Folk And Fairy Tales by Martin Hallett

Folk And Fairy Tales by Martin Hallett

This bestselling anthology of folk and fairy tales brings together 54 stories, 9 critical articles, and 24 color illustrations from a range of historical and geographic traditions. Sections group tales together by theme or juxtapose variations of individual tales, inviting comparison and analysis across cultures and genres. Accessible critical selections provide a foundation for readers to analyze, debate, and interpret the tales for themselves. An expanded introduction by the editors looks at the history of folk and fairy tales and distinguishes between the genres, while revised introductions to individual sections provide more detailed history of particular tellers and tales, paying increased attention to the background and cultural origin of each tale.

This new edition includes a larger selection of critical articles (including pieces by J.R.R. Tolkien and Marina Warner), more modern and cross-cultural variations on classic tales (including stories by Neil Gaiman and Emma Donoghue), and an expanded selection of color illustrations.

“..superb selections, from original texts to upbeat contemporary versions, multicultural perspectives, excellent introductions and support materials—all in all, this is a model collection. I do love this book!” — Richard Beards, Temple University

“Hallett and Karasek’s fourth edition of Folk and Fairy Tales, an anthology of traditional tales and contemporary adaptations that spans contributions from Giambattista Basile to Tanith Lee, is a well-rounded and critically framed collection that is eminently suitable for classroom use.” — Kristiana Willsey, Project MUSE

“In their new edition, Hallett and Karasek provide a solid introduction to a branch of literature we so often dismiss as ‘merely’ children’s stories, the fairy tale. They use fourfold approach: multiple versions of widely-attested tale types introduce the student to cross-cultural comparison; an examination of common themes introduces the role of tales in pedagogy and socialization; the juxtaposition of seemingly disparate tales demonstrates structural similarities (an approach new to this edition); and a survey of criticism provides other perspectives. The versions chosen underscore the pervasiveness of these masterpieces of the oral tradition in Western literature, yet also show that they are not the exclusive domain of the West but a world literature in its truest sense.” — Ian Brodie, Cape Breton University

“This collection simultaneously gives readers a thorough introduction to the folk and fairy tale canon and challenges us to rethink that canon by including non-Western variants and postmodern retellings of classic tales, illustrations, and critical essays that enrich and diversify our sense of the field. Best of all, organizing the tales by theme and by tale type encourages students to make innovative and original connections. It is a fabulous introduction to the primary texts and to some of the central debates in the field.” — Dara Regaignon, New York University

Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek teach at Acadia University and Vanier College, respectively. They have published articles and presented seminars on folk and fairy tales, and have been co-organizers of the Montreal Children's Literature Conference.