The Lost Princess: Women Writers and the History of Classic Fairy Tales

(Paperback)

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Description

People often associate fairy tales with Disney films, and with the male authors from whom Disney often drew inspiration - notably Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. In these portrayals the princess is a passive, compliant figure. By contrast, The Lost Princess shows that classic fairy tales such as 'Cinderella', 'Rapunzel' and 'Beauty and the Beast' have a much richer, more complex history than Disney's saccharine depictions. Anne E. Duggan recovers the voices of women writers such as Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, Marie-Jeanne L'Heritier and Charlotte-Rose de La Force, who penned popular tales about ogre-killing, pregnant, cross-dressing, dynamic heroines who saved the day. This new history will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about the lost, plucky heroines of historic fairy tales.

Reviews

"Drawing on decades of research, Duggan is a wise, brave, witty guide to fairy-tale history. The Lost Princess demonstrates that smart, resourceful heroines abound in the French tales of past centuries. The brilliant women who wrote those tales challenged patriarchal norms in ways that continue to resonate today."--Jennifer Schacker, School of English and Theatre Studies, University of Guelph, and author of "National Dreams: The Remaking of Fairy Tales in Nineteenth-Century England"

Author Bio

Anne E. Duggan is professor of French and fairy-tale studies at Wayne State University, Michigan. She is author, editor or translator of many books including A Cultural History of Fairy Tales (2021).