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Happily Ever After
First Published in 1997. Happily Ever After is Jack Zipes's latest work on the fairy tale. Moving from the Renaissance to the present, and between different cultures this book addresses Zipes's ongoing concern with the fairy tale- its impact on children and adults, its role in the socialisation of children- as well as the future of the fairy tale on the big(and little) screen. Here are Straparola's sixteenth-century 'Puss in Boots' and a 1922 film of the story; Hansel and Gretel and child abuse; the Pinocchio of Colladi and of Walt Disney. AN ardent champion of children's literature and children's culture, Zipes writes also about oral tradition and the rise of storytelling throughout the world. But behind each of his essays lies the key question that all fairy tales will what does it tale to bring about happiness? And is happiness only to be found in fairy tales?
182 pages, Paperback
Published June 12, 1997
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183 people want to read
About the author
Jack D. Zipes
152 books245 followersJack 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 8, 2017
Every culture has its own fairy and folk tales.
This book was a collection of essays that Zipes printed in other publications. The perspective that I got from the essays was that they were mostly about Disney and its effects on the world.
It also focused on the marketing of products related to the Disney machine. Zipes related how a child could be very into one character or film and then want everything associated with it. Marketing towards children has been around for decades, and many of us have nagged our parents for things.
So this book was less about fairy tales and more about how the stories have been changed to fit into modern culture and marketing.
This book was a collection of essays that Zipes printed in other publications. The perspective that I got from the essays was that they were mostly about Disney and its effects on the world.
It also focused on the marketing of products related to the Disney machine. Zipes related how a child could be very into one character or film and then want everything associated with it. Marketing towards children has been around for decades, and many of us have nagged our parents for things.
So this book was less about fairy tales and more about how the stories have been changed to fit into modern culture and marketing.
June 26, 2012
Zipes other work seem to be better this one. His use of culture at the end is mostly personal experience. Maybe because I just read Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture has ruined me for such facile observations, considering that Orenstein's observations are anything but.
September 24, 2018
Parts of this are interesting. I didn't know anything about the origins of Pinocchio, and I learned some interesting facts about Walt Disney and early animation. But mostly this was very boring. Also the last two chapters took a weird turn and were more about the culture industry (sports, university, capitalism in general) and so seemed like they were just tacked on rather than actually belonging to the same book.
April 3, 2018
The first half of this book is really interesting, particularly the chapters on Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots and Pinocchio. The second half is overly polemical and much less engaging. Would have given the book at least 3 stars if the final three chapters had been as interesting as the first three.
September 22, 2020
Read The rationalization of abandonment and abuse in fairy tales: The case of Hansel and Gretel, thought it was cool
Read
April 10, 2013Okay, I purposefully gave myself a few days to digest what I read because for the last chapter or so I was basically reading while sick to my stomach. I wasn't ill, at least not medically; the realization of the impact of the fairy tale narrative on our world sits somewhere between dismay and horror in my brain.
That's sounds dramatic, but Zipes is persuasive. Consider any fairy tale that has been popularized--Okay, "Disneyfied." I was at first only bummed when I read his opinion that Disney films don't vary much and that they are distinguished by their music and humorous antics. I mean, Ariel's a thousand leagues away from Snow White, right? Yes and no. Ariel has a greater hand in the action of her story, but ultimately, she is saved by her prince and the finale closes with a restoration of order and the status quo (marriage, everything is back in balance but no system has been challenged--I mean, we don't see any other merfolk flippin' their fins to become human, do we?). But then I had to admit the man had a point.
Take that one step further. Disney excels at telling a story where one character develops but then "the same" is reestablished. Simba takes revenge on Scar and reestablishes the line of Mustafa's rule (with the support of a lady, Nala, and comical pals Timon and Pumbaa). Robin Hood survives and outwits the "phony king of England" Prince John and reestablishes order through good King Richard (aided by his comical crew and winning the love of Maid Marian). The stories, although each different, reassert the norm and standard roles. (You could argue Mulan breaks gender roles, but does she stay with the army after saving the WHOLE FREAKIN' COUNTY? Nope. She goes home to Mom and Dad and immediately turns over what she earned to Dad...and then Shang shows up, clearly intending to woo her.) He compares that to other studios who have explored/experimented with the fairy tale genre. (And yes, I was briefly bummed he didn't include "Labyrinth" with the Jim Henson work). Those other studios had varying degrees of success, but the strongest ones were those which either openly mocked what they were doing or brought stories to life in such a way that viewers questioned as much as enjoyed the tale. But I digress....
Zipes, in the final chapter, applies this desire to reestablish the same to culture. We don't aim to shift the system; we listen to promises to improve the world through the systems which already exist. And here's where, to me, the fact that this book was written in 1997 shows itself. Because there is a growing awareness among some sectors that this logic isn't logic but fairy tale and that there has to be a shift in how we "read" a situation. Look at Kickstarter, look at TED Talks, look at grassroots movements. There are ways in this decade that were not present (or not acknowledged) in the '90s. Little girls play with Tonka Trucks and boys wear pink; dissatisfaction with the way things are isn't resulting consistently in votes for the opposite party (although this sometimes still happens). Wanting to eat healthy isn't merely choosing an apple over a candy bar but people and groups choosing to grow their own food or buy local. Again, I digress, but I feel the need to find the positive after reading something which was profound but disturbing.
That's sounds dramatic, but Zipes is persuasive. Consider any fairy tale that has been popularized--Okay, "Disneyfied." I was at first only bummed when I read his opinion that Disney films don't vary much and that they are distinguished by their music and humorous antics. I mean, Ariel's a thousand leagues away from Snow White, right? Yes and no. Ariel has a greater hand in the action of her story, but ultimately, she is saved by her prince and the finale closes with a restoration of order and the status quo (marriage, everything is back in balance but no system has been challenged--I mean, we don't see any other merfolk flippin' their fins to become human, do we?). But then I had to admit the man had a point.
Take that one step further. Disney excels at telling a story where one character develops but then "the same" is reestablished. Simba takes revenge on Scar and reestablishes the line of Mustafa's rule (with the support of a lady, Nala, and comical pals Timon and Pumbaa). Robin Hood survives and outwits the "phony king of England" Prince John and reestablishes order through good King Richard (aided by his comical crew and winning the love of Maid Marian). The stories, although each different, reassert the norm and standard roles. (You could argue Mulan breaks gender roles, but does she stay with the army after saving the WHOLE FREAKIN' COUNTY? Nope. She goes home to Mom and Dad and immediately turns over what she earned to Dad...and then Shang shows up, clearly intending to woo her.) He compares that to other studios who have explored/experimented with the fairy tale genre. (And yes, I was briefly bummed he didn't include "Labyrinth" with the Jim Henson work). Those other studios had varying degrees of success, but the strongest ones were those which either openly mocked what they were doing or brought stories to life in such a way that viewers questioned as much as enjoyed the tale. But I digress....
Zipes, in the final chapter, applies this desire to reestablish the same to culture. We don't aim to shift the system; we listen to promises to improve the world through the systems which already exist. And here's where, to me, the fact that this book was written in 1997 shows itself. Because there is a growing awareness among some sectors that this logic isn't logic but fairy tale and that there has to be a shift in how we "read" a situation. Look at Kickstarter, look at TED Talks, look at grassroots movements. There are ways in this decade that were not present (or not acknowledged) in the '90s. Little girls play with Tonka Trucks and boys wear pink; dissatisfaction with the way things are isn't resulting consistently in votes for the opposite party (although this sometimes still happens). Wanting to eat healthy isn't merely choosing an apple over a candy bar but people and groups choosing to grow their own food or buy local. Again, I digress, but I feel the need to find the positive after reading something which was profound but disturbing.
October 26, 2014
A lot of you may have grown up on fairy tales such as Puss in Boots and Hansel and Gretel. If you’re like me, they were a staple in growing up with a fair moral code. Now that we’re older and we’ve been brainwashed by these stories, it’s time to look at them in a more mature way.
This is where Jack Zipes comes in.
His novel Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry analyses several classic fairy tales and how they develop over time. It started off as an interesting piece describing the origin of Puss in Boots and how it changed from Stragoli’s interpretation of the classic story to the 1922 Disney version. The shift between ideas and values are put on display, and it isn’t just with this chapter.
He continues this basic formula for the first few chapters. I got to learn about Hansel, Gretel, and Pinocchio. This includes the amazing fact that Collodi and Conan Doyle have something in common. Read it to find out.
Honestly, this part was my favourite part of the book. Learning about the origins of these stories and the deeper meaning behind them was almost magical. I honestly imagined myself in a forest surrounded by these great storytellers and eating bread as they tell me the origin of their work. Throughout these chapters, Zines introduces a basic history lesson. It wasn’t over the top, but was the right amount.
Zipes continues his story by discussing how these stories are presented in the 20th Century, such by people such as Walt Disney. While some of these chapters were interesting, others weren’t. The Lion King chapter had to be the most disappointing. I just didn’t gain anything from it, and I was tempted to abandon the book before finishing the chapter. I’m glad I was able to push through as the final chapter made up for it. It just demonstrated how Fairy Tales are great for hope.
There is an abundant of research throughout the book, and it was mostly included in a seamless way. Zipes knew what he was talking about and had experts that agreed with him. Even when he disagreed with them slightly, he did state that he respected their opinion. I think there were only one or two instances where it felt forced.
Another strong element of the book is excerpts and rundowns. These were good as it helped Zipes proved his point, but his explanation of modern adaptation became a little bit pointless. Though, some might check the movies out.
I would have to give this book 8.6/10. The Lion King chapter removed one point from it. The other .4 loss comes from the minor issues I had with it, but that’s just nitpicking. I suppose I’s also because the impact fairy tales have on society wasn’t discussed as much as I originally thought. It was still a good read, so I would recommend it to anyone with a basic interest in Western fairy tales.
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Like my review? Read more at http://bookstination.tumblr.com/
This is where Jack Zipes comes in.
His novel Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry analyses several classic fairy tales and how they develop over time. It started off as an interesting piece describing the origin of Puss in Boots and how it changed from Stragoli’s interpretation of the classic story to the 1922 Disney version. The shift between ideas and values are put on display, and it isn’t just with this chapter.
He continues this basic formula for the first few chapters. I got to learn about Hansel, Gretel, and Pinocchio. This includes the amazing fact that Collodi and Conan Doyle have something in common. Read it to find out.
Honestly, this part was my favourite part of the book. Learning about the origins of these stories and the deeper meaning behind them was almost magical. I honestly imagined myself in a forest surrounded by these great storytellers and eating bread as they tell me the origin of their work. Throughout these chapters, Zines introduces a basic history lesson. It wasn’t over the top, but was the right amount.
Zipes continues his story by discussing how these stories are presented in the 20th Century, such by people such as Walt Disney. While some of these chapters were interesting, others weren’t. The Lion King chapter had to be the most disappointing. I just didn’t gain anything from it, and I was tempted to abandon the book before finishing the chapter. I’m glad I was able to push through as the final chapter made up for it. It just demonstrated how Fairy Tales are great for hope.
There is an abundant of research throughout the book, and it was mostly included in a seamless way. Zipes knew what he was talking about and had experts that agreed with him. Even when he disagreed with them slightly, he did state that he respected their opinion. I think there were only one or two instances where it felt forced.
Another strong element of the book is excerpts and rundowns. These were good as it helped Zipes proved his point, but his explanation of modern adaptation became a little bit pointless. Though, some might check the movies out.
I would have to give this book 8.6/10. The Lion King chapter removed one point from it. The other .4 loss comes from the minor issues I had with it, but that’s just nitpicking. I suppose I’s also because the impact fairy tales have on society wasn’t discussed as much as I originally thought. It was still a good read, so I would recommend it to anyone with a basic interest in Western fairy tales.
-----
Like my review? Read more at http://bookstination.tumblr.com/
April 19, 2009
From what I gather, Zipes is a fairly prolific scholar writer in the field of fairy tale studies. The first half of the book I found deeply engaging as he did a bit of comparative study of the evolution of fairy tales prior to the 20th century. He concentrated specifically on the cultural values of specific historic periods that are reflected within each version, and how as these values change over time so do the stories. And within this framework, he also investigated how fairy tales have been used to socialize children. However, the latter part of the work began to read a bit too much like a manifesto against the consumerist monoculture--which wasn't what I was looking for. Analysis of how fairy tales rationalize the abandonment and abuse of children? Fun! Sweeping value judgements and generalizations about contemporary society and consumerist culture? Not quite what I was expecting. (Granted, the subtitle does talk about "the culture industry" but I the last chapter was pretty exclusively discussing the culture industry, with very little reference to fairy tales).
August 20, 2012
Thought-provoking. A bit extreme as we moved to the later chapters, especially the notion that capitalism is at the heart of all cultural industry woes, and some of the anecdotes from his personal life seemed to be out of place and whiny. I don't know how it compares to other texts on similar subjects because this is the first one I've read, but I found many parts of this book insightful. I would really really love to see what Zipes's opinion on fandom/fanfiction is, since it undermines his assumption that all storytelling is done for profit. I don't know if fanfiction/fandom is large enough of a contingent thought I'd argue that it's growing larger every day and may become a significant force driving media/the culture industry in the future. I'd also like to know what his opinion on Pixar is, considering Pixar doesn't always follow the formula where heterosexual happiness as the ultimate destination. I'd consider reading another one of his more recently published books if I came across it.
May 9, 2016
Oh, Jack Zipes, you're such a Marxist. An insightful, child-literature-vindicating, well-read and cinematically astute Marxist.
Read
April 1, 2018Meh. Again, reading for a purpose, but this isn't my fave Zipes. This is his take on film and really I don't find a Marxist folklorist perspective on film useful or terribly interesting. Probably should. Don't, though.
No rating, read for thesis use.
No rating, read for thesis use.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews