The Gothic Fairy Tale in Young Adult Literature: Essays on Stories from Grimm to Gaiman

by Joseph Abbruscato (Editor), Tanya Jones (Editor)

Rooted in the oral traditions of cultures worldwide, fairy tales have long played an integral part in children's upbringing. Filled with gothic and fantastical elements like monsters, dragons, evil step-parents and fairy godmothers, fairy tales remain important tools for teaching children about themselves, and the dangers and joys of the world around them. In this collection of new essays, literary scholars examine gothic elements in more recent entries into the fairy tale genre--for instance, David Almond's Skellig , Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and Coraline and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events --exploring such themes as surviving incest, and the capture and consumption of children. Although children's literature has seen an increase in reality-based stories that allow children no room for escape from their everyday lives, these essays demonstrate the continuing importance of fairy tales in helping them live well-rounded lives.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2014

Reviews

[Laura Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Academic essays on everything from the use of liminal spaces in Coraline to the subversion of Gothic tropes. Read in preparation for next semester’s critical thesis.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

embarrassingly(?) i did not read this book cover to cover because of grad school. this one was just for emma.

it was pretty good

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Section on analysis of Coraline-good look. Donaldson-ok-too much like a graduate class in Children's Literature I sat in for too many years ago and was bored. Professor Donaldson had her favorites-those students who had written and published young adult and children's literature. Others well she made known the views were not needed nor the essays or papers/ blah.

[Mary Foxe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The collection was hit or miss, but certainly a worthwhile read while studying young adult literature and fairy tales.