Womenfolk and Fairy Tales

Womenfolk and Fairy Tales is a 1975 anthology of fairy tales edited by Rosemary Minard.

Description

"This collection of outstanding folk and fairy tales is focused on a unique and special theme: in every story it is a girl or woman who is the moving force. No passive Sleeping Beauties here, waiting meekly for Prince Charming; no down-trodden Cinderella scrubbing everybody else's floors. This book is peopled with active, intelligent, capable, and courageous human beings who happen to be female. ... Culled from our rich heritage of folklore, these and many more stories make up an excellent, nonsexist collection, designed to provide boys as well as girls with an antidote to the usual wicked witches and insipid princesses. Suzanna Klein's softly surreal illustrations compliment the quality of the tales." (from dust jacket)

"Fairy tales abound with bold, courageous, and clever heroes. But for the most part female characters, if they are not witches or fairies or wicked stepmothers, are insipid beauties waiting passively for Prince Charming. There are, however, fairy tales which do present their women as active, intelligent, capable, and courageous human beings. ... The tales that I have collected reflect a variety of cultures — Celtic, European, Scandinavian, Japanese, Chinese, Persian, and African. Some are comic, some are romantic, some tell of princesses and some of peasant girls. All, I believe, are works of literary merit, and their heroines are admirable humans beings." — from "Introduction", by Rosemary Minard

Editions

• 1975: Houghton Mifflin Co., Botson, MA. ISBN 0-395-020276-0 (hardcover). LCCN 74-26555. Illustrated by Suzanna Klein. 163 pp.

Contents

• "Introduction" / Rosemary Minard, pp. vii-xi
• "The Stolen Bairn and the Sìdh" / Sorche Nic Leodhas, pp. 1-13
• "The Chinese Red Riding Hoods" / Isabelle C. Chung, pp. 14-19
• "Molly Whuppie" / Walter de la Mare, pp. 20-29
• "Mr. Fox" / Joseph Jacobs, pp. 30-35
• "The Twelve Brothers" / The Brothers Grimm, pp. 36-43
• "The Old Woman and Her Dumpling" / Lafcadio Hearn, pp. 44-50
• "The Forty Thieves" / Andrew Lang, pp. 51-64
• "Kate Crackernuts" / Joseph Jacobs, pp. 65-70
• "Clever Grethel" / Walter de la Mare, pp. 71-76
• "Cap o' Rushes" / Joseph Jacobs, pp. 77-82
• "The Lass Who Went Out at the Cry of Dawn" / Sorche Nic Leodhas, pp. 83-92
• "Three Strong Women (A Tall Tale from Japan)" / Claus Stamm, pp. 93-105
• "The Husband Who Was to Mind the House" / Asbjörnsen and Moe, pp. 106-110
• "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" / Asbjörnsen and Moe, pp. 111-126
• "Unanana and the Elephant" / Kathleen Arnott, pp. 127-134
• "The Woman Who Flummoxed the Fairies" / Sorche Nic Leodhas, pp. 135-145
• "Clever Manka" / Parker Fillmore, pp. 146-155
• "The Three Sisters Who Were Entrapped into a Mountain" / Asbjörnsen and Moe, pp. 156-163