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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
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a quite interesting read in parts but I'll be honest, I didn't read all of the stories because they got a bit repetitive. The stories are very short but I found it hard to read more than a few at a time because they started to blur into one.
They're often very surreal, not just because they're strange, magical fairy tales but also because of the way they're told. Because they've never been published before, these are the versions that were collected in their simplest forms so they sometimes felt more like a list of events than a cohesive narrative.
This would be a great book for someone fascinated by the history of fairy tales but it turns out that's not me.
They're often very surreal, not just because they're strange, magical fairy tales but also because of the way they're told. Because they've never been published before, these are the versions that were collected in their simplest forms so they sometimes felt more like a list of events than a cohesive narrative.
This would be a great book for someone fascinated by the history of fairy tales but it turns out that's not me.
These translations from a treasure trove of fairy tales collected in 19th century Bavaria and undiscovered until a few years ago are probably much more like the tales that were being told around the fireplace and in nurseries when Schonwerth collected them. Since they were never published in book form, they retain the coarse elements and confusing narratives that were usually polished up for publication (e.g., the Brothers Grimm stories). There's the occasional scatological joke, evil mothers or fathers (not just stepparents), and men are as likely as women to need rescuing. While there are a lot of common fairy tale motifs, they are told in different ways. I don't remember a farmer's wife mooning a tailor in any of the Grimm fairy tales!
I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in an exchange for a fair and honest review.
When I was younger, I went through a huge fairytale, folklore, mythology stage in my reading career so my inner child jumped up and down at the thought of new fairytales to devour and devour, I did. However, I would not recommended these tales for young children as they can be quite dark and sometimes very gory and violent.
This was a relatively fast read, clocking in at just under 300 pages, it divided the tales into several categories such as Tales of Nature, Otherworldly Creatures etc. Several of the stories could fit into multiple categories but the editor has put them in the category of their most prevalent theme.
Now you can draw parallels between a number of these stories and either others in the collection or stories the brothers Grimm collected but as the author and the Brothers Grimm resided and worked in the same region I think a lot of similarities can be excused. I did enjoy seeing how the tales had evolved in different regions and villages; I'd be interested to plot out where each tale had been collected if we had that information.
I do believe that this collection could have used some more stringent editing, as several tales felt like I had read almost that exact tale only 20 pages earlier. I do hope we are given access to more of the 500 tales discovered.
When I was younger, I went through a huge fairytale, folklore, mythology stage in my reading career so my inner child jumped up and down at the thought of new fairytales to devour and devour, I did. However, I would not recommended these tales for young children as they can be quite dark and sometimes very gory and violent.
This was a relatively fast read, clocking in at just under 300 pages, it divided the tales into several categories such as Tales of Nature, Otherworldly Creatures etc. Several of the stories could fit into multiple categories but the editor has put them in the category of their most prevalent theme.
Now you can draw parallels between a number of these stories and either others in the collection or stories the brothers Grimm collected but as the author and the Brothers Grimm resided and worked in the same region I think a lot of similarities can be excused. I did enjoy seeing how the tales had evolved in different regions and villages; I'd be interested to plot out where each tale had been collected if we had that information.
I do believe that this collection could have used some more stringent editing, as several tales felt like I had read almost that exact tale only 20 pages earlier. I do hope we are given access to more of the 500 tales discovered.
The interesting thing about The Turnip Princess isn’t necessarily the individual stories, but all the stories collected by Frank Xaver Von Schönwerth. He interviewed people in Bavaria between 1857 & 1859, writing down 500 stories. The stories were put in a municipal archive and forgotten until 2009, when Erika Eichenseer found them and put them together in this collection. There are recurring themes, like the prince gets the girl or there’s lots of rescuing. Unlike Grimm the bad people aren’t always punished. There seems to be something very special about the number 3 and Hans must have been a very common name for that time & region. There is a commentary for all of the stories. It’s located in the back of the book and I found it to be extremely helpful when I couldn’t quite get the meaning behind the message. Grimm fairytales could be quite scary, where these had a ribald humor, making them a little more adult. They also included lots of twisted deaths, murders and thieves. This book is a nice look into stories once told orally from the region of Bavaria.
When I heard about the discovery of new fairy tales a few years back, of course I wanted to read them. I got this book from my santa in the redditgifts fairy tale exchange, so it's a rare paper book for me. The tales are... weird. They don't have the same beginning, middle, end, logical if fantastic narrative structure of the most beloved tales. Sometimes things happen seemingly at random. There are a few recognizable stories: a version of Cinderella, a version of the Bremen Musicians, and maybe a few others, but most of these stories were new to me (and I have a read a LOT of fairy tales).
I was really inspired to illustrate some of these stories, actually, because of how strange they were... maybe make a little embroidered book for my daughter or something.
There are notes on translation at the end, and also information about the "tale type," which you know about if you are big into the fairy tale scene. Interestingly, some of the tales did not have a type, further cementing their originality.
Anyway for fairy tale lovers, this is a must-read. But for just regular leisure reading, prepare to be a bit surprised.
I was really inspired to illustrate some of these stories, actually, because of how strange they were... maybe make a little embroidered book for my daughter or something.
There are notes on translation at the end, and also information about the "tale type," which you know about if you are big into the fairy tale scene. Interestingly, some of the tales did not have a type, further cementing their originality.
Anyway for fairy tale lovers, this is a must-read. But for just regular leisure reading, prepare to be a bit surprised.
These stories are freaky, fast, and fascinating. Worth a read if you study or enjoy fairy tales.
I don't typically like fairy tales (aside from retellings). They have the annoying flowery language and I've heard or seen most. These were in some way pretty fresh to me. They were foreign takes on tales I've heard before and some were completely different and new. They also did not have the flowery language of Grimm and others, no 'happily ever after' or 'once upon a time'. The tales were written as they would have been told by a housewife and then translated true to that. It was very refreshing and unique.
The introductory essay was also well worth a read and very interesting. I enjoyed this one!
The introductory essay was also well worth a read and very interesting. I enjoyed this one!
It was interesting to read a book of Fairy Tales not written by the Brothers Grimm. This was a different collection of stories, but they still felt very familiar.
Edit:
People: Guys/ Women, this is my personal opinion.
It's a really weak review _ yes, I am aware of that _ but I honestly don't feel as if it deserves more from me.
It's not like people pay me to be bored out of my senses...
Yes, I am aware that the dispassionate writing style was intended as such: Like you guys, I also read the book's presentation..
Despite that, this is my review space. My review. My words.
This means that self righteous comments will be deleted and the people who make them will be blocked.
You want to talk about this book?
First read it, and then write your own review. And then people will also be able to comment on your reviews.
Arc provided by Penguin Classics through Netgalley
DNF at 20%
"The newly discovered Fairy Tales" part in the title, was what made me request this...since I am a fairy tale addict.
Unfortunately, what I discovered was a confusing mishmash of other well known fairy-tales_ at least the first twenty that I read...
My mistake: I thought I would be reading original fairy tales and not adaptations of Perrault's and The Grimm Brothers' tales. Only these have male characters in the leading roles.
I could keep on reading this, but life is too short, and I am already familiar with most of them...
Bottom Line: Nothing wrong with it _ I wasn't crazy about the dispassionate writing style _ it's German, so most tales are bloody and gory, so better read it yourself and grab some other book for the kids.
People: Guys/ Women, this is my personal opinion.
It's a really weak review _ yes, I am aware of that _ but I honestly don't feel as if it deserves more from me.
It's not like people pay me to be bored out of my senses...
Yes, I am aware that the dispassionate writing style was intended as such: Like you guys, I also read the book's presentation..
Despite that, this is my review space. My review. My words.
This means that self righteous comments will be deleted and the people who make them will be blocked.
You want to talk about this book?
First read it, and then write your own review. And then people will also be able to comment on your reviews.
Arc provided by Penguin Classics through Netgalley
DNF at 20%
"The newly discovered Fairy Tales" part in the title, was what made me request this...since I am a fairy tale addict.
Unfortunately, what I discovered was a confusing mishmash of other well known fairy-tales_ at least the first twenty that I read...
My mistake: I thought I would be reading original fairy tales and not adaptations of Perrault's and The Grimm Brothers' tales. Only these have male characters in the leading roles.
I could keep on reading this, but life is too short, and I am already familiar with most of them...
Bottom Line: Nothing wrong with it _ I wasn't crazy about the dispassionate writing style _ it's German, so most tales are bloody and gory, so better read it yourself and grab some other book for the kids.