Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale

Compact and concise, ONCE UPON A TIME is a literate and knowledgeable overview of the fairy tale, broadly construed. Author Marina Warner is a renowned scholar of mythology and fairy tales with numerous other books in the field. Here, she synthesizes and condenses her scholarship in a lively book of less than two hundred pages.Much of the first part of the book is devoted to matters of definition. What are the defining characteristics of a fairy tale? In exploring this, Warner discusses the brotherhood with folk tales and the kinship with fantasy. She suggests that the German term "Wundermärchen" ("wonder tale") better captures the quality of the genre than does "fairy tale" or "folk tale", as it "recognizes the ubiquity of magic in the stories." Later in the book, she also discusses more recent variations such as the literature of magical realism. She notes that for many fairy tales there are multiple variations, and goes on to address briefly why that is so: is it because they all are products of a collective unconscious or, instead, because they are local, individualized renditions of tales that have, over time, travelled from place to place and generation to generation? (Warner tends towards the latter view.)In her overview of the history of the fairy tale, Warner goes back to the "Arabian Nights" and "faerie" elements in Shakespeare's plays, such as Queen Mab and Puck. Due attention is given to the major figures primarily responsible for outlining the traditional fairy tale in the western world, people like Marie-Catherine D'Aulnoy, Charles Perrault ("Mother Goose"), and the Brothers Grimm. Towards the end of the book, Warner discusses how in recent years fairy tales have matured, going from "children's literature" to more adult fare and expanding in content, settings, and themes. Two writers who receive a fair amount of attention -- "the two greatest contemporary masters of the rational mode of fairy tale" -- are Italo Calvino and Angela Carter. The penultimate chapter deals with fairy tales "on the stage and screen."The way I have outlined the book might give the impression that it is more academic or pedantic than it actually is. Warner imparts her erudition lightly and gracefully. The book is quite well-written, with flowing prose. That ONCE UPON A TIME is aimed at a lay audience is indicated by the fact that there are no footnotes, although sources are identified in a twelve-page "Further Reading" section at the end of the book. I doubt that there is a more comprehensive, informative, and readable book on fairy tales that is less than two hundred pages (even, probably, three or four hundred).

A fine addition to the corpus of fairy tale scholarship, and I recommend it, especially to those who are just embarking on this academic and intellectual adventure--and to those who just like fairy tales. I am reading as someone who belongs to both groups, and a third, one of those who is exploring the fairy tale through retellings.The chapter titles almost do the job of discussing the book's value and purpose and intended audiences: The Worlds of Faery: Far Away and Down Below; With a Touch of Her Wand: Magic & Metamorphosis; Voices on the Page: Tales, Tellers, & Translators; Potato Soup: True Stories/Real LIife ...you get the idea.A few sample passages from this book written by an award-winning scholar of fairy tales and mythology (including the superb From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and their Tellers, 1994) would also do the job:".... the Ocean of Story ... encircles the earth since recorded time... We swim, float, or navigate this fluid and marvelous body of water as a matter of course; mass media television, game shows, video games, and every kind of popular entertainment trawl it daily to bring up plots and characters, animals and motifs" (xx)."... the historical reality that can be excavated from fairy tales does not carry the memory of extreme horrors, specific tragedies, or individuals, but rather dramatizes ordinary circumstances, daily sufferings, needs, desires-and dangers especially of dying young" (91)."This is the way fairy tales should be: like the splinter from the spindle, they can enter you and remain for a hundred years of dreams" (112)."Fairy tales are stories that try to find the truth adn give us glimpes of greater things--this is the principle that underlies their growing presence in writing, art, cinema, dance, song" (178).I could go on.Recommended. Excellent list of titles for further reading.

I am a victim of my own misplaced expectations in ordering this charmingly titled book. I should have known, having read Ms. Warner before, not to expect entertainment in lieu of education. I would say this is essential reading for would-be students of fantasy and fairy tale and rich enough to please many entertainment seekers, but don't expect a storyteller, expect a historian. It is more academic than entertaining. Ms. Warner's attention to little-known (to the likes of me anyway) detail, her commentary on artistic license & political correctness woven into the history, and her including samplings of stories and verse from the storytellers she chronicles are well worth the ticket. I suppose I denied her a star because I wanted a story. Boo hoo.

I find it difficult to review this book because I imagine that if a reader knows and likes Warner's work, it might be fascinating. She knows a lot and offers two or three or four brilliant insights. However, the title is misleading. This is a meandering and undisciplined (and slight) work that dwells far too much on recent literary fairy tales for my taste. Is Angela Carter a major figure in fairy tale history? Write a book about her, then. A reader looking for a history of the fairy tale, especially of the oral fairy tale, will be disappointed. I'm selling my copy.

I absolutely loved this book, and I'm sure I will revisit it time and again. Warner takes you on a delightfully insightful walk through all things fairy tale. Her voice is warm and engaging, educating yet never boring. Read this enchanting book now, it will lead you to a more happily-ever-after, at least when it comes to understanding fairy tales :)Seriously, if you're on the fence, don't be - this book is a winner!

I must confess that I finished Warner's book in a less happy state than when I started it. I expected something a little different. For example, I thought that there might be more historical analysis of fairy tales, or even, perhaps a more detailed exploration of how the same tale might have varied across times and geographies.Instead, there were times when her approach became a bit piecemeal, so that whilst she was certainly citing a lot of varying research, I was not altogether sure what points she was really making. And in fact, there were also times when I felt her points were generalised, partial, or even - wrong - there was quite a lot of application of twenty-first century analysis applied backwards, implying that the vision WE might have, today, of the meaning of a story, was the same as the meaning of the story back in the mists of 400-600 years earlier.The most glaring example of this, to my mind, was her interpretation of the Rapunzel story, at the end of which Rapunzel is thrown out by the witch because she has been hauling up a prince into the tower on her magical rope of hair, and is now pregnant with twins.Warner asserts that one of the `hidden meanings' of this story is `an unapologetic call for sex education for the young' I'm afraid I snorted in derision at that one. It might well be so, if it were written today, but, at the time?She also rather sweepingly categorises the differences between `myth' and `fairy tale' thus - classical mythology is all about the doings of gods and goddesses - a link therefore to religion, whereas `fairy-tales' are about ordinary people coming into contact with `magic'. W-e-e-l l - as many many fairy stories feature as central characters, protagonists, princes and princesses, one must wonder how `ordinary' these folk are.There have of course been several main strands through which the twentieth/twentyfirst century has interpreted `fairy' - firstly, through socio-political viewfinders, so that they may be seen as having a class-conscious point. Some fairy tales were regarded as bourgeois/revisionist and therefore unacceptable inside the former Communist bloc. The other main strand is of course psychological - post-Freudian interpretations. And finally, a feminist perspective - which either (depending on the story) celebrates the feisty, tricksy outwitting female - Gretel in Hansel and Gretel or damns such behaviour so that fairy offers up only passivity as the role model - sleeping victimised princesses - and reserves opprobrium for the witch/bitch stepmother/older woman.In the end, although there is usefully garnered research, I just was not sure what points Warner was making, other than to say `look, fairy stories are much more than narratives told by grannies to little ones, here are some frightfully grown up writers who could also be regarded as using some of the elements of fairytale - eg Kafka, transformations, Metamorphosis, the magic realists like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, Angela Carter, and, ooh look, fairy also turns up in ballet - Swan Lake, and opera, The Magic Flute, and there are masses and masses of movies doing wonderful things with fairy tales'

What are fairy stories? And why? and how?Marina Warner gives us a compelling, intelligent overview of the classic interpretations - 'experiments with thought'; complex tales of conformity and revolt; allegories of alternative worlds; native 'image stores'; excavations (and creations) of national pasts; imaginative freedom to jolt us out of the ordinary; wisdom to help children grow up and face the pains of maturity; magic hunger and hope; the stealthy reintroduction of the life force of nature; the disguised exploration of sexual intimacy, sexual awakening and cruelty; proxy tales of primal survival and injustice; wonderment and the necessary re-enchantment of our lives and environment; fables of good and evil, with real fear and danger; the depiction of crimes such as incest and murder, but at one remove; the 'imagined link to a long, living, lineage'; and the symbolic and real connection to a more natural life; All this and more ...Perhaps above all else, fairy tales are about ordinary mortals (sometimes disguised as princesses and princes) in a pre- (or post?) industrialised world, dealing with generic and profound desires and fears, fantastical in their presentation but realistic in terms of the misery and suffering which is usually their starting point. And, of course, there is a happy ending (usually).These sources of folk energy are always in danger, with time, of declining into sentimental whimsy. Witness the awful Disnification of so-many great tales. New interpreters are needed from time to time, such as the British writer Angela Carter (1940-1992), who reinvented fairy tales for a jaded age, making them subversive vehicles for potent eroticism and mystery.

This is an interesting introduction to fairy tales; from what defines them, to how they have been portrayed on the stage and screen. Although I enjoyed this book, I still do not feel that I am really clear about the history of fairy tales, more how they have been reinterpreted and re-imagined in modern times.However, this book takes the reader through the traditional and oral traditions of fairy tales and explains the familiar plots and characters they incorporate, as well as folklore and magic. Of course, there is much about nature and enchantment and we read about Mother Goose, the Brothers Grimm, the Arabian Nights and even Alice in Wonderland. In modern times, many fairy tales have been effectively, ‘de-fanged’ as the author puts it. She also looks at feminist interpretations of many tales and magic realism.This was an interesting look at traditional tales, which have been used for many years to explore themes of importance to people and help us understand the world we live in. However, although it touches on many important areas relevant to fairy tales, it does not effectively explore the history of them and I found it a little unsatisfactory in that respect.

This is a great all-rounder to get warmed up with the fundamentals of Fairy Tale. There is an extensive reading list provided should you wish to read in further detail, allowing this book to be enjoyed by a wide audience. It is written in a concise manner often in witty prose expressing Marina's deep knowledge of the subject without boring some people to death with the details.I bought this book to help with my university studies and am now using this information as a basic understanding of Fairy Tale, and will pursue some of the suggested texts, such as Bruno Bettelheim's book ' The Uses of Enchantment' for extended research.

It's a small book, so don't expect a deep academic review of all fairy and folk tales. Take the sub-title at face vales: "A short history of fairy tale."I found Marina Warner's conversational style perfect for an overview and introduction to the subject, and I liked the way that she has broken the work out into sections not just focusing on the main themes of fairy stories, but also the environments in which we encounter them.Just as thought-provoking as the longer and heavier works by Zipes et al., this book is essential reading for anyone seriously investigating the field. And as a pocket-sized edition, it is a perfect travel companion!Just reading the Prologue had the effect of triggering two new stories for my next collection.

Rich and succinct, Warner writes with fluid authority and an imaginative flourish.

Wonderful book about the origins of Fairytales we know and love!

Perfect condition

Oh such a collector arrived earlier and in mint condition quality paper easily read by all ages

A good way to begin to understand the history of fairytales and gain some insight in to the human drive to fantasize and share stories. The perspective is very Western though and I do wish that there were more stories in the telling. But overall, wonderful language and sound scholarship.

Excellent. Good research and a good addition to a scholar's library

Nice to read

Greatly appreciated as a gift and at a very good price.

Love it

I could not really get into this book, this does not mean it is not good, we all have our own tastes and this was not mine, I passed this onto my husband who surprisingly loved it.