Spells of Enchantment: The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture

by Jack D. Zipes (Editor), Philip K. Dick, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Spells of Enchantment brings together the best literary fairy tales ever written, arranged to provide a sense of the history and evolution of this ancient genre. Focusing on the work of the most gifted writers of the great Western literary movements from classical times to the present. Jack Zipes's collection shows how some of literature's most creative minds have tried their hand at mixing the magic ingredients of the fairy tale--and how the genre has been marvelously transformed according to each writer's particular genius.

Including more than sixty tales by such master practitioners of the art as Perrault, Voltaire, Goethe, Hoffmann, Hawthorne, Wilde, Yeats, Hesse, Thurber, Calvino, Philip K. Dick, Robert Coover, and Angela Carter, this authoritative, original, and unique volume is sure to bewitch readers of all ages.

The Smile of the Sphinx • (1991) • short story by Ingeborg Bachmann (trans. of Das Lächeln der Sphinx? 1949)
When the Clock Strikes • (1980) • short story by Tanith Lee
The Fisherman and His Soul • (1891) • novelette by Oscar Wilde
Cinderella Continued, or the Rat and the Six Lizards • (1984) • short story by Guillaume Apollinaire (trans. of La suite de Cendrillon, ou Le rat et les six lézards 1919)
Cupid and Psyche (excerpt) • [Cupid and Psyche] • (1951) • short fiction by Apuleius [as by Lucius Apuleius]
The Merchant's Two Sons • (1932) • short story by Giambattista Basile (trans. of Lo mercanto 1634)
xi • Introduction (Spells of The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture) • (1991) • essay by Jack Zipes
xxx • A Note on the Texts and the Acknowledgments (Spells of The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture) • (1991) • essay by Jack Zipes
xxxiv •  Cupid and Psyche (The Golden Asse) • (1923) • interior artwork by Jean de Bosschère
28 • Of Feminine Subtlety • (1824) • short story by unknown
32 • The Pig Prince • (1894) • short story by Giovanni Francesco Straparola (trans. of Galeotto 1551) [as by Giovanni Straparola]
37 •  Night the The First Fable (The Nights of Straparola) • (1894) • interior artwork by Edward Robert Hughes [as by E. R. Hughes]
45 •  The Merchant (The Pentameron) • (1952) • interior artwork by Michael Ayrton
48 • Ricdin-Ricdon • (1991) • novelette by Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon (trans. of Ricdin-Ricdon 1705) [as by Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier]
85 • Riquet with the Tuft • (1989) • short story by Charles Perrault (trans. of Riquet à la Houppe 1697)
88 •  Riquet à la Hoppe (Les Contes des Fees) • (1890) • interior artwork by unknown
91 • Green Serpent • (1989) • novelette by Comtesse d'Aulnoy (trans. of Serpentin vert 1698) [as by Marie-Cathérine d'Aulnoy]
96 •  Green Serpent (D'Aulnoy's Fairy Tales) • (1923) • interior artwork by Gordon Browne
115 • Parslinette • (1991) • short story by Charlotte Rose Caumont de la Force (trans. of Persinette 1697)
122 • Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Pari-Banou • (1991) • novelette by Antoine Galland (trans. of Histoire de prince Ahmed et de la fée Pari-Banou 1717)
157 •  Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Pari-Banou • (unknown) • interior artwork by unknown
160 • The Queen Fantasque • (1991) • short story by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (trans. of La Reine fantasque 1758)
172 • The White Bull • (1905) • novelette by Voltaire (trans. of Le taureau blanc 1774)
174 •  The White Bull (Zadig and Other Romances) • (1926) • interior artwork by Henry Keen
199 • Libussa • (1991) • novella by Johann Karl August Musäus (trans. of Libussa 1782)
200 •  Libussa (Volksmärchen der Deutschen)? • (1842) • interior artwork by Ludwig Richter
233 • The Philosophers' Stone • (1991) • novelette by Christoph Martin Wieland (trans. of Der Stein der Weisen 1786)
258 • The Fairy Tale • (1962) • novelette by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (trans. of Das Märchen? 1795) [as by Johann Wolfgang Goethe]
281 • Eckbert the Blond • (1991) • novelette by Ludwig Tieck (trans. of Der blonde Eckbert 1797)
293 •  Der Blonde Eckbert (Märchen und Erzählungen)? • (1968) • interior artwork by Frank Ruddigkeit
296 • A Wondrous Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint • (1991) • short story by Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder (trans. of Ein wunderbares morgenländisches Märchen von einem nackten Heiligen? 1797)
300 • Hyacinth and Roseblossom • (1991) • short story by Novalis (trans. of Hyazinth und Rosenblüthe? 1802)
304 • The Mines of Falun • (1969) • novelette by E. T. A. Hoffmann (trans. of Die Bergwerke zu Falun 1819)
312 •  The Mines of Falun (The Tales of Hoffmann) • (1943) • interior artwork by Hugo Steiner-Prag
325 • The Lady of Gollerus • (1991) • short story by Thomas Crofton Croker [as by T. Crofton Croker]
326 •  The Lady of Gollerus (Great Fairy Tales of Ireland) • (1973) • interior artwork by Richard Hook (British)
330 • Snow White and Rose Red • [KHM (Kinder- und Hausmärchen)? • 161] • (1987) • short story by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm (trans. of Schneeweißchen und Rosenroth? 1837) [as by Wilhelm Grimm]
333 •  Sn...

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Fiction, Folklore, Anthologies, Classics

848 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 1991

About the author

Jack David Zipes is a retired Professor of German at the University of Minnesota. He has published and lectured extensively on the subject of fairy tales, their linguistic roots, and argued that they have a "socialization function". According to Zipes, fairy tales "serve a meaningful social function, not just for compensation but for revelation: the worlds projected by the best of our fairy tales reveal the gaps between truth and falsehood in our immediate society." His arguments are avowedly based on the neo-Marxist critical theory of the Frankfurt School.

Zipes enjoys using droll titles for his works like Don't Bet on the Prince and The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Ridinghood.

He completed a PhD in comparative literature at Columbia University. Zipes taught at various institutions before heading German language studies at the University of Minnesota. He has retranslation of the complete fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Reviews

[Robert Costic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many fairy tale collections and this is the best. At almost 800 pages -- just holding the physical book was an undertaking -- it covers a huge number of tales, spanning from ancient Rome to the late 1980s. It features tales written by well-known writers like H.C. Andersen and the Brothers Grimm; tales by authors known in their countries but not necessarily in the United States; and tales that appear translated into English only in this book. With such a huge selection of tales it's inevitable that not all of them will be to each person's tastes, and I did find myself skipping some after finding them plodding; but more often than not I found myself amazed at having discovered another fantastic author, and by introducing me to so many great writers it has helped me to vastly expand my fairy tale reading list.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book that traces the development of the literary fairy tale. Zipes includes famous authors, such as Wilde and the Grimms, but he also includes less well known stories. The stories range in style, some are funny, some are dark. Most, however, are just plain good. I first read this when I was a freshman in college, and it turned me on to author's I had not read before. I have also used this in reading classes, and the students (even the males) enjoyed it.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this amazing compendium as a child, and it resurfaced from a box in storage... forever on my bookshelf henceforth!

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

From oral tales to written tales, the genre of Fairy tales suggest wonder, magic, enchantments...re-creations. This anthology of tales written for adults will amaze and entertain you. Zipes writes an enlightening introduction that includes information on the elements of a wonder tale, the development of the genre, and how he decided to include the the works in this volume.

[Brandon Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

the evolution of fairy tales. starts with greek myth and continues to fairy tales of the middle ages and the age of enlightenment and on into modern fairy tales. (some really good voltaire and thackery)

[Hayden Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of the best collections of fairy tales out there.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is quite the colloection, but if you read it straight through some of the stories feel repetitive because they are after all related.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Quarter review.

Having been an Anthropology major, once upon a time, and always having been interested in folklore, a big collection of Western Fairy Tales like this is pretty irresistible. It's also pretty enormous - 800 odd pages, so I've decided the only way to make this work (both with my reading schedule, inter-library loan, and an attempt to avoid burn-out) is to read it in quarters, 200 pages at a time.

The introduction to this collection is fascinating, as Zipes traces what we think of as the "literary fairy tale" (that is to say, the written form) back to its origin, as transcribed oral storytelling tradition of a specific type - the "wonder" folktale (Marveilleux/Zaubermarchen) (as opposed to, say, the legend, fable, anecdote or myth) whose purpose is to instill "awe" and "wonder" in the listener, to alter their view of the world and preserve hope of change through direct action and a belief in the marvelous. In the 15th/16th century Italy, these get transcribed/appropriated from the peasant class oral tradition and included (with many other types of tales) in collections for the aristocracy/wealthy landowners (the only ones who can read) - interestingly, almost from the start, the fairy tale is recursive and self-referential, commenting on previous knowledge of the storyform from oral tradition.

In 17th & 18th Century France, the form blooms and perpetuates (it stagnates in England thanks to the Puritan dislike of amusement!), where the tales are used to illustrate and reinforce civility/correct behavior and the accepted social norms of the upper classes. Thus, the sense of wonder is deliberately linked to "the civilizing process" - "fairies" are chosen as widely known magical beings (coded female) representative of the author's/mankind's imagination (and, very pointedly, *not* God, Gods, Angels, The Church or Saints) as source of this "wonder", projected into a Utopian setting ("Once Upon A Time...") and so has a subversive aspect as well (perpetuating imagery and paganistic ideas The Church tried to stamp out) in a new form.

The absorption of the translated Arabian Nights allows a distant/orientalist setting in which to place discussions and critiques of current court politics and standards. In the 18th Century - cheap publishing allows colporteurs (traveling peddlers) to disseminate these codified forms all over Europe, increasing their didactic function (they are read to the children and non-literate) while also being read by oral storytellers of the time, thus reintegrated into the oral storytelling tradition (so from oral to lit and back to oral).

When the teachers of the Dauphin (and the governesses/nannies of aristocracy), adopt the idea of using the stories as moral instructions, lessons and cautionary tales for their charges, by the 18th Century this gets picked up by mothers of all classes in general (from the cheap books for the literate or the oral tradition for the non-literate) and begins the traditional role of fairy-tales that we associate with the form. As I left off the Introduction, the French fairy-tale was about to influence the German oral tradition...

As might be expected, I didn't dig everything here. A hallmark of fairy tales is their rigid structure, and yet within that structure some of these wander all over the map in their pacing (Giambattista Basile's "The Merchant's Two Sons" and "Ricdin-Ricdon", Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier De Villandon's version of Rumpelstilskin, seem to go on forever) or are too didactic ("Of Feminine Subtlety", from the GESTA ROMANORIM, has its heroic Christian hero inflict leprosy on his thieving wife).

Lucius Apuleius's "Cupid And Psyche" starts the book as a strong, obvious example of the step from Greek myth in which the Gods seem trapped in a fairy tale. There's a marvelous bit where where Psyche uses a lamp to illuminate her invisible and unidentified husband (Cupid) whom she plans to kill, but when the light exposes him, the lamp flares up (because everything in the world loves Cupid, the God of love!) - and her knife turns aside in shame at the intent to harm him!.

Some others are fairly straightforward and familiar ("Parslinette" is Rapunzel) or quirky (Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The Queen Fantasque" has a very kooky queen and her long-suffering husband dealing with twins gifted by the fairies - it also has some ironic near-snarky meta-comments about fairy-tales that break in on occasion). Antoine Galland's "Prince Ahmed And The Fairy Pari-Banou" is also a bit long-winded but fun for both its Orientalist touches and its surprisingly violent ending (don't push a fairy too far or you and your royal council may end up beaten to death!), a trait it shares with the strange and disturbing "The Pig Prince" by Giovanni Straparola, where the titular beast-man kills his first two wives but is still the hero!

Voltaire's "The White Bull", meanwhile, folds Biblical characters (The Witch of Endor, The Serpent Of Eden, etc.) into a somewhat convoluted illustration of his Enlightenment attacks on the Church. I most enjoyed "Green Serpent" by Marie-Catharine d'Aulnoy, where a Princess blessed with Intelligence but cursed with Ugliness travels to a far island populated by puppet people (Pagods) and ruled by an Invisible King (the Pagods even bring the Princess a copy of "Cupid & Psyche" to study!). The King woos her as their arch enemy, the puppet fairy Magotine, plots against her. This story also features an interesting idea where the good fairies cannot undo the malicious fairy's curse so instead opt to gift her with "eventual happiness" thus ensuring she will suffer travails and tests but will come out better in the end.

And that's it for now. When I pick it up again, I'll finally reach the German tales, which are my favorite!

[Romeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of these tales were fantastic and I'll come back to them again in the future.

[Lulu]

APULEIUS Cupid and Psyche (2nd century)
GESTA ROMANORUM Of Feminine Subtlety (c.1300)
STRAPAROLA The Pig Prince (1553)
GIAMBATTISTA BASILE The Merchant's Two Sons (1634)
MARIE-JEANNE L'HÉRITIER Ricdin-Ricdon (1696)
CHARLES PERRAULT Riquet with the Tuft (1697)
MARIE-CATHERINE D'AULNOY Green Serpent (1697)
CHARLOTTE-ROSE DE LA FORCE Parslinette (1697)
GALLAND Prince Ahmed and the Fairy PariBanou (1714) **
***ROUSSEAU The Queen Fantasque (1756)
VOLTAIRE The White Bull (1774)
JOHANN KARL AUGUST MUSÄUS Libussa (1786) CHRISTOPH WIELAND The Philosophers' Stone (1789)
JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE The Fairy Tale (1795)****
LUDWIG TIECK Eckbert the Blond (1797)
WACKENRODER Oriental Tale of a Naked Saint (1799)
NOVALIS Hyacinth and Roseblossom (1802)
E. T. A. HOFFMANN The Mines of Falun (1819)
T. CROFTON CROKER The Lady of Gollerus (1825)
WILHELM GRIMM Snow White and Rose Red (1837)
WILLIAM THACKERAY Bluebeard's Ghost (1843) *****
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE Feathertop (1846)
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN The Shadow (1847)
GOTTFRIED KELLER Spiegel the Cat (1856)
THEODOR STORM Hinzelmeier (1857)
GEORGE MACDONALD Day Boy and Night Girl (1879)
FRANK STOCKTON The Griffin and Minor Canon (1885)
MARY DE MORGAN The Three Clever Kings (1888)
OSCAR WILDE The Fisherman and His Soul (1891)
HOWARD PYLE Where to Lay the Blame (1895)
HUGO VON HOFMANNSTHAL Tale of 672nd Night (1895)
LAURENCE HOUSMAN A Chinese Fairy-Tale (1898)



**also:
In imitation and satiric parody of the romantic tales that Antoine Galland's translation of Thousand and One Nights had brought into fashion, Hamilton wrote in 1715, four ironic and extravagant contes (fairy tales): Le Bélier, Fleur d'Epine, Zénéyde and Les quatre Facardins. These tales were circulated privately during Hamilton's lifetime. The first three were published in Paris in 1730, The tales, which were quite popular, are humoristic, sometimes even farcical, and show a remarkable sense of extravagancy or, in today’s terminology, of surrealism. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...


***La reine Fantasque, a dialogue between Jalamir and a druid, about a royal couple in an unnamed Oriental empire expecting a child and discussing the advantages/ disadvantages of a male or female child.

**** goethe reynard the fox 1794

*****also Rappaccini's Daughter by nathaniel hawthorne December 1844

[Mirjam · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I have FINALLY finished The Penguin Book of Western Fairy Tales, which is almost 800 pages of fairy tale goodness. The selection ranges from Cupid and Psyche (2nd century) to Pichounetta and the Sergeant of Arles (1988). The tales vary greatly in length and tone, with stories from fairy tale heavyweights like Grimm and Andersen. There are also contributions from well-known writers like Goethe, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain and Tanith Lee.
I have to say, my enjoyment of them also varied greatly. Many did not have quite the alacrity of, say, the tales by the brothers Grimm, with which I’m most familiar with. They were often bogged down with unnecesary details and/or uncertain pacing. The fairy tales also got quite cynical and rather weird when I got to the 20th century. That said, the 20th century also offered a rather lovely of The Princess and the Frog and I really enjoyed Tanith Lee’s retelling of Cinderella (I’ve read some books by her. They’re rather dark in tone, but so so good.)
In conclusion, while I liked some stories more than others, this is still a great anthology for those who are interested in more than just the classic Grimm and Andersen fairy tales. It is very interesting to see how our relationship with fairy tales changes through the years.

[Tristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At 814 pages, this is quite the compendium. Jack Zipes is THE researcher of folk lore and fairy tales (after C.G. Jung and Joseph Campbell, of course). As with all collections of stories written by different authors, this collection is a mixed bag and unfortunately, more bad than good. While it's fascinating to read fairy tales written by famous authors like Oscar Wilde and Hermann Hesse, there really wasn't a thread to tie them all together. They are listed in chronological order, so the stories bounce all over the place in style and tone - it was difficult to find my bearings in this vast sea of stories. But kudos to Jack Zipes for compiling such a thorough collection!

[Ann M · Rating 3 out of 5]

manages to be kind of dry, but still interesting

[Christiane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reader goes through a journey of wonder. So far I have read one fairy tale and I am walking on clouds. I love it!

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I read the whole thing! Over 800 pages including the forward and biographies and almost all of it quite entertaining! There are over 60 tales starting from the 2nd century up to the present day.

Starting with a somewhat slow but interesting history of the fairy tale by Editor Jack Zipes then working its way forward from the deep past, some of the tales were familiar but many were new to me. So many well-known authors wrote fairy tales including L. Frank Baum, Phillip K. Dick, Hermann Hesse, William Makepeace Thackeray, James Thurber, Mark Twain, Voltaire, and Oscar Wilde to name a very few!

I found this book to be well worth the investment in time. I even enjoyed the little biographies of all the authors and learned many things.

[Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ton of great short stories and fairy tales. Some are quite long and others are just a page or 2.

[Monica Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The marketing blurb states that this is a "comprehensive anthology of literary fairy tales, which were written explicitly for adults, in English...the best tales of this ancient tradition". (Literary meaning those in the written form.) I was a bit disappointed that, from the thousands of tales that fit this category, the author chose to feature many "ordinary" tales and left out some truly "extraordinary" ones. Albeit subjective, the stories overall are an interesting lesson in historical perspective. The author's Introduction, in which he discusses the evolution of fairy tales is quite good.

[Philip Chaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Not for those who balk at 700 pages in a book.

[Adam]

Finally finished this after a couple years. It will have been the last book I read to my son at bedtime. Adolescence brooks no such ritual, and I'll keep telling myself that's ok until I believe it.