Perrault's famous collection illustrated by Gustave Dore brings us nine of his eleven fairy tales. There were originally eight fairy tales and three which were published later separately one by one. While the original book came in prose with only ending morals in verse, these three were written in verse from the beginning to end. One of them (Donkey Skin) is included in the collection while the other two - Griselda and Ridiculous Wishes (both mentioned on the popular cover page bellow) are not. Gustave Dore illustrated this book in 1862 and numerous reprints followed. With occasional corrections, this book is still in reprint and is one of the cornerstones of literature for kids and world literature in general. Here are the stories and illustrations by the great master. Little Red Riding Hood A well-known story about the girl who tries to help her grandmom and meets a wolf who has plans on his own. Perrault personified the wolf as much as possible and Dore was very faithful to the author's message. He still draws the wolf as an animal, not anthropomorphized as several artists decided. The scene in the bed is very intriguing, obviously meant for adults and probably still the most popular illustration of this story in the world. Don't forget - The Red Riding Hood by Perrault ends here. There will be no hunter! Hop o' My Thumb Dore apparently loved the tale about the little boy who saves his six brothers and earned a fortune by the way, so he made eleven illustrations for Hop o' My Thumb. This is the scene with white stones, today much more known from the German variant (Hansel and Gretel). The smallest is the most courageous. When they returned they were hungry, of course. So they have left the children in the wood again. This time for good. They saw a light which led them to the cottage where a man-eating ogre lived with is family. Ogre's wife warned them but the boys were willing to take the risk. They were hidden while the ogre ate his dinner. He found them. They will spend the night and he'll eat them later. Thanks to Hop o' My Thumb's wit ogre killed his own daughters instead of the boys. While he tried to catch them with seven-league boots, he felt asleep and Hop o' My Thumb stole his boots. They earned him a fortune, so the family wasn't poor anymore. Sleeping Beauty in the Wood This is another well-known fairy tale about the cursed princess. She pricks her finger with a spindle and falls asleep. The whole court sleeps with her. Then a handsome prince found the castle and decides to enter. The guards were sleeping like everybody else. The unbelievable sleeping scenes were all over the place. Prince had to search for the princess for some time. Then he found her and she awakes. There is no kiss in Perrault's version! Cinderella While Cinderella was already way over one-thousand-years-old story before Perrault's birth, he was the one who included a fairy godmother and a pumpkin-turn-into-coach. The dancing scene by Dore it is especially magical. Trying the shoe is not Perrault's invention, but making them of glass is. Puss in Boots This is probably the most cynical fairy tale among the most popular ones. The cat is lying. The cat is threatening. The cat is killing. His master becomes - a king! Riquet with the Tuft Sometimes titled Ricky of the Tuft is almost forgotten fairy tale today. It's about an ugly prince Ricket (Ricky) who falls in love with a beautiful but slow-witted princess. Fortunately, both had a gift to transform the other's qualities to more desirable if they found true love. Donkey Skin Another inappropriate fairy tale, roughly one of the versions of Cinderella's story. It starts with the death of the queen and her husband's promise he would remarry only if he finds a lady of the same virtues. This wasn't an easy task. The only possibility was the king's daughter! And, of course, she didn't like the idea. She decided to leave her royal life and start as a kitchen helper in another castle. She even masked her identity by a donkey skin. But after a while, a handsome prince discovered her secret and married her. Her father, who was also invited finally found a match for himself as well. The Fairies This is a fairy tale sometimes titled as The Fairy or The Two Fairies but for the most of us is best known as Diamond and Toads. Sometimes there's also a subtitle serving as a message: Humility rewarded and pride punished. It's about good and bad behavior, one earning diamonds for doing good deeds and the other getting toads for being a bad girl. Bluebeard The most gruesome fairy tale despite several others being politically incorrect by today's standards. Bluebeard is a rich man with a dark past. It's being said his previous six wives disappeared in suspicious circumstances. Giving a key to a forbidden chamber to his seventh looks like a test. When his wife and her sister checked everything else, the forbidden room seems like a logical step ahead. But Bluebeard is already back, ready for punishment! Fortunately, there are also two brothers who are willing to rescue his poor wife of cruel death. Bluebeard is finally punished for his sins.
The used graphics were from 1862 and 1867 editions by J. Hetzel (You'll find his initials on the book used a vignette for the inside title page.)
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