Snow White and Seven Dwarfs Book

Although I do have to admit that Wanda Gág's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is probably one of the best and most true to the Brothers Grimm's (1857 edition) original German language text English renditions of Schneewittchen (of the Grimms' Snow White) I have read to date (and yes, it is indeed in all ways absolutely superior to that cloyingly sweetly saccharine and often just annoyingly silly Walt Disney movie adaptation, which I have in fact despised since childhood and which Wanda Gág obviously equally hated, as supposedly, she both penned and illustrated her for the most part literal German to English translation of the Grimms' Schneewitchen in disgusted response to the Disney movie version of said tale), I also must say that no matter how good, no matter in fact how wonderful and even amazing ANY version of Schneewittchen might be (and in whatever language, whether German, French, Italian whatever), it is simply not a story, which thematics and contents I like or even can appreciate all that much as a folktale in and of itself. And no, it is not really, it is not so much the rather standard sexism and gender/social stratifications of the Snow White types of folktales that make me cringe and groan (although the fact that Snow White basically becomes an unpaid servant to the seven dwarves does at least at times annoy me rather stridently), but more that both Snow White and also to a certain extent even the seven dwarves are usually, are generally depicted and presented as naive and actually as pretty darn STUPID in fact. I mean, it is understandable and even acceptable that Snow White falls for the evil tricks of her murderous stepmother once, but that exactly the same thing then happens two more times and even after the dwarves have repeatedly warned Snow White is pretty annoying and makes her totally appear as just so incredibly ditzy and ignorant. And while I guess this here scenario could also be considered as being inherently sexist (you know, the typical thoughtless and giddy female), actually the seven dwarves themselves (at least in my humble opinion) behave not all that intelligently with regard to protecting Snow White from her evil stepmother either (as I personally do find it rather strange that they only start to consider keeping one of the dwarves at home after Snow White has died for the third time from that poisoned apple and in order to guard her coffin when realistically, it would at least in my humble opinion have made considerably more common sense for one of the dwarves to remain as Snow White's guardian and protector whilst she was still alive and due to her obvious naiveté and trusting nature such a perfect target for her stepmother's murderous machinations). And therefore, while I do indeed find and consider Wanda Gág's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves a truly successful and authentic reading and feeling translation of the Grimms' original Schneewittchen tale (with lovely black and white accompanying illustrations that provide a glowing complement to and for the presented translation but thankfully without ever overpowering or overshadowing the printed words, the storyline self), from a personal reading pleasure point of departure, I just do not enjoy and yes have never enjoyed the Brothers Grimms' Schneewittchen enough theme and content wise to consider it as more than a three star ranking story at best (albeit truth be told, if I were actually simply analysing how Wanda Gág has rendered, how she has penned her Snow White and the Seven Dwarves on a strictly structural and translative level, I would more than likely consider four if not perhaps even five stars).