The Fairy Tale: The Magic Mirror of Imagination: 5 (Twayne's Studies in Literary Themes & Genres S.) - Hardcover

Jones, Steven Swann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805709509 ISBN 13: 9780805709506

Publisher: Twayne Publishers Inc.,U.S., 1995

Synopsis

In The Fairy Tale: The Magic Mirror of Imagination, Steven Swann Jones draws upon his extensive knowledge of the genre to provide readers with a study that is at once a sorely needed introduction to the subject and an original contribution to existing scholarship. Step by step, Jones guides the reader in understanding and appreciating the genre's origins and its evolution over the past 3,000 years; synthesizes the various approaches - psychological, sociohistorical, and formalisttaken by scholars studying the form; and isolates five key characteristics distinguishing the fairy tale from related forms of folk narrative, such as myths and legends. A series of close readings of selected old and new fairy tales - among them The Wizard of Oz and The Cat in the Hat - serve to illuminate these characteristics for readers, while chapters on the gendering of fairy tale protagonists and other topics stimulate readers to consider fairy tales from new and multifaceted perspectives. Complemented by a chronology detailing fairy tales from Boccaccio's The Decameron to Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, as well as a reflective bibliographic essay and a valuable list of recommended readings, The Fairy Tale: The Magic Mirror of Imagination is a comprehensive handbook for students from secondary through graduate levels, a one-of-a-kind reference for scholars, and an engaging overview for any interested reader.

About this title

Review:

'Concise and effective analysis.' - Booklist

Synopsis:

By exploring the oral roots, surveying the literary history, reviewing previous scholarship, and identifying salient characteristics, this text offers readers a new comprehensive, theoretical framework for understanding the fairy tale. Evidence of the essential hallmarks of the genre is examined in seven popular fairy tales including "Faithful John", "Beauty and the Beast", "The Wizard of Oz", "The Cat in the Hat" and "Where the Wild Things Are". Combining formal analysis of the structure and motif of fairy tales with interpretation of the rich symbolism, Jones reveals the special artistic magic that fairy tales employ to convey their subliminal meanings. "Twayne's Studies in Literary Themes and Genres" investigate continuities and changes within individual themes and genres. Each volume covers both traditional and popular expressions of the theme or genre it treats, and each is authored by a leading scholar.

About this edition

• Publisher: Twayne Publishers Inc.,U.S.
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0805709509
• ISBN 13: 9780805709506
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 250