Most readers associate fairy tales with the work of Charles Perrault and the Grimm brothers, collectors of those traditional and much-loved folk tales retold to each new generation of children. The literary fairy tale, which drew upon this oral tradition but was deliberately composed and written down, developed in the 19th century and has evolved to include some of the best and most original writers of the present day. In "The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales" Alison Lurie has brought together 41 stories by British and ...
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Most readers associate fairy tales with the work of Charles Perrault and the Grimm brothers, collectors of those traditional and much-loved folk tales retold to each new generation of children. The literary fairy tale, which drew upon this oral tradition but was deliberately composed and written down, developed in the 19th century and has evolved to include some of the best and most original writers of the present day. In "The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales" Alison Lurie has brought together 41 stories by British and American authors representing the full range of a continually developing genre. This collection has plenty of magic encounters, dragons, witches, and forlorn princesses. Early writers such as Catherine Sinclair, Juliana Horatia Ewing, and Howard Pyle used these conventions to point a moral lesson; later these same elements are subverted to extraordinary effect in tales such as Richard Kennedy's "The Porcelain Man" or Jeanne Desy's "The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet". The characteristic style and world view, the romantic spirituality or satiric humour of the individual writers colour and shape their tales. From Ruskin, MacDonald, and Dickens through Wilde, Housman and Nesbit the foundations are laid for the explosion of original stories in the 20th century, by writers and diverse as Bernard Malamud, Donald Barthelme, Angela Carter, Ursula Le Guin, and Louise Erdrich.
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Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $9.27, fair condition, Sold by Anybook rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1994 by Oxford University Press.
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This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has soft covers. In fair condition, suitable as a study copy. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 400grams, ISBN: 9780192823854.
Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $9.45, fair condition, Sold by Anybook rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1994 by Oxford University Press.
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Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has soft covers. In fair condition, suitable as a study copy. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 400grams, ISBN: 9780192823854.
Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $9.69, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $9.69, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $9.69, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $12.57, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $13.00, very good condition, Sold by The Hoja rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from New Bern, NC, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $11.87, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press.
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Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $12.46, good condition, Sold by BooksRun rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales to cart. $36.36, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Oxford University Press.
I will admit to a deep and abiding fondness for children?s books. On my shelf is a rare edition of ?The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland? that includes an answer for the riddle ?Why is a raven like a writing desk?? There is the sequel to ?Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? titled ?Charlie and the Glass Elevator?. I have learned that ?Mary Poppins? has sequels (one including recipes) and am determined to find them all.
This series of stories gathered by Ms. Lurie do not disappoint. Many of them were unfamiliar to me, which increased my delight in them. Others were known from past library readings but hadn?t been included in my library. Stories that feature a strong, wily heroine instead of the usual square-jawed prince are among my favorites. Included in this anthology is ?Petronella?, a short tale about a forceful and resourceful princess from 1973 that I had never hoped to see again.
Fairy tales (that often don?t have a single fairy in them) old and new dot the pages of this book. If anyone has read the modern graphic novels in the ?Fables? series, they will recognize the character of Feathertop from this story, a patchwork scarecrow made of sticks, ragged finery and a withered pumpkin. This story was created by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he of ?The Scarlet Letter? fame, and tells the tale of how the world is filled with stuffed men with no more sense than a pumpkinhead and how society will worship these false idols.
There is something for everybody in this book, for it is not filled merely with tales for children but with fanciful, grim, thought-provoking, eye-popping or humorous stories for young and old. Morals on greed, selfishness, thoughtlessness, idleness and mischief making jockey for position. Not all stories may be to the reader?s liking. But there is something of good or interest to be taken from them all. I?m pleased to add this to my collection of children?s books alongside Lurie?s ?Boys and Girls Forever?.
