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jodie_saint 's review for:
Grimm's Fairy Tales
by Frances Jenkins Olcott, Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm
Reading the non-sugar coated Grimm's Fairy Tales was an enlightening experience. There is a surprising amount of crime and injustice. I would find myself going through the Tales and thinking, "Oh, that's why it didn't make the Disney cut," and "Well, I can see why the movies left that out." There are a lot of things that did not match with the generally accepted love-happy definition of "Fairy Tale," such as domestic violence and kidnapping. So parents should be aware of what they're getting into before reading these tales to their children.
I felt that the range of stories was a little uneven, with more dark tales than happy and adventurous ones. I read all the tales at once and found repetition in storylines and character details (the ugly step-sister, the beautiful princess, the evil witch). So, I would not suggest adults read this all in one sitting.
Something that I really enjoyed was how the Brothers Grimm pushed the boundaries of my imagination. For instance, in "The Wolf and the Seven Kids," the Mother Goat cuts open the Wolf's stomach as he sleeps to retrieve her still-whole and unharmed kids. My immediate thought was that the Wolf probably would have woken up at some point during the surgery, or died if it was a swift incision. However, the story invited me into a reality where things aren't as logical than my own and there were more possibilities. I really like when stories ask me to imagine more, so that was a big plus in reading the Fairy Tales.
Overall, Grimm's Fairy Tales was an intriguing read, and it has made me more knowledgeable of literary devices in Fairy Tales. It has also given me a more realistic understanding of the range of fairy tale stories. My favorites were, "The Three Languages," "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," and "King Thrushbeard."
I felt that the range of stories was a little uneven, with more dark tales than happy and adventurous ones. I read all the tales at once and found repetition in storylines and character details (the ugly step-sister, the beautiful princess, the evil witch). So, I would not suggest adults read this all in one sitting.
Something that I really enjoyed was how the Brothers Grimm pushed the boundaries of my imagination. For instance, in "The Wolf and the Seven Kids," the Mother Goat cuts open the Wolf's stomach as he sleeps to retrieve her still-whole and unharmed kids. My immediate thought was that the Wolf probably would have woken up at some point during the surgery, or died if it was a swift incision. However, the story invited me into a reality where things aren't as logical than my own and there were more possibilities. I really like when stories ask me to imagine more, so that was a big plus in reading the Fairy Tales.
Overall, Grimm's Fairy Tales was an intriguing read, and it has made me more knowledgeable of literary devices in Fairy Tales. It has also given me a more realistic understanding of the range of fairy tale stories. My favorites were, "The Three Languages," "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," and "King Thrushbeard."