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Virago Fairy Tales #1
The Virago Book of Fairy Tales
Once upon a time fairy tales weren't meant just for children, and neither is The Virago Book of Fairy Tales. This stunning collection contains lyrical tales, bloody tales, hilariously funny and ripely bawdy stories from countries around the world. And no drippy princesses or soppy fairies. Instead girls, women and crones, wise as serpents, gentle as doves and occasionally daft as brushes.
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
31 people are currently reading
1290 people want to read
About the author
Angela Carter
212 books3,738 followersBorn Angela Olive Stalker in Eastbourne, in 1940, Carter was evacuated as a child to live in Yorkshire with her maternal grandmother. As a teenager she battled anorexia. She began work as a journalist on the Croydon Advertiser, following in the footsteps of her father. Carter attended the University of Bristol where she studied English literature.
She married twice, first in 1960 to Paul Carter. They divorced after twelve years. In 1969 Angela Carter used the proceeds of her Somerset Maugham Award to leave her husband and relocate for two years to Tokyo, Japan, where she claims in Nothing Sacred (1982) that she "learnt what it is to be a woman and became radicalised." She wrote about her experiences there in articles for New Society and a collection of short stories, Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces (1974), and evidence of her experiences in Japan can also be seen in The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman (1972). She was there at the same time as Roland Barthes, who published his experiences in Empire of Signs (1970).
She then explored the United States, Asia, and Europe, helped by her fluency in French and German. She spent much of the late 1970s and 1980s as a writer in residence at universities, including the University of Sheffield, Brown University, the University of Adelaide, and the University of East Anglia. In 1977 Carter married Mark Pearce, with whom she had one son.
As well as being a prolific writer of fiction, Carter contributed many articles to The Guardian, The Independent and New Statesman, collected in Shaking a Leg. She adapted a number of her short stories for radio and wrote two original radio dramas on Richard Dadd and Ronald Firbank. Two of her fictions have been adapted for the silver screen: The Company of Wolves (1984) and The Magic Toyshop (1987). She was actively involved in both film adaptations, her screenplays are published in the collected dramatic writings, The Curious Room, together with her radio scripts, a libretto for an opera of Virginia Wolf's Orlando, an unproduced screenplay entitled The Christchurch Murders (based on the same true story as Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures) and other works. These neglected works, as well as her controversial television documentary, The Holy Family Album, are discussed in Charlotte Crofts' book, Anagrams of Desire (2003).
At the time of her death, Carter was embarking on a sequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre based on the later life of Jane's stepdaughter, Adèle Varens. However, only a synopsis survives.
Her novel Nights at the Circus won the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for literature.
Angela Carter died aged 51 in 1992 at her home in London after developing lung cancer. Her obituary published in The Observer said, "She was the opposite of parochial. Nothing, for her, was outside the pale: she wanted to know about everything and everyone, and every place and every word. She relished life and language hugely, and reveled in the diverse."
She married twice, first in 1960 to Paul Carter. They divorced after twelve years. In 1969 Angela Carter used the proceeds of her Somerset Maugham Award to leave her husband and relocate for two years to Tokyo, Japan, where she claims in Nothing Sacred (1982) that she "learnt what it is to be a woman and became radicalised." She wrote about her experiences there in articles for New Society and a collection of short stories, Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces (1974), and evidence of her experiences in Japan can also be seen in The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman (1972). She was there at the same time as Roland Barthes, who published his experiences in Empire of Signs (1970).
She then explored the United States, Asia, and Europe, helped by her fluency in French and German. She spent much of the late 1970s and 1980s as a writer in residence at universities, including the University of Sheffield, Brown University, the University of Adelaide, and the University of East Anglia. In 1977 Carter married Mark Pearce, with whom she had one son.
As well as being a prolific writer of fiction, Carter contributed many articles to The Guardian, The Independent and New Statesman, collected in Shaking a Leg. She adapted a number of her short stories for radio and wrote two original radio dramas on Richard Dadd and Ronald Firbank. Two of her fictions have been adapted for the silver screen: The Company of Wolves (1984) and The Magic Toyshop (1987). She was actively involved in both film adaptations, her screenplays are published in the collected dramatic writings, The Curious Room, together with her radio scripts, a libretto for an opera of Virginia Wolf's Orlando, an unproduced screenplay entitled The Christchurch Murders (based on the same true story as Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures) and other works. These neglected works, as well as her controversial television documentary, The Holy Family Album, are discussed in Charlotte Crofts' book, Anagrams of Desire (2003).
At the time of her death, Carter was embarking on a sequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre based on the later life of Jane's stepdaughter, Adèle Varens. However, only a synopsis survives.
Her novel Nights at the Circus won the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for literature.
Angela Carter died aged 51 in 1992 at her home in London after developing lung cancer. Her obituary published in The Observer said, "She was the opposite of parochial. Nothing, for her, was outside the pale: she wanted to know about everything and everyone, and every place and every word. She relished life and language hugely, and reveled in the diverse."
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 15, 2015
A really good collection of fairy and folktales. While there are some better known tales in the collection, such as "East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon", many of the tales are not as well known. The stories come from all over the globe. While tale types are used, the most familiar tales of those types are not used. Instead of "Cinderella", there is "Mossycoat", for instance. There is a note section at the end of the book that covers sources. I really enjoyed "The Princess in the Suit of Leather" and "The Girl Who Stayed in the Fork of a Tree".
There really is something complete uninhibited about these Inuit, stories that open this collection. You read them, and you can see why some parents just might have their panties in bunch. “Blubber Boy” for instance, is a rather candid, but still powerfully moving tale about love and loss. There is such tragedy and sadness in it. Even as you are going, boy is that disgusting.
I enjoyed the Iraqi version of “Cinderella”. Several of the tales are quite funny and the complete Red Riding Hood is here.
There really is something complete uninhibited about these Inuit, stories that open this collection. You read them, and you can see why some parents just might have their panties in bunch. “Blubber Boy” for instance, is a rather candid, but still powerfully moving tale about love and loss. There is such tragedy and sadness in it. Even as you are going, boy is that disgusting.
I enjoyed the Iraqi version of “Cinderella”. Several of the tales are quite funny and the complete Red Riding Hood is here.
July 23, 2018
This one came from Jill’s library, passed to me because she felt that I would enjoy it since I enjoy fairy tales. In fact, some of the stories included in this volume are anthologized from some of the books on my backlist. The selection criteria here is mainly tales that involve women, tales that were available in English, and/or tales that caught the attention of Carter. Some are fairly common, like “Little Red Riding Hood,” while others are incredibly bizarre, at least to our culture, such as the Eskimo stories.
Maybe it’s because I read this straight through, instead of simply reading a tale a night, but I came away strangely ambivalent towards these tales (with the exception of the Eskimo tales, which were too strange for words–short, vulgar, amazing). Not a bad collection, but if you are a fairy tale junkie, you’ll want to go to her sources.
Maybe it’s because I read this straight through, instead of simply reading a tale a night, but I came away strangely ambivalent towards these tales (with the exception of the Eskimo tales, which were too strange for words–short, vulgar, amazing). Not a bad collection, but if you are a fairy tale junkie, you’ll want to go to her sources.
July 31, 2022
A nice compendium of fairy tales from across the world.
November 14, 2017
Some of the tales were fascinating. Some of them were plain weird.
February 21, 2020
An unusually varied collection of adult folktales from many countries of the world. Chosen and assembled by Angela Carter, there is a good introduction, which explains the criteria for inclusion and the sources, which are were already translated into English despite the fact that they come from many different countries.
Some of the tales are very familiar, some not at all and a few downright bizarre. Some tales are definitely adult and explicit. All are very readable and I've enjoyed working through them, a few at a time.
Perhaps nighttime reading with raging toothache from an abscess isn't the best way to appreciate a book but it has successfully given me something diverting to read!!! It certainly didn't cure the toothache but it was a good read nevertheless!!!!!!!
Some of the tales are very familiar, some not at all and a few downright bizarre. Some tales are definitely adult and explicit. All are very readable and I've enjoyed working through them, a few at a time.
Perhaps nighttime reading with raging toothache from an abscess isn't the best way to appreciate a book but it has successfully given me something diverting to read!!! It certainly didn't cure the toothache but it was a good read nevertheless!!!!!!!
November 17, 2022
In questo libro, Angela Carter seleziona diversi racconti provenienti da tutto il mondo e incentrati sulla figura femminile a tutto tondo. Protagoniste indiscusse infatti sono streghe, matrigne, donne ingenue, fragili, sciocche, credulone, vendicatrici ecc...
Un libro piacevole da leggere anche se a volte ripetitivo in alcune parti, ma questo è giustificato dallo stile fiabesco, derivando i racconti tutti dalla tradizione orale.
Ho trovato interessante la similitudine di alcuni elementi nelle varie culture.
Un libro piacevole da leggere anche se a volte ripetitivo in alcune parti, ma questo è giustificato dallo stile fiabesco, derivando i racconti tutti dalla tradizione orale.
Ho trovato interessante la similitudine di alcuni elementi nelle varie culture.
January 23, 2019
Bewitching tales of wonderful women! My experience of fairytales was limited to the Brothers Grimm and a very small amount of 1,001 Nights, so to read tales from Siberia, Sudan, the USA and even countries I had never heard of (Suriname?!) was both fascinating and enlightening. These tales show that we have more in common than we think and that women from all cultures can be brave, ingenious and downright determined to be heard.
August 14, 2020
This is a collection of folktale stories intended for children of all ages, this book specifically states that it is also for adults, not just children. Many of the stories come from all around the globe and is very text heavy with few illustrations. It is a very extensive book and is recommended to all although maybe not specifically younger children.
August 19, 2022
The Eskimo stories though, wtf 😂😂😂
Also, most of these don't really have a happy ending, so if you're looking for that, this is not your book. Otherwise, it was neat to see all sorts of stories and ways of thinking from different cultures.
Also, most of these don't really have a happy ending, so if you're looking for that, this is not your book. Otherwise, it was neat to see all sorts of stories and ways of thinking from different cultures.
July 3, 2017
Didn't finish. I was looking for stories by Carter, but this a collection she has edited. These are okay, but I like her style better.
August 3, 2017
Muy x los cuentos, tan cortos que todo se siente presuroso, y aunque la sinopsis diga que no, siguen cayendo en lo convencional.
August 4, 2017
so much fun and a new perspective.
December 21, 2023
2.5 ⭐️
I did enjoy some of these stories a lot.
Towards the end of this I started to skip the longer stories and pick out the shorter ones, particularly the Eskimo ones which were wild!
I did enjoy some of these stories a lot.
Towards the end of this I started to skip the longer stories and pick out the shorter ones, particularly the Eskimo ones which were wild!
December 26, 2025
so bizarre...so bizarre 😃
January 25, 2018
Meh. While I liked some of the individual stories, the overall impression was that Carter had an axe to grind. There were just too many stories about women tricking men (who sometimes deserved it but often did not).
September 20, 2010
An enjoyable and unusual collection of fairy tales -- some familiar, most not, and some quite surprisingly bawdy. (You do wonder, reading the normal collections of folktales, what has become of all the dirty jokes you just know those people were telling.)
I enjoyed Carter's introduction (which pointed out, for instance, that Tale A was told by one man to another, and changes meaning "now that I am telling it to you.") I personally would have preferred that the introduction were much longer and more detailed, but I suspect she was correct when she guessed that most readers would prefer less intro and more stories.
I enjoyed Carter's introduction (which pointed out, for instance, that Tale A was told by one man to another, and changes meaning "now that I am telling it to you.") I personally would have preferred that the introduction were much longer and more detailed, but I suspect she was correct when she guessed that most readers would prefer less intro and more stories.
April 7, 2011
I enjoyed the journey in this is a collection of folk tales and fairy tales from many cultures--stories handed down in oral tradition and told as entertainment or cautionary tales. In stories such as these if you fail to heed warnings or break promises the result can be devastating.
Female protagonists are featured in this anthology and they are a clever bunch. They outwit overbearing fathers, mean stepmothers, unwanted suitors and evil witches. The stories may be short, but there's always something to think about after they're over.
Female protagonists are featured in this anthology and they are a clever bunch. They outwit overbearing fathers, mean stepmothers, unwanted suitors and evil witches. The stories may be short, but there's always something to think about after they're over.
December 28, 2008
a fascinating read that contextualizes fairy tales as oral histories. particularly focusing on working class women's herstories from all over the earth. i love what carter says in her introduction about the expansive life of fairy tales: "The stories have seeded themselves all round the world, not because we all share the same imagination and experience but because stories are portable, part of the invisible luggage people take with them when they leave home." yay living history.
November 5, 2013
I chose this collection of Fairy Tales, because I love to hear where the saying and stories we know today came from. It's a common thing to say "it's just an old wives tale," but what does that really mean? Well, this book is not the place to turn to if you are looking for answers to this question. The fairy tales were mildly interesting, but I didn't particularly care for how they were organized or presented.
Overall I was disappointed in this collection.
Overall I was disappointed in this collection.
February 3, 2012
Fascinating collection of stories gathered from around the world.
Loved the way some stories and themes keep reappearing, like Cinderella and her shoe. Some of the Eskimo stories are quite raunchy and the women in others are strong and feisty and find their own means to get their own way against the traditional male power.
Loved the way some stories and themes keep reappearing, like Cinderella and her shoe. Some of the Eskimo stories are quite raunchy and the women in others are strong and feisty and find their own means to get their own way against the traditional male power.
August 21, 2014
The fairy tales that came from different cultures and generations are very fascinating. It was also nice to read the different versions of the fairy tales that we used to know. Some are humorous, some are dark. Overall, it was a great read. What makes it more amazing is that Angela Carter was able to research all of these stories, giving us a different view on fairy tales.
December 6, 2012
Really enjoyed this book, the fairy tales were entertaining, although I thought the content would be more like Carter's fiction books. It was easy to read, but towards the end I did get a bit bored and fed up.
March 10, 2014
If you're a fairy tale geek -- which I am, this collection of fairy tales (with no punches pulled) which have women or girls as main characters is just the thing. Includes several (possibly more than several) unsuitable for children. Those Inuit are a bawdy bunch
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March 8, 2008
great idea! A story collection focused on heroines! 'Bout time somebody came up with this!
May 25, 2008
Pretty decent collection of tales, including some of the dirty ones you don't get in folk tale collections aimed at kids.
December 15, 2009
Dark, fantastic, and comprehensive collection of fairy tales minus the Disneyfied sensibilities as told by the genius that is Angela Carter, the literary world's most prolific crazy cat lady!
March 31, 2013
A good anthology of woman-oriented fairytales and folktales.
June 7, 2015
My fav is A Pottle o Brains.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews