Take a photo of a barcode or cover
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
The archetypal story of untapped treasure has been proven possible again. Erika Eichenseer discovered thirty boxes of von Schonwerth’s manuscripts just waiting to be uncovered. Hoping to find such a trove, Eichenseer brought to light what had been stored in the Regensburg archive for more than a century.
Fairy tales are fantastical by their very nature. Yet they contain insight into a culture’s fears and desires.
Please read my full review here: http://mwgerard.com/accent-the-turnip-princess/
Fairy tales are fantastical by their very nature. Yet they contain insight into a culture’s fears and desires.
Please read my full review here: http://mwgerard.com/accent-the-turnip-princess/
Ok, I know, I get it. Fairytales are simplistic. Very few authors write prosaic fairytales, particularly in medieval times. Franz was more of a historian collecting fairytales in their most primitive form (almost bullet-pointing the details rather than writing a story in full.)
However, these were so basic that, initially, it was funny. I was laughing out loud at how ridiculously the stories progressed, and my FAVOURITE scene of all was when a character called Hans mills off the buttocks of a man who was cheating at cards, yet then whips out said buttocks when confronting the devil to scare the devil away.
How were these milled buttocks intact? Was it buttocks powder? Why was Hans carrying the buttocks/buttocks powder around with him? How did he know it would be an effective way to push the devil back? I have so many questions and yet, so few answers.
Because Franz tells the fairytales in this almost docketed way, the tales are dry and tedious to read. I honestly felt the urge to rewrite the stories and fill in the blanks for myself. While there were some laugh-out-loud moments (because of how shockingly bad their abruptions were), the tales were too dry to sustain my interest for very long.
However, these were so basic that, initially, it was funny. I was laughing out loud at how ridiculously the stories progressed, and my FAVOURITE scene of all was when a character called Hans mills off the buttocks of a man who was cheating at cards, yet then whips out said buttocks when confronting the devil to scare the devil away.
How were these milled buttocks intact? Was it buttocks powder? Why was Hans carrying the buttocks/buttocks powder around with him? How did he know it would be an effective way to push the devil back? I have so many questions and yet, so few answers.
Because Franz tells the fairytales in this almost docketed way, the tales are dry and tedious to read. I honestly felt the urge to rewrite the stories and fill in the blanks for myself. While there were some laugh-out-loud moments (because of how shockingly bad their abruptions were), the tales were too dry to sustain my interest for very long.
Ancient German peasants were very bad at writing stories.
Some of them could be good if they were fleshed out. I can see a few beloved children's stories coming out of here. But mostly it was men named Hans and giants and people turning from wicked to good to evil depending on the way the wind was blowing.
Perhaps these stories shouldn't be held to the same standard that I hold normal books. They were actually nice to read at breakfast when I was still kind of sleepy and confused.
Some of them could be good if they were fleshed out. I can see a few beloved children's stories coming out of here. But mostly it was men named Hans and giants and people turning from wicked to good to evil depending on the way the wind was blowing.
Perhaps these stories shouldn't be held to the same standard that I hold normal books. They were actually nice to read at breakfast when I was still kind of sleepy and confused.
An incredible collection, and a must-read for anyone interested in oral mythology and the nuts and bolts of storytelling.
Any collection of newly discovered fairy tales is a cause for rejoicing. Here we have stories recognizable for their similarities to other stories, but uniquely their own or in some cases closer to the vein that has been obscured by pop culture sanitization.
What a fun discovery! I would have loved to have had these growing up - I hope someone will release an illustrated version (if they haven’t already). A nicer larger cross section than one gets with Lange or the Grimms.
A charming book full of stories both familiar and strange. I highly recommend to lovers of fairytales.