Friday, July 30, 2010

Guest Post: Once Upon A Week

I would like introduce a guest here at Tif Talks Books today . . . drum roll please (or at least imagine it!!) . . . Vanessa from Today's Adventure!  Vanessa has a special event coming up next week known as Once Upon A Week.  Since it goes along so very nicely with Fairy Tale Fridays here, I thought . . . Wouldn't it be nice if she stopped by and shared some of her thoughts on the subject?

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Why Fairy Tales?

About a year ago, I read a great little book by the name of Beastly. Alex Flinn did a great job of taking the classic story of Beauty and the Beast and bringing it to the modern era. I loved it. Actually, I loved it so much I decided to spend an entire week featuring retold fairy tales on my blog. Several other bloggers mentioned that they would like to join in, and Once Upon a Week was born. In organizing this event, I’ve learned that I’m definitely not the only one out there who truly LOVES fairy tales. But I’m still working on what it is exactly that pulls us to these stories.

I think that, for me, a big part of the appeal is that fairy tales allow us to enter a world where anything is possible. Magic is real, and the normal rules don’t apply. Twelve princesses can travel each night to an underground forest, a wolf can impersonate grandma, and straw can be spun into gold. The scullery maid can marry a prince, or a lowly soldier can win the hand of a princess. Virtue is always rewarded, and endings are happy more often than not. When a fairy tale is modernized, it brings the magic to the mundane world we’re all too familiar with. Who
wouldn’t want to spend time in a world like that?

I also love fairy tales because they are cultural common ground. The details differ, but many stories can be found in some form almost anywhere in the world. I don’t think fairy tales are the key to world peace (wouldn’t that be great?), but I think it’s telling that the same fears, dreams, and values show up in the stories of every culture.

Whatever the reason is, fairy tales seem to really strike a chord with a lot of us. I hope you’ll all have fun with me this coming week (Aug. 1-7) as we spend some time celebrating the stories we all love. In the meantime, tell me- What is it about fairy tales and retellings that you enjoy most?

Thanks so much for having me, Tif!

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Thank you so much Vanessa for stopping by today!  I look forward to your posts coming next week and writing some of my own!  Happy Reading!!

For more information, I recommend the following links:
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12 comments:

  1. VanessaJuly 30, 2010 at 6:06 PM

    Thanks again for featuring me on your blog! I am excited to see what you'll come up with for OUAW!

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  2. JenJuly 30, 2010 at 6:56 PM

    This was great to read -- very nice post! :)

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  3. Tif SweeneyJuly 30, 2010 at 9:30 PM

    NotNessie @ Today's Adventure . . . Thank YOU for being my guest!! I've been thinking about my posts and plan on working on them tomorrow! I can't wait to see what everyone else has coming as well! Thanks again!

    Jo . . . Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  4. AnonymousJuly 31, 2010 at 3:26 AM

    What is it about fairy tales I like enjoy most? Honestly, I don't know. Maybe it's the thrill from childhood being brought back in adulthood. I too am reading a Beauty and the Beast story and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

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  5. Kate W.August 1, 2010 at 12:45 PM

    I love them because they delve into what's really happening in families -- plus, I love magic and radiance!

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  6. TiciaAugust 1, 2010 at 4:12 PM

    I am totally checking into that week!

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  7. Tif SweeneyAugust 1, 2010 at 6:04 PM

    J. Kaye . . . I hear ya! I'm going to try to explore this a bit more this week during this event. I'm hoping for a bit of an epiphany! What story are you reading now?

    KateW . . . Who really doesn't love magic and radiance?!? :) Great answer!!

    Ticia . . . I hope to see you back as I explore Fairy Tales a bit more this week too!

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  8. AnonymousAugust 1, 2010 at 6:58 PM

    Tif, it's Beauty and the Beast, by Hannah Howell. I'm almost done!

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  9. Tif SweeneyAugust 1, 2010 at 9:12 PM

    J. Kaye . . . Wow! There are so many books out there with fairy tales that I don't know about! Gotta add this one to my list! I hope you are getting loads of reading done this week!! :)

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  10. Tales of WhimsyAugust 2, 2010 at 8:22 AM

    Awesome post. I loved Beastly.

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  11. VanessaAugust 2, 2010 at 9:25 AM

    Thanks everyone for stopping by!

    J. Kaye, I'll have to add that one to my TBR. I'm always looking for more B&B retellings.

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  12. Tif SweeneyAugust 2, 2010 at 11:42 AM

    Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com . . . I thought Vanessa did great too! Loved it! And, need to check out Beastly for myself!

    NotNessie @ Today's Adventure . . . Thank you again for such a great post!! This is going to be a great week!

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