Roger Warren
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198128779
- eISBN:
- 9780191671692
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198128779.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Shakespeare Studies
In the autumn of 1984, Peter Hall, the then Director of the National Theatre, publicized that Shakespeare's late plays – Pericles, Cymbeline, and The Winter's Tale – would be staged at the smallest ...
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In the autumn of 1984, Peter Hall, the then Director of the National Theatre, publicized that Shakespeare's late plays – Pericles, Cymbeline, and The Winter's Tale – would be staged at the smallest of the three houses of the National Theatre, the Cottesloe. Although this may have been the perfect venue for staging these plays, and staging these plays would present an opportunity to explore the theatrical issues within the play, these were hindered because the National Theatre experienced a financial crisis. During the delay leading up to the production, Peter Hall contemplated about replacing Pericles with The Tempest for two reasons. Firstly, he did not want to leave out the most challenging of Shakespeare's late plays; and secondly, Hall's method of construing Shakespeare relies on a meticulous textual investigation and is not without a strict observation of the verse. This book, therefore, attempts to look further into the rehearsals and shows of this particular play season.Less
In the autumn of 1984, Peter Hall, the then Director of the National Theatre, publicized that Shakespeare's late plays – Pericles, Cymbeline, and The Winter's Tale – would be staged at the smallest of the three houses of the National Theatre, the Cottesloe. Although this may have been the perfect venue for staging these plays, and staging these plays would present an opportunity to explore the theatrical issues within the play, these were hindered because the National Theatre experienced a financial crisis. During the delay leading up to the production, Peter Hall contemplated about replacing Pericles with The Tempest for two reasons. Firstly, he did not want to leave out the most challenging of Shakespeare's late plays; and secondly, Hall's method of construing Shakespeare relies on a meticulous textual investigation and is not without a strict observation of the verse. This book, therefore, attempts to look further into the rehearsals and shows of this particular play season.
Andrew King
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198187226
- eISBN:
- 9780191674662
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198187226.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
Spenser's reception of the rich and complex imaginative, historical, and political traditions involved in Middle English romance is an aspect of The Faerie Queene which has been grossly neglected. ...
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Spenser's reception of the rich and complex imaginative, historical, and political traditions involved in Middle English romance is an aspect of The Faerie Queene which has been grossly neglected. Many areas and topics relating to Spenser's interaction with Middle English romance remain untouched, such as his completion in Book IV of Chaucer's Squire's Tale. This book has dealt only with Books I, II, and V because they arguably present a coherent narrative of response to native romance which does not necessitate detailed consideration of the convergent influences of Ariosto and Tasso; opening the door to Italianate romance, necessary in consideration of other books, would have resulted in a much larger, and possibly more diffuse study. The general neglect of interest in Spenser's use of native romance hopefully justifies a focused and single-minded book such as this.Less
Spenser's reception of the rich and complex imaginative, historical, and political traditions involved in Middle English romance is an aspect of The Faerie Queene which has been grossly neglected. Many areas and topics relating to Spenser's interaction with Middle English romance remain untouched, such as his completion in Book IV of Chaucer's Squire's Tale. This book has dealt only with Books I, II, and V because they arguably present a coherent narrative of response to native romance which does not necessitate detailed consideration of the convergent influences of Ariosto and Tasso; opening the door to Italianate romance, necessary in consideration of other books, would have resulted in a much larger, and possibly more diffuse study. The general neglect of interest in Spenser's use of native romance hopefully justifies a focused and single-minded book such as this.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153384
- eISBN:
- 9781400841820
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153384.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Two major tendencies in fairy-tale re-creations and collisions have been observed in the past decades. The first tendency is called remaking and re-creating classic tales. The second tendency is ...
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Two major tendencies in fairy-tale re-creations and collisions have been observed in the past decades. The first tendency is called remaking and re-creating classic tales. The second tendency is referred to as conflicted mosaics, consists of paintings, sculptures, and photographs that draw on an assortment of fairy-tale fragments to evoke a sense of wonder, if not bafflement. This chapter explores the significance of the two tendencies in fairy-tale collisions with a focus on the recent 2012 exhibit Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination, held at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee. It also comments on the works of many other talented artists who have been experimenting with the fairy tale along the same lines.Less
Two major tendencies in fairy-tale re-creations and collisions have been observed in the past decades. The first tendency is called remaking and re-creating classic tales. The second tendency is referred to as conflicted mosaics, consists of paintings, sculptures, and photographs that draw on an assortment of fairy-tale fragments to evoke a sense of wonder, if not bafflement. This chapter explores the significance of the two tendencies in fairy-tale collisions with a focus on the recent 2012 exhibit Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination, held at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee. It also comments on the works of many other talented artists who have been experimenting with the fairy tale along the same lines.
Richard Dawkins
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195310726
- eISBN:
- 9780199785179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195310726.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Richard Dawkins is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The Ancestor’s Tale, The God Delusion, and many other books. Dawkins, known as an ...
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Richard Dawkins is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The Ancestor’s Tale, The God Delusion, and many other books. Dawkins, known as an evolutionist and materialist, is also well known for being an atheist and anti-religious. He has become an outspoken foe of religion, using science to discredit religious beliefs. Many serious theologians find Dawkins’ reaction to religion naïve, unfounded, and puzzling in terms of both its ferocity and its origins. Dawkins remains active as an important cultural voice, but his vision of both science and religion is one that many find inadequate and unsettling, strangely archaic in a post-modern world.Less
Richard Dawkins is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The Ancestor’s Tale, The God Delusion, and many other books. Dawkins, known as an evolutionist and materialist, is also well known for being an atheist and anti-religious. He has become an outspoken foe of religion, using science to discredit religious beliefs. Many serious theologians find Dawkins’ reaction to religion naïve, unfounded, and puzzling in terms of both its ferocity and its origins. Dawkins remains active as an important cultural voice, but his vision of both science and religion is one that many find inadequate and unsettling, strangely archaic in a post-modern world.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691160580
- eISBN:
- 9781400852581
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691160580.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Folk Literature
This book explores the legacy of the Brothers Grimm in Europe and North America, from the nineteenth century to the present. The book reveals how the Grimms came to play a pivotal and unusual role in ...
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This book explores the legacy of the Brothers Grimm in Europe and North America, from the nineteenth century to the present. The book reveals how the Grimms came to play a pivotal and unusual role in the evolution of Western folklore and in the history of the most significant cultural genre in the world—the fairy tale. Folklorists Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm sought to discover and preserve a rich abundance of stories emanating from an oral tradition, and encouraged friends, colleagues, and strangers to gather and share these tales. As a result, hundreds of thousands of wonderful folk and fairy tales poured into books throughout Europe and have kept coming. The book looks at the transformation of the Grimms' tales into children's literature, the Americanization of the tales, the “Grimm” aspects of contemporary tales, and the tales' utopian impulses. It shows that the Grimms were not the first scholars to turn their attention to folk tales, but were vital in expanding readership and setting the high standards for folk-tale collecting that continue through the current era. The book concludes with a look at contemporary adaptations of the tales and raises questions about authenticity, target audience, and consumerism. The book examines the lasting universal influence of two brothers and their collected tales on today's storytelling world.Less
This book explores the legacy of the Brothers Grimm in Europe and North America, from the nineteenth century to the present. The book reveals how the Grimms came to play a pivotal and unusual role in the evolution of Western folklore and in the history of the most significant cultural genre in the world—the fairy tale. Folklorists Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm sought to discover and preserve a rich abundance of stories emanating from an oral tradition, and encouraged friends, colleagues, and strangers to gather and share these tales. As a result, hundreds of thousands of wonderful folk and fairy tales poured into books throughout Europe and have kept coming. The book looks at the transformation of the Grimms' tales into children's literature, the Americanization of the tales, the “Grimm” aspects of contemporary tales, and the tales' utopian impulses. It shows that the Grimms were not the first scholars to turn their attention to folk tales, but were vital in expanding readership and setting the high standards for folk-tale collecting that continue through the current era. The book concludes with a look at contemporary adaptations of the tales and raises questions about authenticity, target audience, and consumerism. The book examines the lasting universal influence of two brothers and their collected tales on today's storytelling world.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153384
- eISBN:
- 9781400841820
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153384.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
If there is one genre that has captured the imagination of people in all walks of life throughout the world, it is the fairy tale. Yet we still have great difficulty understanding how it originated, ...
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If there is one genre that has captured the imagination of people in all walks of life throughout the world, it is the fairy tale. Yet we still have great difficulty understanding how it originated, evolved, and spread—or why so many people cannot resist its appeal, no matter how it changes or what form it takes. This book presents a provocative new theory about why fairy tales were created and retold—and why they became such an indelible and infinitely adaptable part of cultures around the world. Drawing on cognitive science, evolutionary theory, anthropology, psychology, literary theory, and other fields, the book presents a nuanced argument about how fairy tales originated in ancient oral cultures, how they evolved through the rise of literary culture and print, and how, in our own time, they continue to change through their adaptation in an ever-growing variety of media. In making its case, the book considers a wide range of fascinating examples, including fairy tales told, collected, and written by women in the nineteenth century; Catherine Breillat's film adaptation of Perrault's “Bluebeard”; and contemporary fairy-tale drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs that critique canonical print versions. While we may never be able to fully explain fairy tales, this book provides a powerful theory of how and why they evolved—and why we still use them to make meaning of our lives.Less
If there is one genre that has captured the imagination of people in all walks of life throughout the world, it is the fairy tale. Yet we still have great difficulty understanding how it originated, evolved, and spread—or why so many people cannot resist its appeal, no matter how it changes or what form it takes. This book presents a provocative new theory about why fairy tales were created and retold—and why they became such an indelible and infinitely adaptable part of cultures around the world. Drawing on cognitive science, evolutionary theory, anthropology, psychology, literary theory, and other fields, the book presents a nuanced argument about how fairy tales originated in ancient oral cultures, how they evolved through the rise of literary culture and print, and how, in our own time, they continue to change through their adaptation in an ever-growing variety of media. In making its case, the book considers a wide range of fascinating examples, including fairy tales told, collected, and written by women in the nineteenth century; Catherine Breillat's film adaptation of Perrault's “Bluebeard”; and contemporary fairy-tale drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs that critique canonical print versions. While we may never be able to fully explain fairy tales, this book provides a powerful theory of how and why they evolved—and why we still use them to make meaning of our lives.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153384
- eISBN:
- 9781400841820
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153384.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter expands on the author's most recent books, Why Fairy Tales Stick and Relentless Progress, and includes new research by scholars interested in interdisciplinary approaches to cultural ...
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This chapter expands on the author's most recent books, Why Fairy Tales Stick and Relentless Progress, and includes new research by scholars interested in interdisciplinary approaches to cultural evolution. It clarifies why and how tales were created and told, and formed the basis of culture. It suggests that oral tales were imitated and replicated as memes in antiquity to form the fiber of culture and tradition. Taxonomies in the nineteenth century were established in response to recognizable features of tales as well as to organize and order types of stories. “Modern” genres originated during the Enlightenment and are basically social institutions that have defined cultural artifacts and patterns, divided them rationally into disciplines, and established rules and regulations for their study. In many ways, the fairy tale defies such definition and categorization.Less
This chapter expands on the author's most recent books, Why Fairy Tales Stick and Relentless Progress, and includes new research by scholars interested in interdisciplinary approaches to cultural evolution. It clarifies why and how tales were created and told, and formed the basis of culture. It suggests that oral tales were imitated and replicated as memes in antiquity to form the fiber of culture and tradition. Taxonomies in the nineteenth century were established in response to recognizable features of tales as well as to organize and order types of stories. “Modern” genres originated during the Enlightenment and are basically social institutions that have defined cultural artifacts and patterns, divided them rationally into disciplines, and established rules and regulations for their study. In many ways, the fairy tale defies such definition and categorization.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153384
- eISBN:
- 9781400841820
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153384.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter attempts to clarify the importance of the connections between witches and fairies coupled with their deep roots in pagan and Greco-Roman beliefs by moving away from western Europe to ...
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This chapter attempts to clarify the importance of the connections between witches and fairies coupled with their deep roots in pagan and Greco-Roman beliefs by moving away from western Europe to look at the great witch Baba Yaga of Slavic countries. It cites three reasons for concentrating on Baba Yaga and Slavic fairy tales. The first one regards neglect. For the most part, the focus of folklore and fairy-tale studies in the United States and western Europe has been on the works of the Brothers Grimm and other notable western European writers and folklorist. The second is to understand the relationship between goddesses, witches, and fairies. The third reason is that a brief analysis of Baba Yaga tales with a focus on the neglected work Russian Folk Tales (1873), translated and edited by W.R.S. Ralston (1828–89), might assist us in grasping how oral and literary traditions work together to reinforce the memetic replication of fairy tales.Less
This chapter attempts to clarify the importance of the connections between witches and fairies coupled with their deep roots in pagan and Greco-Roman beliefs by moving away from western Europe to look at the great witch Baba Yaga of Slavic countries. It cites three reasons for concentrating on Baba Yaga and Slavic fairy tales. The first one regards neglect. For the most part, the focus of folklore and fairy-tale studies in the United States and western Europe has been on the works of the Brothers Grimm and other notable western European writers and folklorist. The second is to understand the relationship between goddesses, witches, and fairies. The third reason is that a brief analysis of Baba Yaga tales with a focus on the neglected work Russian Folk Tales (1873), translated and edited by W.R.S. Ralston (1828–89), might assist us in grasping how oral and literary traditions work together to reinforce the memetic replication of fairy tales.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153384
- eISBN:
- 9781400841820
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153384.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter deals with a significant, but obfuscated category of nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales that deserves greater attention: tales told, collected, and written by women. Hardly ...
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This chapter deals with a significant, but obfuscated category of nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales that deserves greater attention: tales told, collected, and written by women. Hardly anyoneknows anything about the tales of Laura Gonzenbach, Božena Němcová, Nannette Lévesque, and Rachel Busk, despite the great advances made in feminist studies that led to the rediscovery of important women European writers of fairy tales from the seventeenth century to the present. Not only are the tales by Gonzenbach, Němcová, Lévesque, and Busk pertinent for what they reveal about the beliefs and customs of specific communities in the nineteenth century and about the role of women, but they are also valuable in the study of folklore for elucidating the problematic aspects of orality and literacy, and the interpretation of particular tale types such as the innocent persecuted heroine.Less
This chapter deals with a significant, but obfuscated category of nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales that deserves greater attention: tales told, collected, and written by women. Hardly anyoneknows anything about the tales of Laura Gonzenbach, Božena Němcová, Nannette Lévesque, and Rachel Busk, despite the great advances made in feminist studies that led to the rediscovery of important women European writers of fairy tales from the seventeenth century to the present. Not only are the tales by Gonzenbach, Němcová, Lévesque, and Busk pertinent for what they reveal about the beliefs and customs of specific communities in the nineteenth century and about the role of women, but they are also valuable in the study of folklore for elucidating the problematic aspects of orality and literacy, and the interpretation of particular tale types such as the innocent persecuted heroine.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153384
- eISBN:
- 9781400841820
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153384.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter continues the examination of neglected stories and collectors of folk tales. It explores the significance of collections in Germany, France, Italy, and other European countries that led ...
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This chapter continues the examination of neglected stories and collectors of folk tales. It explores the significance of collections in Germany, France, Italy, and other European countries that led to a greater cultural interest in folklore. In England, after the foundation of the British Folklore Society, a great effort was also made by British and American folklorists to translate folk tales from other countries, such as India, China, Japan, and Africa. Yet their full impact has never been appreciated because the majority of the European folk-tale collections have not been translated or studied in English-speaking countries. For instance, until recently, one of the most exceptional of the great nineteenth-century European and American folklorists, Pitrè, was ignored. The chapter considers his life and works to demonstrate how he is an exemplary representative of those learned, dedicated folklorists who tried to make the past usable so that we might learn something about ourselves.Less
This chapter continues the examination of neglected stories and collectors of folk tales. It explores the significance of collections in Germany, France, Italy, and other European countries that led to a greater cultural interest in folklore. In England, after the foundation of the British Folklore Society, a great effort was also made by British and American folklorists to translate folk tales from other countries, such as India, China, Japan, and Africa. Yet their full impact has never been appreciated because the majority of the European folk-tale collections have not been translated or studied in English-speaking countries. For instance, until recently, one of the most exceptional of the great nineteenth-century European and American folklorists, Pitrè, was ignored. The chapter considers his life and works to demonstrate how he is an exemplary representative of those learned, dedicated folklorists who tried to make the past usable so that we might learn something about ourselves.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691160580
- eISBN:
- 9781400852581
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691160580.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Folk Literature
This introductory chapter describes the corpus of folk and fairy tales that the Brothers Grimm had passed on to the German people. It then asks what legacy means in this context, more specifically in ...
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This introductory chapter describes the corpus of folk and fairy tales that the Brothers Grimm had passed on to the German people. It then asks what legacy means in this context, more specifically in how the Brothers Grimm had attempted to pass on a wealth of cultural legacy and memory which have, in the process, become so universally international. The Brothers were aware from the very beginning that they were bequeathing their collected tales to a growing literate Germanic public; they endeavored to make these people more aware of popular culture in the German principalities. By doing this—bequeathing a legacy that was not really theirs to bequeath—they helped to create a new tradition of folklore that had a nationalist tinge to it.Less
This introductory chapter describes the corpus of folk and fairy tales that the Brothers Grimm had passed on to the German people. It then asks what legacy means in this context, more specifically in how the Brothers Grimm had attempted to pass on a wealth of cultural legacy and memory which have, in the process, become so universally international. The Brothers were aware from the very beginning that they were bequeathing their collected tales to a growing literate Germanic public; they endeavored to make these people more aware of popular culture in the German principalities. By doing this—bequeathing a legacy that was not really theirs to bequeath—they helped to create a new tradition of folklore that had a nationalist tinge to it.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691160580
- eISBN:
- 9781400852581
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691160580.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Folk Literature
This chapter concentrates on two key features of the Americanization of the Grimms' tales: the English and American translations and adaptations of the Grimms' tales from 1823 to the present, and the ...
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This chapter concentrates on two key features of the Americanization of the Grimms' tales: the English and American translations and adaptations of the Grimms' tales from 1823 to the present, and the filmic adaptation of the Grimms' tales in the age of globalization. It also briefly discusses three significant essays and an anthology of European folk and fairy tales that provide important information and analyses of the Americanization of the Grimms' tales: “The Tales of the Brothers Grimm in the United States” (1963) by Wayland Hand; “The Americanization of the Brothers Grimm” (1998) by Simon Bronner; and Cinderella in America: A Book of Folk and Fairy Tales (2007), edited and compiled by William Bernard McCarthy. The chapter then analyzes the literary translations and the cinematic adaptations of the Grimms' tales.Less
This chapter concentrates on two key features of the Americanization of the Grimms' tales: the English and American translations and adaptations of the Grimms' tales from 1823 to the present, and the filmic adaptation of the Grimms' tales in the age of globalization. It also briefly discusses three significant essays and an anthology of European folk and fairy tales that provide important information and analyses of the Americanization of the Grimms' tales: “The Tales of the Brothers Grimm in the United States” (1963) by Wayland Hand; “The Americanization of the Brothers Grimm” (1998) by Simon Bronner; and Cinderella in America: A Book of Folk and Fairy Tales (2007), edited and compiled by William Bernard McCarthy. The chapter then analyzes the literary translations and the cinematic adaptations of the Grimms' tales.
Jack Zipes
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691160580
- eISBN:
- 9781400852581
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691160580.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Folk Literature
This chapter sets the discussion of the legacy of the Grimms' tales in the German sociocultural context of the last twenty-five years. It begins by discussing some of the more recent popular ...
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This chapter sets the discussion of the legacy of the Grimms' tales in the German sociocultural context of the last twenty-five years. It begins by discussing some of the more recent popular manifestations of their stories. The chapter focuses mainly on literature, including picture books and filmic adaptations, though given the large amount of material available, it will only feature a selection of this literature. Following the discussion of popular manifestations, the chapter turns to the concept or notion of a Grimm legacy and concludes with an analysis of scholarly studies that, in contrast to popular culture, have grounded the legacy of the Grimms in substantial ways that would have gratified the Grimms.Less
This chapter sets the discussion of the legacy of the Grimms' tales in the German sociocultural context of the last twenty-five years. It begins by discussing some of the more recent popular manifestations of their stories. The chapter focuses mainly on literature, including picture books and filmic adaptations, though given the large amount of material available, it will only feature a selection of this literature. Following the discussion of popular manifestations, the chapter turns to the concept or notion of a Grimm legacy and concludes with an analysis of scholarly studies that, in contrast to popular culture, have grounded the legacy of the Grimms in substantial ways that would have gratified the Grimms.
Marlé Hammond
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197266687
- eISBN:
- 9780191905407
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266687.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 18th-century Literature
This book is a bilingual edition and study of a lengthy specimen of pre-modern Arabic storytelling. The tale’s origins are unknown but it probably dates from the seventeenth century. As a sustained ...
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This book is a bilingual edition and study of a lengthy specimen of pre-modern Arabic storytelling. The tale’s origins are unknown but it probably dates from the seventeenth century. As a sustained fairy tale of the knight-in-shining-armour-rescues-damsel-in-distress variety, it reads as fiction and was probably intended as such. However, scholars in the Arab renaissance or Nahḍa received the text as history. Its pre-Islamic protagonists, ever emoting in verse, were thus celebrated as some of the earliest Arabic poets. The Arabic text featured in the monograph is sourced from five manuscripts and three published editions, and it is modelled on what I call the ‘Christian’ branch of the tale, or that version of the tale which identifies its hero as a Christian and which was promulgated by Christian scholars and literati in the nineteenth century. Two analytical chapters frame the tale: an introductory chapter which charts the evolution of the narrative and its cultural import through to the end of the twentieth century, and a concluding chapter that breaks the story down into its components and compares its structure to both the ʿUdhrī love tale and the popular epic or sīra, thereby situating the text as a hybrid precursor to the modern novel.Less
This book is a bilingual edition and study of a lengthy specimen of pre-modern Arabic storytelling. The tale’s origins are unknown but it probably dates from the seventeenth century. As a sustained fairy tale of the knight-in-shining-armour-rescues-damsel-in-distress variety, it reads as fiction and was probably intended as such. However, scholars in the Arab renaissance or Nahḍa received the text as history. Its pre-Islamic protagonists, ever emoting in verse, were thus celebrated as some of the earliest Arabic poets. The Arabic text featured in the monograph is sourced from five manuscripts and three published editions, and it is modelled on what I call the ‘Christian’ branch of the tale, or that version of the tale which identifies its hero as a Christian and which was promulgated by Christian scholars and literati in the nineteenth century. Two analytical chapters frame the tale: an introductory chapter which charts the evolution of the narrative and its cultural import through to the end of the twentieth century, and a concluding chapter that breaks the story down into its components and compares its structure to both the ʿUdhrī love tale and the popular epic or sīra, thereby situating the text as a hybrid precursor to the modern novel.
Tony K. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195165296
- eISBN:
- 9780199835461
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195165292.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The Princess Who Nursed Her Own Husband, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
The Princess Who Nursed Her Own Husband, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
Tony K. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195165296
- eISBN:
- 9780199835461
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195165292.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The Wazir's Daughter Who Married a Sacrificial Goat, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
The Wazir's Daughter Who Married a Sacrificial Goat, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
Tony K. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195165296
- eISBN:
- 9780199835461
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195165292.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The Unwilting Garland of Faithfulness, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
The Unwilting Garland of Faithfulness, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
Tony K. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195165296
- eISBN:
- 9780199835461
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195165292.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The Fabled Bengamā Bird and the Stupid Prince, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
The Fabled Bengamā Bird and the Stupid Prince, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
Tony K. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195165296
- eISBN:
- 9780199835461
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195165292.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The Disconsolate Yogī Who Turned the Merchant's Wife into a Dog, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
The Disconsolate Yogī Who Turned the Merchant's Wife into a Dog, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
Tony K. Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195165296
- eISBN:
- 9780199835461
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195165292.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The Mother's Son Who Spat up Pearls, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
The Mother's Son Who Spat up Pearls, a Bengali folk tale translated into English, is presented.
