Monday, April 2, 2012

Musings: The Virago Book of Fairy Tales

I first heard about the Virago Book of Fairy Tales (my copy was called The Old Wives' Fairy Tale Book) from Ana in a comment on my review of Trickster.  In that review, I said that I enjoyed Trickster, but was unhappy that so many of the stories related did not portray women in a very positive light.  Ana pointed me towards Angela Carter's more women-centric book of folk tales and fairy tales, and I quickly got the book from the library to read.

And, as Ana promised, the book is much more interesting and nuanced in its portrayal of women because, well, that was a significant motivating factor in compiling the book.  The stories also come from peoples and cultures all over the world, from Native Americans to West Africans to Eskimos to Europeans, so it was really fascinating to see the different cadences and rhythms and themes that emerged from them.

In particular, the Eskimo stories were way out there and completely different than anything else in my whole experience, including the completely different experience of reading Native American stories in Trickster.  What was most interesting about the Eskimo stories was the way that gender roles were played with and tossed around and thwarted.  For example, in one story, a man goes away to hunt, and his mother makes herself a phallus and starts an affair with the man's wife, and the two are very happy together.  In another, two women escape their husband and live happily ever after together in a dead, stinky whale.  In a third, a woman makes herself the husband she lost out of earth.  It was really refreshing (and somewhat disturbing, in some instances) to read stories in which women's sexuality and independence were not only acknowledged but shared and passed down through generations.

Interesting, too, was the effect that storytellers have on their stories.  Versions of Cinderella showed up in Scotland and China.  A variation on Rumplestilskin was included, as was a more macabre Little Red Riding Hood.  I really enjoyed reading the stories in dialect, though I really struggled with some of them and was quite relieved that the stories weren't longer because it was a lot of work to read them!

The book is pretty short, which I appreciated because sometimes large compilations of folk and fairy tales can become very repetitive and tiring to read.  This one had a large variation in the stories included, and many felt completely fresh to me.  I also LOVED the artwork that accompanied each drawing- very much like stylized stencil woodcuts, they were lovely.

As always in collections of stories, some were better than others.  Actually, I must say that I didn't really love any of the stories included here, but the combined effect of so many stories that focused on sharing the lives, trials and triumphs of women was very powerful for me.  I don't think any individual story will stand out much to me going forward, but the book as a whole is one I thoroughly enjoyed reading and gave me a lot of food for thought.

I seem to be on a folktale/fairy tale kick, so I'm sure I'll read Yeats' compilation of Irish folk tales soon and share my thoughts on those with you!

13 comments:

  1. This book sounds really interesting, I have been thinking about trying out a similar book Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan, but it's sheer size (it's a collection of 100 fairy tales) is a bit intimidating. Plus Ragan's book is recommended for school libraries, this book seems far more adult. The sexuality in fairy tales aspect surprised me, I must admit, I think I'm going to have to get a hold of a copy of this book! Looking forward to your thoughts on Irish folktales.

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    1. Oh, that is such a fantastic title! I agree that 100 fairy tales could be a bit exhausting to get through- it seems more like a book to own and wander through at a slow and leisurely pace. It's great that it's focused on women!

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  2. I remember thinking much the same thing when I read it: the individual stories didn't make my list of favourites, but together they paint such an interesting picture and raise so many questions about which stories become culturally predominant, and why.

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    1. Yes, that's a good point, too. Considering that both men and women shared the stories and passed them down, it's interesting that so many have been forgotten. I wonder if that, in Europe, is due to the Grimm brothers and then a fairly quick death of oral storytelling. I am not sure if the same can be said of stories shared in Eskimo, African, and Native American cultures. And generally, the stories were more heavily European than those of other cultures, which may also have an impact.

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  3. I do like folklore so yes I would like this one, and sounds like a few freaky stories

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    1. Yes, definitely some freaky ones!

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  4. Those Eskimo stories do indeed sound weird, but oddly fascinating as well! I am glad that you were able to read this book and got the chance to explore the genre in a way that traverses many cultures and time periods. Very thoughtful and compelling review today, Aarti. I enjoyed it immensely.

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    1. Thanks, Heather- It was a really interesting collection.

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  5. I love woodcuts. They are maybe my favorite of all the kinds of illustrations, especially for fairy tales, especially for fairy tales from all sorts of different places. This book sounds lovely!

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  6. I read The Penelopiad last year, and it gave me a huge appreciation for retellings. I bought my nieces a Korean retelling of Cinderella a few years ago that was absolutely eye-opening. Thanks for this great review!

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  7. This sounds good! I have the Virago Book of Ghost Stories, which I can't wait to read, but I don't have this one. Wish list.

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  8. I really want to read this at some point. I just haven't got around to it yet. I am glad you liked it!

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  9. I have the second volume of these tales, but not the first (which drives the completist in me crazy!), but now I really want to read them both!

    Something similiar (and with a striking northern tale as well) is Katrin Hyman Tchana's Changing Woman and Her Sisters. And I agree, reading too many of them in a rush is a little much; for the larger volumes, I definitely have to spread the reading around.

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