picturing childhood

October 1, 2008 11:29 PM

FairyTaleFilter: SurLaLune Fairy Tales features 49 annotated fairy tales, including their histories, similar tales across cultures, modern interpretations and over 1,500 illustrations, 1,600 folktales & fairy tales from around the world in more than 40 full-text eBooks. Fairy Tale timeline. l Women Children's Book Illustrators l The Evolution of the Illustrated Children's Book l Some really beautiful free graphics and clipart from Grandma's Graphics.

Rare 1923 edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. Three More Early Tenggren Books

Samples of images: exotic, dream-like, odd, fun, charming, cool, avatars.

Previously

posted by nickyskye (11 comments total)

Well, nickyskye, now you have done it. As if I needed another time sink. Thanks though.
posted by Cranberry at 11:51 PM on October 1, 2008

Wonderful post nicky. You can readily tell this site is a labor of love.

Heidi Anne Heiner started the site in 1998 when she was a graduate student and has nurtured it ever since. Bravo Heidi and thanks for the link nicky.
posted by netbros at 11:58 PM on October 1, 2008

Favorited for, at the very least, a whole clutch of new Baba Yaga stories to read.
posted by lekvar at 12:02 AM on October 2, 2008

Nickyskye, thank you very much.
posted by MinPin at 12:52 AM on October 2, 2008

Terrific stuff. Thanks nickyskye.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:26 AM on October 2, 2008

> exotic

I like its furry cape. I R Baboon.
posted by pracowity at 5:59 AM on October 2, 2008

"annotation" consists of selectively quoting other experts annotations. So you have this hodge-podge of approaches and perspectives. For example annotation #12 of "The Tinderbox"

12. Dog: The dog can symbolize loyalty or vigilance (Biedermann 97). It often figures “as a guardian at the portals of the afterlife . . . or as a sacrifice to the dead, to guide them in the next life” (Biedermann 98). The dog could also be a symbol of the conscience (Mercatante and Dow 294-295). Plutrach saw the dog as a symbol of “the conservative, watchful, philosophical principle of life” (Matthews 166). According to John And Caitlin Matthews, “In Celtic folklore tradition, there is a reference to three green dogs . . . named Fios, Luathes, and Tron-that is Knowledge, Swiftness, and Heaviness” (167). Dogs are also linked to Cerebus (Tatar 160).

How are readers supposed to interpret this encyclopedic hammer of text? It doesn't advance or tell a larger interpretation that perhaps the authors may have originally been after, lost when quoted out of the original text. Annotating fairy tales is really hard, at least, as soon you get outside the plain factual stuff into analysis.
posted by stbalbach at 6:23 AM on October 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wow. Thank you for posting this.
posted by Sailormom at 6:47 AM on October 2, 2008

stbalbach: And yet, sometimes the gifthorse has some fine offerings as well:

"Flounder, flounder12 in the sea,
Come, I pray thee, here to me;
For my wife, good Ilsabil,
Wills not as I'd have her will."

12. Flounder, Flounder: Tatar gives the original version as:

Mantje! Mantje! Timpe Te:
Buttje, Buttje in der see (89).

Mantje could be a variant of Manchen which means little man (Tatar 89). There is a theory that Timpe Te is the name of the fisherman (Ashliman). Tatar points out that this is unlikely because than the fisherman would be calling himself (Tatar 89).

Jack Zipes offers the following translation of the rhyme:

Flounder, flounder, in the sea,
If you're a man, than speak to me.
Though I do not care for my wife's request,
I've come to ask it nonetheless. (73).


so try not to punch it in the mouth too vehemently...
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:50 AM on October 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

This is great, thanks! I was just thinking about where to find a good version of Jack & the Beanstalk.
posted by ericbop at 6:57 AM on October 2, 2008

Pirate Bay is also a gift horse, and I agree it is ill-advised to throw punches at them scallywag dogs of the high seas, aye! *shakes fist*
posted by stbalbach at 7:18 AM on October 2, 2008