grime's Fairy Tales in their Original Bloody Form

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob Grimm
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

IF YOU LOVE FAIRY TALES OR IF YOU HAVE A SCHOLARLY INTEREST IN FAIRY TALES THEN THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. JACK ZIPES WNET AHEAD AND TRANSLATED THE FIRST TWO VOLUMES OF THE FAIRY TALES THAT THE GRIMM BROTHERS COLLECTED, IN THIER ORIGINAL FORM UNEDITED AND THAT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE. THE GRIMM BROTHERS WENT ABOUT THE GERMAN COUNTRY SIDE COLLECTING ORAL FAIRY TALES AND AS THEIR WORK BECAME MORE POPU8LAR AND ACCEPTED THEY ALSO MODIFIED THE FAIRY TALES MAKING THEM MORE PALATABLE TO THE READING AUDIENCE OIF THE TIME. THE DETAILS THAT WERE LEFT OUT ARE OFTEN BLOODY WITH PEOPLE DYING PAINFUL DEATH, OF COURSE THIS DOES NOT COMPARE TO AN R RATED MOVIE BUT YOU GET THE GIST.

THE GRIMM BROTHERS, JACOB AND WILHELM, WERE THE TWO SONS OF A GERMAN MAGISTRATE. THEY STUDIED TO GO INTO LAW BUT A FAMILY DISASTER CUT THAT SHORT, ALTHOUGH ONE OF THEM DID GET INTO THE PROFESSION BY BECOMING AN APPRENTICE. THE BOOK IS FILLED WITH BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND SCHOLARLY NOTES FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN DELVING INTO THE BACKGROUND. THE MEAT OF THE BOOK IS THE STORIES THEMSELVES.

I CANNOT GIVE YOU A PLOTLINE SUMMARY BECAUSE THERE IS A NUMEROUS AMOUNT OF FAIRY TALES. MANY THEMES ARE SIMILAR THROUGHOUT THE DIFFERENT TALES. A STEPMOTHER FAVORS HER CHILD OVER THE PROTAGANIST AND TRIES TO BRING HIM OR HER DOWN ONLY TO BE DEFEATED IN THE END. SOMETIMES BY HANGING, SOMETIMES IT IS VERY BLOODY. THREE BROTHERS GOING ON A QUEST WITH THE TWO OLDER BROTHERS PLOTTING AGAINST THE YOUNGER ONLY TO GERT THEIR S IN THE END. A PRINCE PROMISES A MAIDEN TO MARRY HER BUT FORGET AND SHE GOES ON A QUEST TO REMIND HIM. PRINCES AND HANSOME MEN ARE DISGUISED AS ANIMALS ONLY TO BE RELIEVED BY THE ONE THEY LOVED. IF YOUR INTO FAIRY TALES PICK THIS BOOK UP.

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