of a disillusioned generation... They are skillfully and delightfully executed renderings, a treasure-collection of the talents of the time, and plain good literature. I recommend them without hesitation. --Christie Ricardo, Spinning Straw into Gold blog This beautifully produced reissue, published by Princeton University Press and part of the 'Oddly Modern Fairy Tales' series, features an illustration on its front cover which dates back to 1939. It is an extremely well laid out volume, and its introduction and author biographies make lovely additions to the book... This is a collection of tales which certainly deserved a reprint, and will delight lovers of fairytales, nostalgia, British history and short stories alike. --Kirsty Hewitt, BookGeeks (UK) It's intriguing to see how past authors used fairy tales in their modern fiction. --Sur La Lune blog The uniqueness of the collection will make you want to savor it, just as I did... You will feel drawn to inspect each story closely, not only because of the tales' fanciful nature, but also because of their fascinating historical placement and significance. --Beanstalk blog True to the spirit of the folk tale, they keep their stories provincial even as they modernise the settings. Aladdin is a Scottish undertaker in the town of Drumlochie. Cinderella lives in a secluded valley somewhere in Wales. She lives alone, having learnt a hard lesson in love: her story, typically for this collection, brings disenchantment, not happiness. --Ken Gelder, The Age [D]elightful. --Choice [A] delightfully different fairy-tale experience for the contemporary reader. Even those well versed in literary fairy-tales will find something new and enchanting in this volume... This collection is an essential addition to the libraries of those who study fairy-tale retellings and will be an enjoyable read for many others as well. Clever, revealing, and often oddly poignant, these stories deserve recognition. --Brittany Warman, Marvels & Tales

Author Bio

Peter Davies (1897-1960) was the rumored inspiration for Peter Pan, the daredevil character created by his adoptive father, author J. M. Barrie. Davies was the founder of the publishing house Peter Davies Ltd. Maria Tatar is the John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures and chair of the Program in Folklore and Mythology at Harvard University. She is the editor of The Annotated Peter Pan and the author of Enchanted Hunters (both Norton), among many other books.