A review by hstone
Persinette by Laura Christensen, Charlotte-Rose de Caumont La Force, Giambattista Basile, John Edward Taylor

5.0

Not only is this a solid and captivating translation of the lesser known Rapunzel tale, Persinette, by Mlle de La Force, but Christensen also provides several other versions of the story for comparison, and delves into the historical context of their respective authors. I especially enjoyed reading about how pregnancy essentially became a kind of power reversal between husband and wife; within this cultural framework, the stories of Persinette, Petrosinella, and Rapunzel make greater sense.