Fairy Tales 101: An Accessible Introduction to Fairy Tales

by Jeana Jorgensen

What exactly are fairy tales and how did they get their name?
Have you ever wondered what fairy tales were like before Walt Disney got his hands on them?
And who the heck are these Grimm brothers?

Fairy Tales 101 is your one-stop shop for these answers and more, giving you all the dirt on the people who have shaped fairy-tale history and exploring the many ways fairy tales have shape-shifted their way into literature and pop culture. This book also prepares you to think like a fairy-tale scholar by examining how tales are transmitted, by whom, and why.

Whether you’re a scholar aspiring to join the fairy-tale conversation, a writer or an artist who uses fairy tales in their work, or simply a general fan of fairy tales, this is the book for you. In addition to the twenty-two essays explaining basic fairy-tale concepts, methods, and theories, there are also valuable guides and resources on both classic and adapted fairy-tale works to further your studies.

Looking beyond how fairy tales are utterly wrapped in magic and fantasy, we can see that fairy tales have always and ever been about our views about gender, our fantasies about being happy, and our deeply held notions about who deservers power. Far from being just for kids, fairy tales offer clues into the deepest underpinnings of society, and this book gives you the tools to explore fairy tales to the fullest so you, too, can live happily ever after.

"If you want to understand fairy tales - like really understand fairy tales and talk about them like a pro - seriously, read this book." – Sara Cleto, The Carterhaugh School

“Dr. Jorgensen has created an excellent bridge text for readers with a general interest in fairy tales to cross over into a world of fairy tale scholarship. Her language throughout the beginner basics is colloquial and accessible as she carries the reader into scholarly thought." – Katrina Reinert, co-host of The Fairy Tellers podcast

“Engaging and witty, Dr. Jorgensen delivers a masterful introduction into the study of fairy tales with an easily accessible and consumable book that belongs on everyone’s bookshelves.” – Maggie Mercil, Folklorist

Genres: Fairy Tales

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2022

About the author

Jeana Jorgensen earned her PhD in folklore at Indiana University, and has since held a number of teaching positions, from UC Berkeley to state and private schools throughout the Midwest. With nearly 30 academic articles and book chapters to her name, she also focuses on making folklore research widely available to the general public.

Reviews

[Katrina Reinert · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the incredible things about reading Dr. Jeana Jorgensen's books is that she meets her audience where they are and pulls the higher without condescending. This is so clear in her latest book which starts out at the basics of fairy tale studies. Through the book she includes examples of her work writing about fairy tale scholarship and then into papers that have been published in folklore journals. She's fully capable of writing for acedemics but she purposefully uses her skills as a professor to write clearly for an audience of beginners. This book also features a wide variety of resources for next steps for her readers, whether it is graphic novels, blogs, or essay collections.

[Pam S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the topic of fairy tales for anyone wanting to study them. Very accessible language with some fun jokes and asides thrown in between, easy to read and understand. Includes an extensive bibliography and a recommendations section that I keep referring back to.

[Connor Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a book by Dr. Jorgensen, and it was persuasive, engaging, entertaining, and deeply, deeply informative.