Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Fairy Tales . . . Just Because!

In honor of Once Upon A Week, hosted by Vanessa over at Today's Adventure, I have decided to post all about fairy tales this week, in addition to my regular Fairy Tale Fridays feature.  I've got a couple of fun posts planned, but I thought it would be a good idea to re-cap what stirred my renewed interest in fairy tales and a general overview of how my thoughts and feelings have changed since I began my weekly feature back in January.

Last week, Vanessa shared "Why Fairy Tales?", her take on what draws her to this very specific genre. As she stated, this interest grew from a book.  Surprisingly, I had a very similar experience, but it was with a different book . . . The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.  For those who are not familiar with this book, Connolly takes a multitude of original tales . . . those that don't always have the happy endings . . . and weaves a story that has a slow start, but ended up being one of the most fascinating stories I have ever read.  A few of the stories that you may find include Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Beauty and the Beast, and even The Three Bears.  Though I will warn that this tale may not always be for the faint of heart, it is still one that I will continue to rave about because of the brilliance in combining tales that we all grew up loving!

Thanks to my little experience with Connolly, I started a weekly feature back in January where I discover or re-experience fairy tales and fables.  I began the feature with exploring a multitude of tales that were familiar to me, ones that I grew up with, and have expanded the feature to also explore tales found all across the globe.  I have discovered that many of the tales have morals they want to share, others are more violent than I ever remember, and in many of the stories, nature and animals play a crucial role.  Contrary to popular belief, many of the original tales do NOT have happy endings; however, many of the more modern versions do.  Which do I like better?  I really don't know.  Some of the happiness works for me and some of it just isn't quite realistic.  However, I do enjoy the feeling of hope that many of the modern tales leave us with.  I love some of the lessons that some of the tales have to offer (particularly when I share the friendlier ones with my children!).  And, I love to see that there are many similar themes across cultures.

At this time, I plan to continue with my feature, looking at tales that we grew up with and those from around the world.  I plan to read more modern tales and even throw in some movie options!  Fairy tales have got me hooked!  Even though I cannot pinpoint in general what draws me to them, I think I can generally say that it has something to do with how they are so easily shared from generation to generation . . . bridging the gaps between the young and the old!

I encourage you to hop on over to Today's Adventure and check out all the other links people are posting for Once Upon A Week.  I have already seen some great articles and have added some books to my already-toppling TBR pile!  That is always a good sign of a great book blogging event!!

Until next time . . . 
I wish you a happily ever after!

8 comments:

  1. I loved Connelly's NOCTURNES, and bought but have not read BOOK OF LOST THINGS. Now I'm even more intrigued. I originally bought it simply on the strength of the short story collection.

    I love fairy tales as well, and keep meaning to go back and reread some of the Grimm's I have in a collected edition that features the original endings. I also was on quite a Native American spree for a while, several years back.

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  2. I'll have to see if I can find Book of Lost Things. I love adaptations of fairy tales and am always up for another one.

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  3. I like going back and seeing the older versions of the stories I grew up with.

    My daughter, who's 10, definitely prefers the more gruesome versions.

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  4. I'm not sure I have an opinion about the endings...it needs to fit with the story. That's the most important, I think.

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  5. Speaking of adding to the TBR...

    I'm glad you're enjoying the event! I confess that the happy endings are usually my favorite, but I know what you mean about them sometimes feeling unrealistic. Tough call.

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  6. Fun! I wish I would have participated in this :D

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  7. I definitely did not enjoy The Book of Lost Things at all. It was really hard for me to even finish it. That being said, I do love this idea. Very intriguing to watch how the "fairy tale" idea redifines itself with time (particularly in recent history).

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  8. Talekyn . . . I haven't read Noctures yet, but I would love to! I'm thinking I've got a copy on my TBR too! Feel free to join in on my Fairy Tale Fridays! We would love to have you! Or, I would love to hear some recommendations on Native American tales!! We haven't explored any of these yet!

    Ticia . . . I love this one, but I will warn you that it can be darker than most!

    carolsnotebook . . . I have really enjoyed re-visiting the tales too! Some of the older (more gruesome) versions, I do enjoy . . . others, not so much really!

    J. Kaye . . . I completely agree! :)

    NotNessie @ Today's Adventure . . . I like J. Kaye's comment . . . it has to fit the story! Maybe unrealistic was a poor choice of words on my part!

    Sheila (Bookjourney) . . . It has definitely been fun! Maybe you can join next year?!?

    Roof Beam Reader . . . Oh bummer!! :( BUT, it definitely has been interesting to see the evolution!!

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