The Complete Fairy Tales Of The Brothers Grimm (1901) - Plot & Excerpts
I read the free edition available for Kindle. The five stars are in appreciation for the creation of the book and not particularly its content. It is best regarded as a work of anthropology. The same devices, evil stepmothers, stupid sons, and smart princesses, occur in many of the stories. The stories collected are local variations on the theme of someone making good and being rewarded. One of my favorites will never be Disneyfied. The old grandfather has become too disgusting to have at the dinner table as he drools and drops food so the couple put him behind the stove and feed him out of a ceramic bowl. When he drops that and breaks it they give him a wooden bowl. One day their very young son is playing with sticks and they ask him what he is making. He tells them he is making a trough for them to eat out of when they are old. They repent and bring the grandfather back to the table. Worth reading just for the absolutely confounding logic presented in these fables and the remarkable outlook on parenting in 18th Century Germany. Description is almost non-existent and stories are mechanically told in a series of events without context or explanation; a style which befits Germans, young children and adults with a slightly surreal sense of humour who can see the joys in the pitfalls of these stories. I especially enjoyed the omissions from tales picked up by Disney: Cinderella forever picking up lentils and scurrying up a tree like a squirrel, the second Big Bad Wolf being boiled alive in a trough of sausage water and Snow White falling in love with a prince in a bear costume.I think if I were a kid reading this, the main lessons I would pick up would be:Always keep your promises (especially when you sell a stranger your children), otherwise you will become an animal/disfigured/dead.Don't be careless, or you end up killing everything you love.For f*** sake do as I say, however weird the command, or you're going to bloody die in the most unlikely way possible.Parents are prone to losing/selling/gambling away their children.Don't fall asleep in life threatening situations, as comfy as they are.Treat all animals with the same respect as humans because they're usually cursed royalty with magic powers.Tears make great seasoning for a stew made of your own brother, so don't add any extra salt.Sometimes everything has to die.Overall it really is a book for little children but it was worth reading for the bursts of (probably unintentional) hilarity and for the macabre look at morality for children.
What do You think about The Complete Fairy Tales Of The Brothers Grimm (1901)?
I am not sure what all the hype is about. I just couldn't get into these short stories.
—Darkbird
Full of dark fairytales and unexpected twists, this book is a must read!
—garrettjonesca
I mean come on, who hadn't heard of it or read it?
—Jessie890
