Sleeping Beauty and Other Favourite Fairy Tales

by Angela Carter

A collection of French fairy stories comprising ten from "The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault" and two by Madame Leprince de Beaumont. They include "Cinderella", "Puss in Boots" and "Beauty and the Beast". This book won the first Kurt Maschler Award in 1982 and the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Genres: Classics, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Literature

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Born 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."

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this collection up on a whim from the library, as I was in the mood for more Angela Carter as well as a quick read. And I did enjoy this collection - although I'm not a massive fan of fairytales in general, I was familiar with a lot of the stories in this collection (Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) to enjoy returning to them. However, I'm a little confused about Angela Carter's input on this one.

I wasn't altogether sure whether I was reading Charles Perrault's original stories, collected by Angela Carter, or re-written versions by Carter herself. They didn't contain the written flair and style of Carter's other collection of fairytale retellings I'd read, The Bloody Chamber, and in the afterword she did mention Charles Perrault's habit of writing morals after each story, which were included in this volume. I had assumed these were witty modern anecdotes on Carter's part, but now I'm not so sure.

Regardless, I did enjoy this collection - it was a fun, quick read, and there were some new stories in here (Donkey Skin being one amongst a fair few) that I had not heard of before, and thoroughly enjoyed reading. However, I think I've barely scratched the surface of Carter's writing still, and I will need to check out some of her original works before I make up my mind on whether or not her work is for me.

[Olivia's Bookish Places & Spaces · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fairytale addict. I’ve read countless retellings. What makes this one different is that this collection is done from an academic lens. By this I mean that this collection features various academic essays in addition to the tales. These essays cover Perault, feminism, Angela Carter and how Carter’s life influenced her (re)writing these fairytales. Additionally, each chapter ends by addressing the moral of the tale.
In college I was fortunate to take two classes centering on fairytales through an academic lens. I could easily see this book being used in a college course. I will say this isn’t the easiest to read because the language is heavy (particularly in the essays), but the stories are compelling and the essays are thought provoking. I would recommend this, but it is most definitely not an easy, breezy read.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Randomly started reading this after finishing Children of Time and got it all done in one sitting in the library! I'd been meaning to read Angela Carter for a long while and this happened to be on the shelves. Having read this, I do still want to read more from her, but more of The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories variety, since this was literally just retellings without much else to them? Well-written, and came across some Fairy Tales I'd never heard of, but fell short of expectations.
Below I'm just going to put in all of the stories, along with star ratings, along with spoilery thoughts for each!

Little Red Riding Hood - 3 stars
Your bog-standard Little Red Riding Hood story. Girl goes into the woods to go see her grandmother, comes across a wolf who tricks her into telling him where she's going, goes to her grandmother and gobbles her up, then eats Little Red Riding Hood when she arrives. What I did like was seeing all the morals - both Carter's and Perrault's. I'd never really thought about it as a story warning girls to be wary of men who were preying on them - I've only ever seen the story as a cautionary tale to not talk to strangers regardless of gender or age. I didn't like that the onus was on women to be wary but it was eye-opening to see how the construction of this tale came about.

Bluebeard - 3 stars
All I remember is that there was this dude with a blue beard, who kept killing his wives when they went into a forbidden room? I don't even remember how this one ended - I think I was intrigued which is why I've kept the 3 stars there, but obviously wasn't memorable enough to stick around in my head.

Puss in Boots - 3.5 stars
Ah, so sue me, the only reason this is getting a slightly higher rating than the previous two is that it stars a cat and a Shrek character. Weird little tale but meh.

The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood - 2 stars
I've never really been a fan of Sleeping Beauty as a story. I always thought Aurora was one of the prettiest Disney princesses of the lot, and I was given an Aurora doll when I was little, but there's just so little that we know about her despite her being the eponymous character. I don't get the insta-love between her and the prince, and honestly the only character I actually felt mildly interested by was the bad fairy.

The Fairies - 2.5 stars
I quite liked the premise but I actually forgot that this was a story until I googled it just now. I also find it odd that gems and stuff kept coming out of her mouth whenever she spoke, I swear that would get super annoying? Might not be slugs like what happened to Ron Weasley in Chamber of Secrets, but still, can't see why anyone would want that.

Cinderella: or, The Little Glass Slipper- 3 stars
Again, it's your standard Cinderella fairy-tale. It was alright but, I think as with most fairytales, I would rather just watch the movie, and the live-action one at that because that one actually has interesting characters. This one wasn't bad but it was exactly as expected.

Ricky with the Tuft - 2 stars
One of the stories I'd never heard of before, I didn't really get the point of the story and I thought it was sad that the love interest only got back with Ricky because of the smarts and looks he promised her. I think the moral said something about beauty being in the eye of the beholder and the power of it to make the one you love seem incredibly beautiful and clever, but this story seemed like it was presenting us with a couple where one person was only in the relationship because of the gains to be made from her partner.

Hop o' My Thumb - 4 stars
Another one I'd never come across, but definitely one of my favourites in the collection. Follows the youngest of seven sons as he tries to keep all his brothers safe when their parents banish them from their home, twice over. I didn't like that they went back to the parents but loved how dark this story got and the smarts of the little kid.

The Foolish Wishes - 1.5 stars
I just didn't care for it and was such a meh story to the point of complete boredom within just 3 pages.

Donkey Skin - 4 stars
Another favourite, and another story I've not read before. It was a weird one, but I liked that I didn't know what to expect, and it was just such an odd little tale that I couldn't help but like the eccentricity of a donkey skin hiding the true nature of a long-lost princess.

So in all, it was a bit of a mixed bag - a couple I really liked, a couple I really didn't, and the majority were just somewhere in the middle. I'm hoping I enjoy other short story collections better, and that I enjoy Angela Carter's other works to a much greater extent, but this one was a disappointment - 2.5-3 stars.

[Edi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha ha ha
I grew up hearing and reading classical European fairy tales. Mainly from France. All with morale (hello?, I was a tiny innocent child).

I absolutely loved the most toxic-masculine characters.

My fave? Yes. Indeed. The Wolf. Handsome. Big. Hairy. Strong. Wild... wolves are wild animals. As such the Wolf was dangerous.

If you see a wolf in the wild. Do NOT run. Do NOT turn your back. Scare away the gorgeous animal before it gets closer than 100 meters from you.... or you'll be a bunch of bones nobody would care about in the middle of the woods. BE WARNED.

Read "Wolf Safety" before reading this tale:
https://bcparks.ca/explore/misc/wolve....

Note: female wolves are even more dangerous for today's humans. Stay away if they have pups.

[aaron trowbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty, whimsical, and philosophical, I was laughing and pondering throughout. It's fascinating to me -- this is discussed within -- how the tales of the ancients (via homer, hesiod, virgil, etc.) were effectively severed, in written form, from the European populace, during the dark ages, leading to an evolution of folk tales, originating in that tradition, that would be compared (sometimes contentiously) with the rediscovered classics during the renaissance. I now have a deep admiration for fairy tales as modern mythologies.

[heresy · Rating 3 out of 5]

“sexist nonsense” feels like a stupid criticism to place on a book in a genre renowned for being sexist nonsense but at least in the brothers grimm’s stories a few toes are lost in cinderella. can someone dance until their legs are stumps? please?

i liked bluebeard and ricky with the tuft.

(also having reread the introduction i vaguely understand angela carter’s contribution to this, but they were still boring.)

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love these fairy tale collections by Angela Carter!!! It makes me want to re-read The Bloody Chamber all over again.

[Xaden · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Valentina Markasović · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was hoodwinked into thinking these are retellings, and not translations. Alas and alack! But it is indeed still useful (with the introduction by Zipes and the afterword by Carter) and interesting (to compare Carter's takes with more literal translations of Perrault).

[Lauren Slanker · Rating 2 out of 5]

While we certainly need to understand that Little Red Riding Hood was written in a much earlier time and therefore may not match today's quality standards for a story, I do not think that this version is one I would share with my students. In the story, the girl meets a wolf in the woods and he tricks her into challenge that he knows he will win. The story does not have the happy ending of many modern tales, and the wolf ends up eating both the grandmother and the girl.

While I do not have an issue with this ending, I do have an issue with the moral of the story. The moral is explicitly stated and starts out by saying, "Children, especially pretty, nicely brought-up young ladies, ought never to talk to strangers." While this sounds innocent, I think it reinforces the idea that young ladies should be taught to be as vulnerable as possible and fear all large men, especially if they are not as nicely brought up as they are. At its worst, the story comes off as discriminatory based on class and reinforces the ideas that the classes should never mix.

The story is extremely short (three pages) and has themes on naiveté and fear of strangers.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slim volume caught my eye because the author listed on the cover is Angela Carter. I didn't read the synopsis on the back really...other than that she adapted Perrault's fairy tales. Being relatively familiar with Carter's other work, I was hoping for more scintillating and perverse adaptations, but these seemed pretty much run-of-the-mill to me. In that respect, this was just OK. However, there were a few of the fairy tales with which I was not familiar, so that was nice to add to the ol' backlog. I hadn't given much thought to how long it has been since I've read any fairy tales until I read this book, and I found the sometimes-inconsistent themes and sometimes-meandering plots pretty fascinating over and above the sometimes-goofy morals included at the end of each story. I know that folklore was often intended to serve as some sort of mandate on behavior and moral code for children (once upon a time), but I wonder anymore if these "oldies" are just too quaint to scare a child into obeying his or her parents or to never talk to strangers. I certainly can't recall learning any real life lessons from reading fairy tales as a child--I loved them, but they were pretty much just wild entertainment for me. Of course, the wisdom intended in some of the stories is obvious, but after reading this, I am kind of tempted to read up on the psychology and sociology that might not appear so glaringly.... (*sigh* all I need is another self-imposed homework assignment)

[Rhys · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a disappointing book, but that isn't the fault of Angela Carter... I've wanted to read Carter for a long time, ever since a writer I admire recommended her to me. Unfortunately I chose the wrong Carter to begin with. That's because this book isn't really Carter at all, but her own adjusted translations of a set of fairy tales written by Charles Perrault.

I've never really been a fan of fairy tales, and I didn't even enjoy Calvino's collection of Italian folk tales (and Calvino is my favourite author) so Carter never really stood a chance with me. Having said that, there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the stories themselves. It's just that I found them boring...

The worst aspect of this book is also not Carter's fault. It's the pompous introduction by Jack Zipes in which he fawns all over Carter, then attacks her for simplifying the irony of Perrault's original tales, then defends her for bringing a feminist sensibility to her translation, then accuses her of bad faith in ignoring the fact that Perrault wasn't a feminist! At one point he even makes the claim that the story 'Little Red Riding Hood' is about rape. No, it's not. It's about a wolf that eats a little girl. Boris Vian's *J'irai cracher sur vos tombes* is about rape.

[Esther Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Ricky with the Tuft was my favourite! Found myself anticipating the moral(s) at the end of each tale - witty, hilarious and ever so subtly subversive.

[Ruby]

3? 2.5? Interesting read. I don't know what to rate it so I will leave it blank.

Had to read this for my fantasy paper and it is certainly interesting.

Overall I liked several of the stories. Namely 'Donkey-Skin', 'The Fairies', and 'Ricky with the Tuft' because I had never heard of these before. I also didn't mind 'Little Red Riding Hood'.

I really loved the story of 'The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood' though because it was just very good. Sleeping Beauty is a tale I'm most familiar with through Disney so I really liked to see the changes and I much preferred the 'original' (not sure which tale their version is based off, but probably the Grimms).

The fact that the Prince did not need to kiss her was great news to me, as that bit is always a bit iffy. In fact he just fell down because he was so stunned by her beauty and the curse was lifted! And then they talked for hours and it was very sweet.

The reasoning behind the evil fairy (Maleficent) was much more humorous here too. She wasn't invited because she had been reclusive for fifteen years and everyone thought she was dead lol. I found that very funny.

Also there is a twist with an ogre mother-in-law who likes to eat children that I /DID NOT/ expect but that just made the story better for me because my goodness surprises abound.

I think that 'Sleeping Beauty' is honestly a big part of why I enjoyed this.

The choice of the introduction is a questionable one as it seems to paint Carter's translation in a negative light, pointing out that she is "misinterpret[ing]" his words to fit her own agenda. In that way it is interesting to examine her own biases, but the intro author has a lot to say about the misinterpretation of his character as well. It just is a bit confusing is all. I mean I'm glad there is that insight as to 'remember this is a translation, and so will be biased' but it was just a bit confusing overall I found.

Overall yeah it was interesting. I think it will be more interesting once I've properly studied it though because right now I am not well versed in the history of Carter or Perrault, or at least not enough to properly appreciate this work in an academic sense I think. Still, interesting. Recommend reading 'The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood'.

[Mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reminds me of my mother, which might take some explaining. When I was eleven, I distinctly remember her coming into the room and saying "Princess Diana's just DIED!" I was a bit taken aback by this news, as I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with such information, and I couldn't help thinking "Well, it's a good thing I wasn't emotionally attached to her or anything..." because my mother has all the tact of a sledgehammer. She was like that with everything. "Whaddaya want for dinner!?" she'd demand in a manner that suggests every possible answer will be ill-received.
Angela Carter writes in much the same way: utterly tactless and devoid of all literary sophistication. Because the thing about fairy tales is that they're truly ugly stories but they're usually told in a pretty way so they're tolerable. You can see some more literal translations of Perrault in the introduction, and some of the original French - and if the Matrix movies taught me anything it's that you can say absolutely anything in French and it will sound nice.
Carter scoffs, says "Screw dat noise! Here's ya bloody dinner!" and slaps a steaming hot pile of what might generously be called a translation in front of you, and you're to be damned thankful for the opportunity. Also, that'll be thirty-two fracking dollars! This piddly little pamphlet doesn't even reach a hundred pages and somehow costs twice and much as Beowulf, (which I was also required to read for class). What an absolute hack.

[Maria Carolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carter é uma escritora brilhante, e sua versão de A Menina do Capuz Vermelho não é uma simples reinterpretação, mas uma revolução no gênero. Com um toque de sensualidade e uma crítica social disfarçada de conto de fadas, a leitura foi rápida, cerca de 4 horas, mas a densidade de sua análise sobre os papéis de gênero e o desejo me fez pensar muito.

A capa da Penguin, deve ser ignorada. Foi um erro grotesco colocar uma capa infantilizada numa história que claramente é +18. Uma criança que está desenvolvendo o gosto pela leitura se confundiria facilmente.

"O lobo não é o monstro, é o que ele representa." Essa frase me fez refletir sobre os medos sociais e como os contos de fadas muitas vezes nos forçam a encarar nossos próprios tabus.

Eu recomendo para quem gosta de literatura feminista e contos de fadas com um toque mais maduro e distorcido. A classificação indicativa, como disse anteriormente é 18 anos, devido aos temas pesados.

[David Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read any fairy tales. In fact, I hardly remember the Disney versions of most of these stories, so this collection was a nice refresher.

These are technically translations from the seventeenth century writer Charles Perrault, but from what I understand, Carter tempers their morals and bucolic nature just a bit. I couldn't say for sure how much she's altered them because I don't speak French and have only read snippets of more literal translations.

Supposedly, she made the morals less conservative as well; though, they don't seem all that progressive to me. As most critics seem to think, perhaps, she did what she could within the confines of being a translator and then produced her own fairy tales in The Bloody Chamber. This seems likely.

Anyway, this is a short collection and not a bad way to bone up on your stories of old.

[Callum Morris-Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Angela Carter has a million fans, I’m one of them; if she has one fan, it’s me; if she has zero fans, I’m dead. ‘The Bloody Chamber’, in which Carter reimagines classic fairytales with the full subversive force of second wave feminism, is one of my favourite books. I hadn’t realised that this collection—wherein she translates Perrault’s original tales—existed, so this was probably the fastest purchase I’ve ever made! As a result of these being translations, the treatment is less a radical revisioning and more of a subtle rendition. Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile read for folklore adorers, and it’s interesting to see Carter’s earlier engagement with the source material from which she would later reconstruct her Gothic fables of femininity.

[Chloe L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

thoughts:

-Angela Carter is GOAT once again
-I think Puss in Boots is one of the most underrated fairy tales. This version and her retelling in THE BLOODY CHAMBER is just so good and funny. It's a good break from the other stories which revolve around young women and beauty/how her beauty equates to moral purity. Puss in Boots is about a cat who wears boots and improves the life of his dumb owner through trickery. I love it. Yet another thing Shrek did right.
-I'm sorry but the cover of this book is revolting. Perrault's version of Cinderella has nothing about bloody feet or cutting off toes, that's all Brothers Grimm, so why the nasty foot?? I guess so we know this is the Feminist Take on the fairy tale, but ew.

[Amy Welham · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have not read any Angela Carter then this is not the place to start. This is a collection of Charles Perraults fairy tales which have been translated and interpreted by Carter rather than any completely original work. Perrault was a huge influence on Carter so do read this book but read 'The Bloody Chamber' first. I really enjoyed this collection and whilst there were some well known tales like Cinderella and Red Riding Hood it also contains lesser known tales such as Donkey Skin and Hop o' my Thumb. I think my favourite tales in the collection are Bluebeard, Puss in Boots and Hop o' my Thumb.

[Larissa Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realmente não sei o que escrever pq amo qualquer coisa que envolva contos de fadas mas enfim a introdução,cada história uma melhor que a outra e a explicação/origem de cada uma nas notas adorei tudo e espero que alguém dia essas histórias sejam adaptadas.

Pretendo ler outras obras da Angela e parece que eles também envolvem “contos de fadas” de alguma forma.

Ps:Acabei descobrindo que a tradução desse é de outro livro dela mas usaram a mesma capa e dessa editora?!¿¡

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly not that many people read the description on this book. It's Carter's translations of Perrault's original in French. As translations, these are great and the analysis by Zipes did well at contextualising both Perrault and Carter's work as a translator. Personally I'd never read Perrault before, I had only experienced the Grimm fairy tales as a kid. So this was a pleasant little stroll for an afternoon

[Ruth Brumby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful to have a translation, which is by nature of translating and altering, also a reflection on these tales. I think the originals with all their courtliness, oppressive attitudes to women, celebration of wealth, have a power and fascination not exceeded by Angela Carter's versions, but interesting research and comment.

[Andrew Corsini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loving recreation of Charles Perrault fairytales by, arguably, the twentieth century's greatest fairytale novelist, but it's not much more than that. Carter makes a conscious choice to ease on the gas and avoid her own luscious, vivid, exotic writing coming through when writing these tales; these are clearly meant to be read to kids at bedtime; and the book suffers as a result.

[mirella · Rating 4 out of 5]

foi surpreendente interessante. não esperava gostar TANTO quando peguei ele, pois não sou muito fã dessas "coletâneas". obviamente gostei mais de algumas histórias do que de outras, mas foi um giro legal sobre contos de (quase) toda a parte do mundo. meu favorito definitivamente foi "a mulher que vivia dentro de uma garrafa de vinagre".

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read with enlightening commentary on Children’s Fairytales, The introduction by Jack Zipes really helps introduce the piece, as not to be confused with a literal translation, because Angela Carter is interested in making these tales even more “modern” than the original Perrault.

[Degan Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love revisions south and fairy tales and have been wanting to get my hands on Carter’s for a while. They are short and few (the book is very short) but I love her treatment and calling out the morals at the end of each.

[Gina Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book rekindled my love for fairy tales. With just the right amount of fantasy, it is relevant in its concept for modern day context.

[Chia Eniquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twists from childhood fairy tales and introduction to unpopular fairy tales! Good read to pass the time. :)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. Carter's own fairy tale retellings are far more dynamic and interesting than this translation.