Tuesday, April 1, 2014

A is for Authors

Hey bloggers, happy first day of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge! I'm so excited to read everyone's first posts and get aquatinted with some new blogs. I hope everyone's ready for some alphabetic awesomeness! 

As I previously revealed, my theme this year is fairy tales, inspired in great part by some of my current favorite TV shows, movie adaptations, and books, most of which I'll share with you over the next 26 posts. So, let's get started! 
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Fairy tales are, at their core, an oral genre. Passed down from generation to generation via word of mouth. And yet, over time, somehow we've come to associate our favorite tales with a few key writers. They've become inextricably linked with names like Grimm, writers we still celebrate. 

Perhaps because these men and women traveled the world, tracking down and cataloging the stories that still fascinate children to this day, thus preserving them for future generations. And how funny that their names start with the ABCs. So without further ado, here are some of the Authors we know as the forefathers of fairy tales: 

A is for Hans Christian Andersen -
Andersen (1805 to 1875) was a Danish author who wrote down the fairy tales he'd been told as a child, as well as some of his own invention. Fairy tales such as:
- The Princess and the Pea
- The Tin Soldier
- Thumbelina
- The Little Mermaid
- The Emperor's New Suit
- The Ugly Duckling
- The Snow Queen
- The Red Shoes

B is for The Brothers Grimm -
Jacob (1785 to 1863) and Wilhelm (1786 to 1859) were German brothers, researchers and academics that made it their mission to track down and record folklore and fairy tales. Their versions are a little more, ahem, grim than the modern versions we're familiar with, but their work has greatly shaped the world of fairy tales even today. 
- Rapunzel
- Hansel and Gretel
- Cinderella
- Snow White
- Little Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty)
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Frog Prince

C is for Charles Perrault -
Perrault (1628 to 1703) was a French writer who drew on pre-existing fairy tales he'd heard. Though perhaps the least known of the forefathers, the stories he catalogued are some of the most popular (thanks to Perrault's doing) today. 
- Little Red Riding Hood
- Cinderella
- Sleeping Beauty
- Puss in Boots
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This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme (in case you didn't already guess) is Fairy Tales. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you'd like to check out the other participants, simply click here

28 comments:

  1. Informative post and good to know origin of such familiar tales. Good luck with challenge.

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  2. Those are some classic stories. And most have been made into movies.

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  3. I learned a lot reading your blog last year and look forward to reading about fairy tales. So informative.

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    1. I really enjoyed your blog too. Looking forward to all your A to Z posts this year!

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  4. This is interesting. Know the stories, but didn't know about Perrault.

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  5. Very interesting! We're all familiar with Hans Christian Andersen, not so much the others. Thanks for sharing your research on fairy tale authors.

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  6. Excellent post! I love fairy tales and featuring three (four) of the greatest fairy tale authors is a great way to start off the challenge.

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  7. All these stories are so classic S.L. Whenever I think of Anderson I think of Danny Kaye. Considering Charles Perrault's stories I'm surprised I've never heard his name.

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    1. I hadn't really either before I began this challenge.

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    2. I think of Danny Kaye, too! It's one of my favorite movies of his!
      Dara the Writer

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  8. Great theme! Ah, fairy tales. Loved them as a kid and loved them with my children and then loved them with the grandchildren. Now they are way too old for them. Maybe a great-grandchild will come along and I can enjoy them again!

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  9. An interesting thing about the Grimms: Their stories are less grim than they started out. Their original version of their book, although true to the stories as they were then being told, were too gruesome for people, so they had to water them down a bit and re-release their tales.

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    1. Yeah, I mention that in several of my later posts about specific Grimm tales.

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  10. Oh, this should be fun! Fun to read and fun to write! I shall return!

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  11. Awesome theme! I grew up with the more traditional tales and was confused and upset when my school friends left out the part where Cinderella's step-sisters cut their toes and heels off. Best part, IMHO.

    ~MPL

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  12. I'm not part of the A-Z Challenge but plan on reading your post each day. Great A-Day post:)
    terryleeauthor.blogspot.com

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  13. there is a very big difference between the perault version of cinderella and the grimm version. very bloody those grimms. =D of course disney used perault's version.

    great post. can't wait for the next one!

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  14. Classic stories and rich in history and folklore. I'm glad they have survived the centuries! Happy A-Z Launch day!

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  15. Great theme! I also love fairy tales.

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  16. Great theme and interesting tidbits about the Fairy Tales. Can't wait to read more!

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  17. I didn't know Perrault wrote all those tales. I feel kind of silly for not knowing. Jeez.

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  18. Do you watch any of the shows on TV that pull from fairytales? Like Once Upon a Time and Grimm?
    Dara the Writer

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  19. Wait, Puss in Boots was a fairy tale? I though it was just from Shrek. I'm sorely lacking in my education.

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  20. Grimms' Fairy Tales was the first book I ever read, at three years old. Subconsciously, it girded me for dealing with the real world, where life is often more like a Grimms' fairytale than a Disney fairytale.

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  21. I've read fairy tales from each of those authors, but the Brothers' Grimm are my favourites; I love the fact that they are more grim than the others. I think theirs are the ones closest to the originals told hundreds of years ago. The others adapted theirs to make them more suitable for children.
    Great first post :)

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  22. For a long time I've wondered if we'll ever have any new fairy tales that can even compete with all the old originals. There is such a vast amount of amazing old tales.

    Random Musings from the KristenHead — A is for 'Almost Human' (and Action and Androids)

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