Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The 200th anniversary of the publication of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's Children's Stories and Household Tales is the occasion for Tatar, a Harvard professor and leading fairytale scholar, to expand her annotated translation of selected tales (initially published in 2004). Adding only six new stories to the previous edition, readers won't find much new reading material here, but illustrations and expanded annotations enrich the text. Divided into "The Tales" (for children) and "Tales for Adults," there's something here for burgeoning bookworms, nostalgic grown-ups, and serious academics. Beloved classics like "Rumpelstiltskin," "Hansel and Gretel," and "Rapunzel" occupy the first section, whereas lesser-known tales like the grisly "How Children Played Butcher with Each Other" and the anti-Semitic "The Jew in the Brambles" are appropriately sequestered in the second. But despite the separation, Tatar is consistent in her scholarly examination of each story-in illuminating introductions and annotations, she is equally comfortable calling up the German philosopher Walter Benjamin, imagining how audiences might respond to particular passages, and providing cross-references to other stories. This rich and valuable edition brilliantly showcases the brothers' storytelling acumen, and reinforces their tales as timeless fodder for children and for scholars. Illus. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Fifty-two tales, many well-known and loved, some unfamiliar, and nine specifically for adults, are extensively illustrated with art from the works of Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane, Wanda Gag, Leslie Brooke, and others. Each tale is accompanied by copious annotations that highlight the changes from one Grimm edition to another, views and translations of other scholars, and Tatar's own historical or cultural analysis. The preface, expanded from one and a half pages in the 2004 edition to six pages here, is a discussion of the significance of fairy tales that, through many retellings, have a "shared cultural repertoire." A.S. Byatt's thought-provoking introduction is a personal homage to the genre and discusses the conceits found in the tales, the psychological need in all societies for "untrue stories," and an appreciation of their magic and mystery. The section called "Reading the Grimms" is a look at the origin of the tales, including Asian and European variants, and the brothers' method of collecting. A biographical section includes information about the men's personal lives, their interest in law and politics, and their other literary pursuits. The last section is a delightful compilation of brief essays by fairy-tale fans about the usefulness, delight, and pervasiveness of the tales. Rounding out the collection are an extensive bibliographies of books and illustrations. Academic enough for the scholarly and thoroughly engaging enough for general readers, this browsable collection will enchant fairy-tale lovers everywhere.-Jackie Gropman, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, VA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
