Folk and Fairy Tales - (Greenwood Folklore Handbooks) by D L Ashliman (Hardcover)

About the Book

Just about everyone is familiar with folk and fairy tales. Children learn about them from parents, teachers, and other adults, while researchers study these tales at colleges and universities. At the same time, folk and fairy tales are inseparable from everyday life and popular culture. Movies, music, art, and literature offer imaginative retellings and interpretations of fairy and folk tales. But despite the pervasiveness of this folklore type, most people have only a vague understanding of these tales. This reference is a convenient introduction to folk and fairy tales for students and general readers.

Written by a leading authority, this handbook offers a broad examination of folk and fairy tales as a folklore type. It looks at tales from around the world and from diverse cultures. The volume defines and classifies folk and fairy tales and analyzes a number of examples. It studies the varied manifestations of fairy and folk tales in literature and culture and reviews critical and scholarly approaches to this folklore genre. The volume also includes a glossary and extensive list of works for further reading.

Book Synopsis

Just about everyone is familiar with folk and fairy tales. Children learn about them from parents, teachers, and other adults, while researchers study these tales at colleges and universities. At the same time, folk and fairy tales are inseparable from everyday life and popular culture. Movies, music, art, and literature offer imaginative retellings and interpretations of fairy and folk tales. But despite the pervasiveness of this folklore type, most people have only a vague understanding of these tales. This reference is a convenient introduction to folk and fairy tales for students and general readers.

Written by a leading authority, this handbook offers a broad examination of folk and fairy tales as a folklore type. It looks at tales from around the world and from diverse cultures. The volume defines and classifies folk and fairy tales and analyzes a number of examples. It studies the varied manifestations of fairy and folk tales in literature and culture and reviews critical and scholarly approaches to this folklore genre. The volume also includes a glossary and extensive list of works for further reading.

Review Quotes

?[A]shliman provides a clear, convenient introduction for students and general readers....This excellent guide will be useful in high school, college and public libraries.?-Lawrence Looks at Books

?Aimed at students as well as general readers, this succinct handbook provides a plethora of information about folklore that has evolved from Indo-European folktales....Stands out for its brevity and an intersecting writing style, making it appropriate for a variety of collections. Recommended for academic and public libraries.?-Library Journal

?This is a concise, comprehensible introduction to the scholarly study of Indo-European folk and fairy tales....Ashliman's handbook admirably serves its purpose--to make folk and fairy tale study organized and accessible to students. The work includes a useful glossary and an extensive bibliography of print and Web resources. Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates.?-Choice

"ÝA¨shliman provides a clear, convenient introduction for students and general readers....This excellent guide will be useful in high school, college and public libraries."-Lawrence Looks at Books

"[A]shliman provides a clear, convenient introduction for students and general readers....This excellent guide will be useful in high school, college and public libraries."-Lawrence Looks at Books

"Aimed at students as well as general readers, this succinct handbook provides a plethora of information about folklore that has evolved from Indo-European folktales....Stands out for its brevity and an intersecting writing style, making it appropriate for a variety of collections. Recommended for academic and public libraries."-Library Journal

"This is a concise, comprehensible introduction to the scholarly study of Indo-European folk and fairy tales....Ashliman's handbook admirably serves its purpose--to make folk and fairy tale study organized and accessible to students. The work includes a useful glossary and an extensive bibliography of print and Web resources. Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates."-Choice

About the Author

D. L. ASHLIMAN is Professor Emeritus of German at the University of Pittsburgh. His previous publications include Voices from the Past: The Cycle of Life in Indo-European Folktales (1993, 1995), Once upon a Time: The Story of European Folktales (1994), and A Guide to Folktales in the English Language (Greenwood, 1987).