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78 reviews for:
The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales
Franz Xaver von Schönwerth
3.54 AVERAGE
78 reviews for:
The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales
Franz Xaver von Schönwerth
3.54 AVERAGE
Start by reading the introduction! Absolutely essential. Intros tend to contain spoilers so I usually avoid reading then until after I finish reading the book itself. But this one was not only beautifully written, but essential for historical context and a preparation for the sheer density and rawness of von Schönworth’s tales.
Unlike his contemporaries the Brothers Grimm, von Schönworth added little or nothing to the stories he collected. Every sentence is plot. There’s no unnecessary detail, no filler information. It’s a fascinating read, especially for anyone invested in learning about fairytales and folklore. Amusing, dark, strange, ridiculous, action-packed—all the characteristics you want in a collection of wonder-tales.
This book took me ages to read, it’s so densely packed with equally dense 1-4 page stories, but was worth the time and effort.
From Cate Fricke’s article “A Hundred and Fifty Years’ Sleep” for The Brooklyn Rail:
“While much of The Turnip Princess will seem familiar, even a little crude, to those who’ve read Grimms’ grimmest, those readers digging for fairy tales in their rawest forms will find in Schönwerth’s tales, untouched by two centuries of appropriation, rawness indeed. In fact, what’s found when such roots are exposed might surprise some readers.”
Unlike his contemporaries the Brothers Grimm, von Schönworth added little or nothing to the stories he collected. Every sentence is plot. There’s no unnecessary detail, no filler information. It’s a fascinating read, especially for anyone invested in learning about fairytales and folklore. Amusing, dark, strange, ridiculous, action-packed—all the characteristics you want in a collection of wonder-tales.
This book took me ages to read, it’s so densely packed with equally dense 1-4 page stories, but was worth the time and effort.
From Cate Fricke’s article “A Hundred and Fifty Years’ Sleep” for The Brooklyn Rail:
“While much of The Turnip Princess will seem familiar, even a little crude, to those who’ve read Grimms’ grimmest, those readers digging for fairy tales in their rawest forms will find in Schönwerth’s tales, untouched by two centuries of appropriation, rawness indeed. In fact, what’s found when such roots are exposed might surprise some readers.”
In 2012, a fortunate researcher discovered hidden manuscripts which had been locked away for over 150 years, including 500 unread fairytales by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth, a historian from Germany, which are believed to be written around a similar time to the Grimm’s Brothers stories.
Penguin have put together a collection of these untold myths and legends, beautifully translated and edited by Maria Tatar and Erika Einchenseer into English, which are full of majestic beasts, scornful witches, stubborn royalty and many other whimsical characters and storylines.
I’m a sucker for Penguin Classics and fairytales, so this was a complete joy for me to read. My favourite tales include: Three Flowers. The Wolves, Thumbernickel, In The Jaws of the Merman, The Devil and the Fisherman, The Signing Tree, and countless others. I can’t wait to purchase my own copy. I would highly recommend to those who enjoy reading the likes of the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault. I can’t wait to purchase my own copy!
Penguin have put together a collection of these untold myths and legends, beautifully translated and edited by Maria Tatar and Erika Einchenseer into English, which are full of majestic beasts, scornful witches, stubborn royalty and many other whimsical characters and storylines.
I’m a sucker for Penguin Classics and fairytales, so this was a complete joy for me to read. My favourite tales include: Three Flowers. The Wolves, Thumbernickel, In The Jaws of the Merman, The Devil and the Fisherman, The Signing Tree, and countless others. I can’t wait to purchase my own copy. I would highly recommend to those who enjoy reading the likes of the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault. I can’t wait to purchase my own copy!
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
New twists on classic tales, the stories in here shift our perceptions of what was considered the gendered norm character strictures. Hilarious moments, really scary mermaids and princesses that save the men. This book is definitely worth the read.
It's always interesting to read fairy tales from different countries, especially when you can see the similar roots between different tales. But I found a lot of the morals in these stories to be kind of questionable/weird, and some of the writing (or translating, I don't know) felt rather abrupt.
Received from NetGalley.
Received from NetGalley.
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
And Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales
In 2012, a bunch of long lost fairy tales were discovered. Now, we can read them for the first time in an English translation. What I really liked about the fairy tales is that they were written down as the local stories of the region. And while some of them do seem very similar to more well known fairy tales, it just goes to show how stories start to diverge in different regions.
I'm not at all that familiar with reading real fairy tales, the ones that do not have a happy ending and a Disney wedding at the end. The stories are very short, sometimes just a few pages long, but it was easily and readable. It also read way faster than I anticipated. Sometimes the stories did feel a little bit more of the same, but not to the point it got annoying.
If you love fairy tales, you should check out these new ones. But you might want to choose something else to read to your little children.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
And Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales
In 2012, a bunch of long lost fairy tales were discovered. Now, we can read them for the first time in an English translation. What I really liked about the fairy tales is that they were written down as the local stories of the region. And while some of them do seem very similar to more well known fairy tales, it just goes to show how stories start to diverge in different regions.
I'm not at all that familiar with reading real fairy tales, the ones that do not have a happy ending and a Disney wedding at the end. The stories are very short, sometimes just a few pages long, but it was easily and readable. It also read way faster than I anticipated. Sometimes the stories did feel a little bit more of the same, but not to the point it got annoying.
If you love fairy tales, you should check out these new ones. But you might want to choose something else to read to your little children.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
These newly discovered fairy tales remind me a little bit of the Grimms fairy tales, with a few differences. The characters here feel a little more interesting, with one or two minor details of the manner in which they are doing something, or a more precise detail. There is less description of place and objects here than in the Grimms fairy tales, which the Grimm brothers lengthened for literary purposes. And there is some crassness in some of the tales here, which while not pleasant, lends a sense of character to the specific culture these tales came from.
Many of the stories I enjoyed a lot - there are even some artists in it. I enjoyed the story of Ashfeathers, which is very much a Cinderella story but with a nobleman instead of a prince and a church instead of a ball. King Goldenlocks is a good one too, though that one is available for anyone to read online.
Some of the stories made me laugh, too.
And then a few of them I detested, one in which a clever thief does much harm to everyone he meets and gets away.
I kind of want to buy this book for myself, or another collection of Schonwerth's stories somewhere. It's fascinating.
I'd recommend it more to older readers who love traditional folk tales - these stories are definitely not for children.
Many of the stories I enjoyed a lot - there are even some artists in it. I enjoyed the story of Ashfeathers, which is very much a Cinderella story but with a nobleman instead of a prince and a church instead of a ball. King Goldenlocks is a good one too, though that one is available for anyone to read online.
Some of the stories made me laugh, too.
And then a few of them I detested, one in which a clever thief does much harm to everyone he meets and gets away.
I kind of want to buy this book for myself, or another collection of Schonwerth's stories somewhere. It's fascinating.
I'd recommend it more to older readers who love traditional folk tales - these stories are definitely not for children.
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It’s now one of my favorite fairytale anthologies! I also enjoyed the foreword a lot
lots of the stories were boring and some were just nonsensical to me and I was just dreading picking it up so I just decided to dnf
lighthearted
fast-paced