Fairy Tales From Before Fairy Tales : The Medieval Latin Past of Wonderful Lies

When did fairy tales begin? What qualifies as a fairy tale? Is a true fairy tale oral or literary? Or is a fairy tale determined not by style but by content? To answer these and other questions, Jan M. Ziolkowski not only provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical debates about fairy tale origins but includes an extensive discussion of the relationship of the fairy tale to both the written and oral sources. Ziolkowski offers interpretations of a sampling of the tales in order to sketch the complex connections that existed in the Middle Ages between oral folktales and their written equivalents, the variety of uses to which the writers applied the stories, and the diverse relationships between the medieval texts and the expressions of the same tales in the "classic" fairy tale collections of the nineteenth century. In so doing, Ziolkowski explores stories that survive in both versions associated with, on the one hand, such standards of the nineteenth-century fairy tale as the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Carlo Collodi and, on the other, medieval Latin, demonstrating that the literary fairy tale owes a great debt to the Latin literature of the medieval period. DIVJan M. Ziolkowski is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Medieval Latin at Harvard University./div Explores the links between tales preserved in Latin from the Middle Ages and "classic" fairy tales from the collections of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen | When did fairy tales begin? What qualifies as a fairy tale? Is a true fairy tale oral or literary? Or is a fairy tale determined not by style but by content? To answer these and other questions, Jan M. Ziolkowski not only provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical debates about fairy tale origins but includes an extensive discussion of the relationship of the fairy tale to both the written and oral sources. Ziolkowski offers interpretations of a sampling of the tales in order to sketch the complex connections that existed in the Middle Ages between oral folktales and their written equivalents, the variety of uses to which the writers applied the stories, and the diverse relationships between the medieval texts and the expressions of the same tales in the "classic" fairy tale collections of the nineteenth century. In so doing, Ziolkowski explores stories that survive in both versions associated with, on the one hand, such standards of the nineteenth-century fairy tale as the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Carlo Collodi and, on the other, medieval Latin, demonstrating that the literary fairy tale owes a great debt to the Latin literature of the medieval period. Jan M. Ziolkowski is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Medieval Latin at Harvard University.

When did fairy tales begin? What qualifies as a fairy tale? Is a true fairy tale oral or literary? Or is a fairy tale determined not by style but by content? To answer these and other questions, Jan M. Ziolkowski not only provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical debates about fairy tale origins but includes an extensive discussion of the relationship of the fairy tale to both the written and oral sources. Ziolkowski offers interpretations of a sampling of the tales in order to sketch the complex connections that existed in the Middle Ages between oral folktales and their written equivalents, the variety of uses to which the writers applied the stories, and the diverse relationships between the medieval texts and the expressions of the same tales in the "classic" fairy tale collections of the nineteenth century. In so doing, Ziolkowski explores stories that survive in both versions associated with, on the one hand, such standards of the nineteenth-century fairy tale as the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Carlo Collodi and, on the other, medieval Latin, demonstrating that the literary fairy tale owes a great debt to the Latin literature of the medieval period.

 Jan M. Ziolkowski is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Medieval Latin at Harvard University.

Jan M. Ziolkowski Not Only Provides A Comprehensive Overview Of The Theoretical Debates About Fairy Tale Origins But Includes An Extensive Discussion Of The Relationship Of The Fairy Tale To Both The Written And Oral Sources. Ziolkowski Offers Interpretation Of A Sampling Of The Tales In Order To Sketch The Complex Connections That Existed In The Middle Ages Between Oral Folktales And Their Written Equivalents, The Variety Of Uses To Which The Writers Applied The Stories, And The Diverse Relationships Between The Medieval Texts And The Expressions Of The Same Tales In The Classic Fairy Tale Collections Of The Nineteenth Century.--jacket. Folktales In Medieval Latin Poetry -- Between Sacred Legend And Folktale : A Whale Of A Story About A Tenth-century Fisherman -- A Cautionary Tale : Little Red Riding Hood In The 1020s -- True Lies And The Growth Of Wonder : An Eleventh-century Little Claus And Great Claus -- The Wonder Of The Turnip Tale (ca. 1200) -- The Reorientation Of The Donkey Tale (ca. 1200) -- Conclusion : Sadly Never After. Jan M. Ziolkowski. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 445-479) And Indexes. Contents 8 List of Abbreviations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 14 One - Folktales in Medieval Latin Poetry 29 Two - Between Sacred Legend and Folktale - A Whale of a Story about a Tenth-Century Fisherman 78 Three - A Cautionary Tale - Little Red Riding Hood in the 1020s 106 Four - True Lies and the Growth of Wonder - An Eleventh-Century “Little Claus and Great Claus” 138 Five - The Wonder of The Turnip Tale (ca. 1200) 177 Six - The Reorientation of The Donkey Tale (ca. 1200) 213 Conclusion - Sadly Never After 244 Appendix 254 One - Man Swallowed by Fish (ATU 1889G) 254 Two - Truths and Lies 266 Three - One-Ox: The Rich and the Poor Peasant (ATU 1535) 277 Four - The Turnip Tale: Two Presents for the King (ATU 1689A) 335 Five - The Donkey Tale: The Ass (ATU 430) 354 Notes 380 Bibliography 458 General Index 494 Index of Tale Types and Motifs 512 9780472115686