The Classic Fairy Tales:
A Pathfinder

 
 

Image Courtesy of Scholastic's "Writing with Writers" in the Online Activitis Center for Teachers

 

 

Introduction

For centuries fairy tales have captured the imagination and hearts of children and adults alike. They inspire wonder, laughter, and even fear. Although fairy tales have been written by many authors, the Classic Fairy Tales—“Beauty and the Beast,” “The Frog Prince,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” and so on—were originally conceived and transcribed by Hans Christian Andersen (Denmark), Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (Germany), and Charles Perrault (France). These classic stories have inspired countless retellings and original stories by other authors around the globe. The popularity of these timeless treasures has made fairy tales a ubiquitous part of life, and these “innocent” tales have instigated much discussion and writings among scholars, educators, and critics.

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Scope

The purpose of this pathfinder is to provide a sample of the available resources relating to the Classic Fairy Tales by Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and Perrault. Parents, teachers, librarians, and anyone who works with children are the proposed audience. The included sources are intended to be reviewed by adults to aid in the process of choosing particular stories to share with children. To aid in the selection process, many of the sources address issues such as the content, theme, and implications of the tales, as well as providing lists of titles and plot summaries. All of the resources may be found in the libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or on the Internet.

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Pathfinder by Lisa Stronski

E-mail Comments to
stronski@email.unc.edu

Last Updated: December 1, 2002

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