Perrault's Fairy Tales Book

The original fairy tales of Charles Perrault (1628-1703) before they were bastardized or sanitized (depending on your view) by Disney. Perrault, however, did not invent most of these stories himself. He also based some of them on existing French folklores. Perrault was said to be the one who laid the foundations for a new literary genre: the fairy tale. Many of Perrault's stories were rewritten by the Brothers Grimm, continue to be printed and have been adapted to opera, ballet (such as Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty), theatre, and film.

What I liked about this book was that I was able to read the original versions of the tales that I heard or saw when I was a young boy. I did not know that those goody-goody versions were sanitized. The original versions in this 1697 first published book were sometimes gory and gruesome that I wondered how they could have passed as children's stories. For example, Little Red Riding Hood is eaten alive by a wolf, seven girls were knifed by their father to death or an ogress demanding to eat two poor captured kids.

Here are the stories and my reactions upon reading them:

The Little Red Riding-Hood. Stupid girl. How she could not have noticed that the wolf was not her grandma? Well, in "The Moral," Perrault seems to say that this exactly is the moral of the story: the young pretty people are easy to deceive so they have to watch out for wolf in sheep's clothing. - 4 STARS

The Fairy. Would not that be painful? I mean flowers and jewels coming out from your mouth when you speak? No wonder, I have not seen any movie adaptation of this story. The morals, according to Perrault: the manner we speak is more important that wealth and good behaviors pay in the end when we least expect it - 3 STARS

Blue Beard. If only Perrault knew that time will come blue beard would no longer be scary. Why there is even green hair now, hah! The morals according to Perrault: Curiosity kills a cat and a very little share of common sense can save your dear life. - 2 STARS

The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. I remember the first half of the story but it's my first time to hear the 2nd half that happens after the prince kisses the sleeping princess. There is a ogress (a queen that eats small children) and the tub full of different kinds of serpents. This part is new to me. I don't remember that there was an ogress character in the Disney movie. As to the moral of the story according to me: be careful in creating your guest list. - 5 STARS

The Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots Clever, clever cat. If a cat will be as useful as this, I know my wife would agree for us to have a cat in the house. She hates the odor of cat's feces. However, in the story the youngest child gets the cat as inheritance from his poor father. Then the clever cat turns him into Marquis de Carabas. Morals: Be thankful for the inheritance that you get and also be careful with cunning people. The cat deceived the ogre to turn into a mouse so the cat could eat him hahaha. My first time to read this story. Funny! - 4 STARS.

Cinderilla; or, The Little Glass Slipper. Exactly as what is in the Disney movie except the spelling. Take note that this is Cinderilla and not Cinderella. But there are somethings in Perrault's writing that made me read the whole text. Not just making sure that there are nothing Disney removed or was not able to capture. The forgiveness that Cinderilla gave to her odious sisters; it's heartfelt. Well written, I should say. Besides, who does not love Cinderilla? You have not been a child if you never heard of her. - 5 STARS

Riquet with the Turf. There is a fairy here who gives either wit or beauty to the newborn children of royalties. However, if you equate it in the real world, it is just the power of words that seem to work here. When the beautiful but dumb princess utters that the ugly prince be given wit, it is actually her love for him that makes this possible. In short, the moral of the story, according to me, is that we have to be happy for other people that we speak positively of them and wish them good things instead of talking negatively behind their backs and wish them ill. Those are very unchristian especially if the person is not around; don't talk ill of that person because he is not there to defend himself. - 4 STARS

Little Thumb. There is a family that is so poor that the couple decides to bring and lost their 7 small children in the forest. The youngest of the 7 is Little Thumb who is born, because they are so poor her mama has no more nutrients in her body, as big as a thumb (that's why the name). However, Little Thumb is very smart. His intelligence is far more than the intelligence of his six big brothers' put together. Again, there is an ogre (third in this collection, yes I am counting) that Little Thumb is able to deceive that the poor ogre kills his seven daughters instead of Little Thumb and his six brothers. Little Thumb also does a dugo-dugo by fooling the ogre's wife into giving all their riches to him. I know I read or heard this story before when I was a small boy but I forgot the gist of it. I have always associated the throwing of stones to come back home to Hansel and Gretel and not in this Perrault's story. I enjoyed every minute of reading or re-reading this. - 4 STARS

The Ridiculous Wishes. A man is complaining that he is so poor and he envies people whose wishes are easily granted. Jupiter, yes the god in the Olympus, hears him so the god says he can have 3 wishes and Jupiter will grant them. However, the man has this habit of saying I wish… without really meaning those things and that habit almost gets him and his wife in bigger misery. Nothing really extraordinary here. - 2 STARS

The Donkey-skin. A princess asks for the skin of a precious donkey in their stable expecting that her father, the King, would not be able to kill the poor donkey. This is part of the series of impossible demands that the princess is asking the king hoping that one of them will not be granted and so she'll be left by the king and not make her his wife. Had not heard this tale before but it is quite typical. I liked it though. - 3 STARS

Very good classic collection of the original fairy tales. To think that Charles Perrault invented the fairy tales as a genre is a strong testament of his brilliance as a writer and storyteller.