Of all of the rich fairy-tale collections that exist in countries
throughout the world, few are better known than those gathered almost
two centuries ago by a pair of German brothers--Jacob and Wilhelm
Grimm--in their Children's Stories and Household Tales, first
published in 1812. Endlessly recast and reimagined in poetry and prose,
on the screen and onstage, these stories are forever etched in our
imagination. Here, in this bicentennial edition of The Annotated
Brothers Grimm, Maria Tatar presents these timeless stories in a
sumptuous and visually powerful format that helps reshape our
understanding of the Brothers Grimm.
Drawing from the final authoritative version in the mid-nineteenth
century, Tatar, an internationally recognized scholar in the field of
folklore and children's literature, has translated and provided
commentary for more than fifty Grimm stories, judiciously selecting
tales that resonate with modern audiences and reveal the broad thematic
range of the Grimm canon. Readers young and old will encounter popular
classics, including "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Snow
White," and "Rapunzel," while discovering some of the lesser known yet
equally captivating stories such as "Four Artful Brothers," "The Water
of Life," and "The White Snake," all new to this edition. Perhaps most
noteworthy is Tatar's decision to include tales excised from later
editions, including a number of "adult" stories that were removed once
the Grimms realized that parents were reading the stories to children.
Tatar's own translations are accompanied by insightful annotations that
search for origins, uncover cultural complexities, and explore
psychological effects. Nearly two hundred images of exquisite beauty,
many of them new to this edition--by artists such as George Cruikshank,
Gustave Doré, Kay Nielsen, and Arthur Rackham--are reproduced alongside
the stories. With a brilliant introductory essay by A. S. Byatt, along
with the Grimms' original prefaces to their editions, a collection of
reminiscences about "The Magic of Fairy Tales," and essays on the lives
of the Brothers Grimm and the cultural impact of their tales, The
Annotated Brothers Grimm captures the magical appeal of the tales while
also unlocking their potent mysteries.
In the tradition of Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment, this
volume shows how the Grimms' fairy tales animate our imaginations and
remain with us long after we have put them aside. The Bicentennial
Edition of The Annotated Brothers Grimm offers a treasury of cultural
lore and wisdom that has been passed on from one generation to the next.
