The Complete Fairy Tales [Hardcover]

Oh grandmama, what great big teeth you have!

Charles Perrault's versions gave classic status to the humble fairy tale, and it is in his telling that the stories ofLittle Red Riding-Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderellaand the rest have been passed down from the seventeenth century to the present day. Perrault's tales were enjoyed in the salons of Louis XIV as much as they were loved in the nursery, and it is their wit, humor, and lively detail that capture the imagination of adult and child alike. They transmute into vivid fantasies the hidden fears and conflicts by which children are affected: fears of abandonment, or worse, conflicts with siblings and parents, and the trials of growing up.

In addition to the familiar stories, this edition also includes the three verse tales--the troubling account of patientGriselda, the comicThree Silly Wishes, and the notoriousDonkey-Skin. This translation by Christopher Betts captures the tone and flavor of Perrault's world, and the delightful spirit of the originals.

Introduction
Tales in Verse
Preface
The History of Griselda
Three Silly Wishes
Donkey-Skin
Stories or Tales of Bygone Times, With Their Morals
The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
Little Red Riding-Hood
Bluebeard
Puss in Boots
The Fairies
Cinderella
Ricky the Tuft
Hop o' my Thumb

Betts gives the stories the sense of humour ... The Gustave Dor? illustrations in the Oxford editions add to the baroque feel of the thing as well. These are fairy tales that are as much a pleasure to read now as they were to be told once upon a time ago. -Desperate Reader