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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Fun, quick read. I was excited to discover that two of my favorite childhood stories, “the elves and the shoemaker” and “the twelve dancing princesses” were in here. Except the version I had as a child has beautiful illustrations, whereas this one did not. Some additional stories like Rapunzel and Snow White were in here, as well as some I’d never read before. Grimm’s fairy tales have a reputation for being dark... I didn’t think they were that dark, though a number of characters were killed and people lost their eyes to thorns, etc. But all-in-all, nothing shocking. Also certainly an emphasis on youth and beauty for female characters. And evil stepmothers.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A classic worldwide. The prince has a funny tactic to find his lost love interest. I also know the original story where girls try to make their feet fit the shoe by force, so that they are getting married by the prince. The first time I heard or rather even saw a film adaption to this was when I was still pretty young, it was a bit creepy for me.
<u>Blaubart (Bluebeard)</u>
I know that the term 'Bluebeard' is used even nowadays to describe someone who kills women, as this is what the fairy tale is about. Not sure when exactly I saw this story first, but must have been when I was a bit older than a mere child. I would also not recommend this story to anyone who is still a child, but a more mature audience as the killing of woman isn't something a child should read about. The idea of this story, I think so, that curiosity can get you killed is quite fascinating, especially as I was a curious child myself who wouldn't have survived this scenario if it would have been happening to me.
<u>Brüderchen und Schwesterchen (Brother and Sister)</u>
This story was so sad the first time when I heard about it. The brother turned into a deer as he drank from a cursed water source. I don't know why but when I was still a child that made me so anxious already. Probably as I couldn't imagine to become an animal out of nowhere even though I really liked any type of animal as a kid. When the brother was chased by hunters I was already expecting the worst and I think it also depends on the film one watches, as they differ by the ending, but one of them (if I remember correctly) was just as I feared: The brother passed away when he was hunted, mistaken for an actual animal. I think I even cried when I was a kid, when I saw this story for the first time. Now that I'm older I would say I liked the story, but my younger self surely went through something when it watched it for the first time.
<u>Die Sterntaler (The Star Money)</u>
This fairy tale was one that sticked to my mind quite long after I read + watched it. The girl was a poor orphan and barely had anything and even the few things she had left she gave to people she thought needed it more. Someone she gave her jacket as they felt cold. Another one she gave her bread as they were hungry. She is such a kind-hearted girl and at first I was sad that she had nothing left, but then she received more than she had before. From the sky came star money.
This fairy tale thought me already when I was young how ones kindness never goes in vain and that no matter what happens one should never forget kindness. I love this fairy tale.
<u>Das blaue Licht (The Blue Light)</u>
I was so confused when I watched this. Like the man knows something is wrong with the witch, she gets mad and keeps him in the fountain and didn't take the blue light she initially wanted. Then some smaller man appears and fulfils all the wishes of the other man, but he gets caught, but before he get hanged the smaller man appears again and happy end. Is this like some Jinni? Maybe I should re-watch it, I might get it then. But except that I'm confused it felt to be rather boring.
<u>Das Eselein (The Donkey)</u>
The skin thing was a bit disturbing to be honest, but I still liked the story. Not sure if the story is about not judging someone by looks, but by personality or about a man who tries to disconnect himself from his family that didn't accept him and therefore try to achieve something in his life, after not being accepted for who he was before. He had donkey skin, but in the end he didnt have it anymore which seems like this story is trying to tell us how one can change and do things out of their comfort zone by opening up, thus removing the doneky skin. After his mother showed no love to the protagonist, he tried to seek this love in someone else, in a love interest, which he also married in the end. I think he achieved everything in life he wanted to achieve and that this story should be an inspiration for others to do so too, no matter if you weren't loved or looked different. This message is really inspiring and someone I like to see in children books.
<u>Das Hirtenbüblein</u>
This kid was known for his wise answers, so the king wanted to test this and promised the kid to adopt him if he answered the questions in a satisfying way for the king. I think it were three questions and the kid always answered them smart and wise. The king kept his promise and adopted this boy. Not sure if there was any meaning behind this story, but I liked how this story wasn't as dark as some others of Grimm's and how the King kept his promise.
<u>Das Lämmchen und Fischchen (The Lambkin and the Little Fish)</u>
- This was like the Brother and Sister fairy tale, but with a good ending. I think they were also in a tense situation, but somewhat fled by it or something. Only thing I'm certain of is that it's like the Brother and Sister fairy tale and that they also had an evil stepmother who cursed them to become animals.
<u>Das Märchen vom Schlauraffenland</u>
This is probably one of the funniest stories a kid can be told about from the Brother Grimm's. It's about humans and animals and stuff they usually can't do. Like some fly lifting a sack of potatoes or something. I can't quite remember it in detail, but I think it was funny.
<u>Das Meerhäschen (The Sea-Hare)</u>
The girl in this story can get only married if a man isn't found by her by hide-and-seek, she has (I think) 12 windows which can all see in different ways. She always finds the man so she never gets married, but one character is so smart he dresses up as sea hare and hides (I think) behind her, so that she wouldn't even be able to see him from the outside. She got mad but accepted her defeat and they married.
The man in this story was so smart and I believe that this fairy tale should teach you that you can achieve anything if you work smart and not hard. Wasn't that memorable to be honest, but I still liked this one.
<u>Das Rätsel (The Riddle)</u>
A woman can only get married if she can't solve a riddle that she was told to. The man in this story is smart again and makes a riddle up that one only can know about if they were with the man before he arrived at the kingdom as some bird ate his horse and that bird who was poisonous killed many murderers who tried to kill the man. Since she didn't experience this, she can't solve the riddle, tries to cheat by spying on the man, but he steals her coat and can therefore proof that she asked him what the answer was. Just like the one above, it was alright the story, nothing remarkable, though I think the riddle on its own was cheating too as there was no way for the girl to know the answer.
<u>Das singende springende Löweneckerchen (The Singing, Springing Lark)</u>
Every time when I read the title it reminds me of another story with a similar title: 'Das singende klingende Bäumchen', but this one is about a tree and this story here is about the youngest daughter wishing for a bird (lark) while her father the king is travelling. (like a souvenir). A bear is having this bird, but he only lets the King have it when he can marry the girl he meets first (the king has 3) when he arrives with him back. The youngest is the first he sees and therefore takes her with him. I think the story is a bit confusing or maybe it's my memory as the other daughters have some animal-like human too. The bear with the youngest daughter turned into a human at night. And some of the other girls had a pigeon when the man got sunlight on his skin (I think). This story was a bit confusing and I didn't really got anything out of it.
<u>Das tapfere Schneiderlein (The Brave Little Tailor)</u>
I liked this one. It's about a tailor who slapped 7 flies in a row death after they tried to eat his apple. He felt so proud about it that he (I think) has put the phrase '7 in a row' on his hat. That was misinterpreted by the king as he thought that the tailor was a Knight who killed 7 man. So the tailor was asked to kill the goblins that were in the forest, which he succeeded and he needed to do other things to marry the princess as a reward. The tailor speaks in his sleep, revealing himself that he is just a tailor and not a knight. In the end he still managed to marry the princess. (I think he acted like he could curse the servants that wanted to see if he is really a tailor, which left him alone afterwards, making the tailor keep the kingdom and the princess).
Even though the story was a bit absurd (I think he was asked to kill or find a unicorn too), I liked how tense it was all the time as one didn't know if anyone will find out that the knight is in truth a tailor. There were also film adaptions to it that I quite liked.
<u>Das Waldhaus (The Hut in the Forest)</u>
About a man who sends all 3 of his daughters one another to his work place to give him his food, they all get lost on their way there as the ravens pick up the food that was supposed to lead the girls to their father. When they got lost they all they had an accommodation by an old man, who let them sleep there over night. The animals felt neglected as the old man was busy to care about the girls, but the youngest daughter took care of them and they all turned into humans and a kingdom appeared. She married one of them and they lived happily ever after. Except that the father couldn't see their daughters ever again I think that this story is beautiful. After the youngest daughter took care of the animals, she freed them from a curse and even married one of them that turned into a human. When I was younger I thought that this fairy tale was quite romantic.
<u>Das Wasser des Lebens (The Water of Life)</u>
This story was so disappointing to read about. The youngest brother was the only one who succeeded in the end to get the water of life for his sick father, but his older brothers tricked him, making him look like he tried to poison his own father. The other brothers who didn't manage to get the water of life gained all the praises for it. I was so mad and still kinda am when I remember about this one as the youngest brother was the only one who didn't lie or was rude and he still was so punished. But as any fairy tale he got an happy end anyway, by marrying the princess from the kingdom he saved while he aquired the water of life.
<u>Dat Erdmänneken (The Gnome)</u>
Ones again the youngest brother was tricked, but still got a happy end. The older brothers weren't brave enough to slay the head of a dragon, so the youngest did it, let the princesses go up (from a fountain they were kept) and the older brothers got all the praise even though they did nothing. Were hanged and the youngest brother married the youngest princess. This one was a bit weird. I'm pretty sure this fairy tale was the one with the long tongue. The gnomes looked really creepy in the film adaption. Or maybe I remember it wrong and it was some other fairy tale.
<u>Daumesdick (Thumbling)</u>
I think that this one is merely made for shock factor, nothing more, which is a bit sad as I like Grimm's fairy tales for their story and not for a high shock or fear degree. This story is about a boy who was born in a size of a thumb, he never grew taller and he was on some journey eaten by a cow, that cow got slaughtered but Thumbling still couldn't escape as the wolf ate him. The father of Thumbling killed the wolf to free the Thumbling. I think that this is pretty much anything this is about and I question the sanity of the person who came up with this.
<u>De drei Vügelkens (The Three Little Birds)</u>
- A woman gives birth to three birds, she gets imprisoned after the third (probably as they think she is a witch). The children who were left to drown get saved from fisherman's. The youngest is pure and the older ones are evil. I think the story was alright once more. It wasn't my favourite as it didn't feel too interesting, but interesting enough to finish reading about it.
<u>Der Hase und der Igel (The Hare and the Hedgehog)</u>
This is just like an even older story about a racing between rabbit and hedgehog. In this case a racing done due to the rabbit insulting the legs of the hedgehog that look crooked for him, making the hedgehog call for a race. Just like the version with a turtle instead of hedgehog it tells us that intelligence wins over strength. I approve of this lesson and think it's something that should be teached already in young years. One doesn't need to act or be strong to be good in something. Trying your hardest to achieve your goals (especially by doing so in a smart way) is an easier path than bragging about ones physical strength.
<u>Der alte Großvater und der Enkel (The Old Man and his Grandson)</u>
Still remember the first time I read it I was shocked to find out that this was written by Grimm's! It wasn't like a fairy tale at all. It was rather a lesson told in a short story. The old man couldn't eat anymore as good as he used to, the grandchildren were disgusted by the way the old man ate so he needed to sit far apart from the dining-table. To the end of the story the grandson told his parents that he will make a 'Tröglein' for them when they get old.
(A 'Tröglein' is this long thing animals eat and drink from in animal facilities and farms). What the kid said was awful and I was glad that I didn't behave to my grandparents like this and after I read it I never ever did. I was also glad that the parents of the grandson were sad and dissaproved of this behaviour of their son and allowed the old man to sit at the dining-table again.
<u>Der Arme und der Reiche</u>
An often told story about a poor and a rich. God tries to sleep overnight by the rich one, who refuses. The poor allows God to sleep overnight, which he grants 3 wishes. They were simple and not greedy. The rich hears about this, gets mad and tries to get the 3 wishes too. God grants them, but says that he should be careful. The rich isn't careful, wishes for the wrong things. Even though I heard about such stories quite often I think the Grimm's were the first I heard about this, so I like this story and its morale behind it.
<u>Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians of Bremen)</u>
I like the story but also not. I just think it is a bit overhyped honestly. The animals being on top of eachother is funny and since I'm German I also saw the statue of it, but except that the story is mid. It's about three animals who are supposed to be killed or be selled, as they are getting too old, so they decide to become musicians and at the same time also make a house robber free. I honestly don't understand completely what this story is trying to say, maybe that together one can achieve anything? I'm not sure.
<u>Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty)</u>
No one would believe me when I say that I watched and read this story about ten times or even more. I really like this one.
The story tells abouts a girl who is born after, some animal, I think a frog, announced that the king and queen finally got a baby. There are 15 fairies who congratulate them, but a 16th one (depending on the story was either not invited or didn't receive a golden plate as the kingdom only had 15) decided to put a curse on the king's daughter, that when she turns 15 (or 16?) that she will die by a spindle. (+ when someone kisses her she will awake from the sleep). Another fairy weakens the spell by a 100 year sleep instead of death. The girl meets an old lady who is spindling. Her finger gets bloody, and she is put into a 100 year sleep. Every man who heard of Sleeping Beauty tried to rescue her, but was killed by the thorns of the hedge. Until one man after many years hears of this tale again, was allowed to enter (thorns turned into beautiful flowers without thorns) and when he kissed her she was awake again. They married, happily ever after.
<u>Die drei Federn (The Three Feathers)</u>
If I remember correctly it was about three brothers (yes again, I start to wonder, if Brother's Grimm wanted a third brother or something). The youngest was once again depictured as stupid, but got everything the other brothers wanted. A woman and being the King in the end. It is just like a few other ones I mentioned above. Wasn't memorable for me.
<u>Die drei Glückskinder</u>
It's about three brothers again, but this time they are all lucky. They get three different animals and I still remember when I first heard of this story that I wanted the cat to win, but if I remember correctly the cat was the unlucky one. This story is the opposite of the other 'three brothers' stories, as the brothers are all lucky (unlike the other stories), but the animals they inherit aren't. I think the cat was the unlucky one and that made me unsatisfied with the story as I really wanted the cat to win.
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
With only a paragraph this manages to draw me and make me wonder what happens in the end.
Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales was an adventure. It was over 100 fairy tales (some of them were either the same tale told differently or several different stories, but they were structured the same).
Honestly, I love fairy tales whether they are the original or the dolled up and gore downed Disney versions. Grimm's is the first entire collection I've read, and at some point I'll pick up my collection of Hans Christian Anderson.
Everything happens in 3s, or 7s, or 9s. Never go into the enchanted woods. Don't trust any travelling salespeople.
Also, I got pretty lucky in the stepmom department. Thanks for not bringing any stepsisters!
Honestly, I love fairy tales whether they are the original or the dolled up and gore downed Disney versions. Grimm's is the first entire collection I've read, and at some point I'll pick up my collection of Hans Christian Anderson.
Everything happens in 3s, or 7s, or 9s. Never go into the enchanted woods. Don't trust any travelling salespeople.
Also, I got pretty lucky in the stepmom department. Thanks for not bringing any stepsisters!
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
I read these for a course that I am taking and honestly would have put the book down long before finishing if not for that reason. Certainly not as dark as I imagined them to be before reading...in fact, I found them foolish. I will grant a handful of stories were engaging, good stories....the rest were just foolish. I shared with my daughter who laughed over the couple she read.
A favorite book from childhood, these fairy tales are not for the easily scared! Quite violent how people meet their ends in these classic tales of whimsy. These are as much fun for adults to read as they are for children.
Reviewing any book as seminal and classic as "Grimm's Fairy Tales" is probably a fool's errand. What can be said which reams of scholarship have not already said better? This particular edition collects about half of the tales which the Grimm's eventually published in their ever-morphing collection. They were drawn not just from folk sources, but from literary sources as well, then honed and polished by the authors. Thus, their value as pure ethnographic artifacts is dubious, although taken with a grain of salt, it can be argued that they still fulfill their stated purpose reasonably well. In addition to the more familiar stories, which, thanks to Disney and others, have become commonplace within our culture, there are dozens of more obscure, often bizarre, tales as well, many of which are of equal quality as the well-worn chestnuts.
When reading an entire collection of these tales from cover to cover, there is a tendency for them to all blur together, and this is because so many motifs, archetypal characters, and situations recur incessantly. These include the evil stepmother; the dwelling in the woods, frequently occupied by groups of robbers, or else by witches; the good Old Woman, whom we have come to recognize as the "fairy godmother;" the three sons who face a challenge which the elder two fail at, but the supposedly dim-witted youngest succeeds at; princes and princesses turned into animals by means of enchantment; one in a group of siblings escaping from some evil, common fate and later saving the rest of them from that fate; a princess who will only marry a suitor who masters some seemingly impossible challenge... the list runs long.
These stories were originally collected for adults, not children, and this gives us an important clue about their cultural significance. At some point anyone who has a vested interest in storytelling and, particularly, with the stories we tell within our culture, should probably read through a collection such as this.
When reading an entire collection of these tales from cover to cover, there is a tendency for them to all blur together, and this is because so many motifs, archetypal characters, and situations recur incessantly. These include the evil stepmother; the dwelling in the woods, frequently occupied by groups of robbers, or else by witches; the good Old Woman, whom we have come to recognize as the "fairy godmother;" the three sons who face a challenge which the elder two fail at, but the supposedly dim-witted youngest succeeds at; princes and princesses turned into animals by means of enchantment; one in a group of siblings escaping from some evil, common fate and later saving the rest of them from that fate; a princess who will only marry a suitor who masters some seemingly impossible challenge... the list runs long.
These stories were originally collected for adults, not children, and this gives us an important clue about their cultural significance. At some point anyone who has a vested interest in storytelling and, particularly, with the stories we tell within our culture, should probably read through a collection such as this.
Phew! Although, I had to take it in very small doses, I'm very glad to have found out what a really Grimm fairy tale is made of.