A Sorta Fairy Tale

And I’m so sad, Like a good book, I can’t put this day back, A sorta fairy tale with you
– Tori Amos







A girl sits on the window seat of her room at the topmost level of her remote tower, looking wistfully across the dead city below for some sign of life. Hopelessness fills her throat like thick honey as she waits for what seems like an eternity. Finally, she decides to take matters into her own hands and texts, R u coming 2nite? U no I <3 U, but I Gtg, R.

We are currently experiencing a renaissance of reconstructed fairy tales that allow girls to be the masters of their own destinies. In every generation, authors have taken upon themselves to modernize centuries-old tales to make them relevant for modern audiences, and we are lucky to be experiencing a flood of excellent literature. The malleability of fairy tale archetypes is proof that the characters are timeless and are as significant today as when they were part of oral storytelling. Whether Rapunzel has a cell phone or dangerously long hair, the truths generated by her story remain the same and connect to readers in a powerful way. Several fabulous writers have been able to master this feat.
You cannot have a discussion about post-modern faerie without Francesca Lia Block. Using luscious poetry and sensual imagery, each of her original novels transport the reader into surreal worlds that show the magic of possibility. She retells classic fairy tales in her book, The Rose and the Beast. Stories like Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast are given an LA makeover to deal with darker issues of drug-use, abuse, and sexual awakening. FLB is not for the faint of heart, but if you appreciate honest, lush writing and butt-kicking heroines, you will love The Rose and the Beast.

Juliet Marillier also stands out as writer able to create entire worlds with her pen (or laptop). She retells Grimm’s Six Swans in her SevenWaters Trilogy (which includes Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, and Child of the Prophecy. Heir of Sevenwaters is a stand-alone novel but includes characters from the trilogy.) She evokes the mood of 13th century Ireland by taking painstaking care to include accurate details about history, geography, and mythology. However, it is her wonderful characters that transform a fairy tale into a personal tale of loss, love, and hope. I constantly come back to this trilogy and every time I gain a new insight about human behavior when I read it. Marillier accomplishes the same extraordinary feat in her retelling of the twelve dancing princesses in Wildwood Dancing and its companion, Cybele’s Secret. (When you read it, pay attention to spot another fairy tale within the story.) In Wildwood Dancing, four sisters are transported every full moon from their remote castle in Transylvania to the Other Kingdom. Faced with impossible choices, each sister must confront her own dreams and desires as they quickly grow up. While Marillier describes intricate fantastic worlds, she puts great effort in being consistent within the worlds she creates, a major point of contention for those who dislike fantasy writing. Still, there is sufficient “meat” in all of her stories to satisfy even the staunchest realist; while the magical creatures may not be real, the human emotions are, and will touch you in a powerful way. (As an aside, Juliet Marillier is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer and if you have positive comments to share, you can contact her at juliet@julietmarillier.com.

Upon a Time, a series of novels from Simon Pulse, have been capitalizing on this trend. By publishing fairly short, but high quality retellings of fairy tales, Simon Pulse has created a series of books that engage readers of all ages. Writers like Cameron Dokey, Suzanne Weyn, and Debbie Viguie have retold the best classic stories. My favorites so far have been Midnight Pearls by Debbie Viguie (a retelling of the Little Mermaid) and Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey (a retelling of Sleeping Beauty). The stories themselves are as familiar as Cinderella’s glass slipper, but it is the unfamiliar layers that breathe new life into the old tales. You will not be disappointed when you sink your teeth into these books, which can be devoured in one sitting.
If you read any of these books, I would love to hear your reactions and insights. Feel free to post your comments to this post or email me at etiberland@gmail.com.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Which fairy tale would you like to see retold and who would you like to write it?
I will include my answer in the next blog.

I have included a longer list of excellent retellings below for further reading. I personally recommend each one of these books. Let me know if you have more books to add to the list.

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Rumpelstiltskin)
Beastly by Alex Flinn (Beauty and the Beast)
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannn Hale (Graphic novel of Rapunzel)
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (Sleeping Beauty)
The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriot (The Seven Swans)
The Wild Swans by Peg Kerr (The Seven Swans)
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
Mira, Mirror by Mette Harrison (Snow White)
Black Pearls: A Faerie Strand by Louise Hawes (Assorted Stories)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (Cinderella)
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Cinderella)
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (The Goose Girl)
A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales by Terri Windling

Once Upon a Tale Books
The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey (The Arabian Nights)
Snow by Tracy Lynn (Snow White)
Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey (The Magic Flute)
The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn (The Twelve Dancing Princesses)
Golden by Cameron Dokey (Rapunzel)
Belle by Cameron Dokey (Beauty and the Beast)

Just for fun . . .
The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith.

Tell me a Story

In the world of Story, heroes are strong and true, able to overcome giants, witches, and their own egos. Cleverness, more than brute strength, is often the means to winning. Evil will raze the land, but good will always defeat the shadows with light. In our own fragmented world where nothing seems to make sense, we turn to Story to be comforted by the familiar structure that rewards goodness with happiness, effort with success, and hope with love.

The American Library Association understood the importance of universal storytelling when they awarded the 1925 Newbery Medal to Charles Finger for Tales from Silver Lands and the 1926 Newbery Medal to Arthur Bowie Chrisman for Shen of the Sea. Both of these books stand out as exemplary literature that capture the essence of what makes a story worth telling.
Tales from Silver Lands is a collection of folktales from the Indians of South America. Finger gathered these stories himself by setting out on adventures across South America, and it clear from his writing that he deeply respected, and was fascinated by, the culture of the Indians. His book is a generous mixture of twice-told tales, hero stories, and magical occurrences. Truths are revealed within the narrative of the stories that give readers a glimpse into the values of the Indian’s culture. Nature in all its glory is lauded in rich prose throughout the stories with a sense of appreciation for all creatures and plants. (After all, you never know when the animals of the forest might save your hide from a gruesome witch!) The importance of hard work and industry are trademarks of these stories, showcased in The Tale of the Lazy People, whose sloth is rewarded by an army of wooden manikins who take over their village, and then become monkeys. This tale especially resonates in our modern world of autonomous robots only years away, according to sci-fi literature. As a departure from Western tales, where wishes are awarded with the fulfillment of all the dreamer’s hopes, Finger’s stories show the dangers of wishing. Oscar Wilde expressed the risks beautifully by saying: “There are two tragedies in life. One is not getting what you want. The other is getting it." In The Bad Wishers, a mother wishes for children, only to see her wishes go awry when her children are born. However, through many trials and tribulations, a happy ending is orchestrated for this unfortunate family to fit the fairy tale framework.

Like Finger, Chrisman shares the cultural philosophy of his subject, the Chinese people, within Shen of the Sea. As a young man, Chrisman set out on an adventure, ending up in California. There he befriended a Chinese shopkeeper, who fascinated him by sharing stories about demons, emperors, fools, and dragons. Throughout the stories, Chrisman shares little details with the reader to make the world of ancient China come to life. Respecting your elders is paramount in his stories, as seen in Buy a Father. In Buy a Father, a young orphan joins his new father, only to be given impossible tasks and mistreatment. However, the orphan’s pleasant disposition and respectful attitude pays off when the father turns out to be the Emperor. Even a wicked child like Ah Mee (in Ah Mee’s Invention) listens to the stern warning from his father not to play dragons in his honorable uncle’s cabbage patch, and forbids himself from even thinking of loongs (dragons). Instead, he plays elephant. Ah Mee is also credited to be the accidental inventor of printing. (Check out Chop-sticks to find out why Chopsticks became all the rage or Ah Tcha the Sleeper to discover the origins of tea.) Fate holds great power in these stories, where portents and signs are taken very seriously. In How Wise were the Old Men, the wise men predict that the birth of Meng Hu was a bad omen (mei chi), which seems to be true until Meng Hu uses his fate to his benefit. Similarly, in The Moon Maiden, a terrible threat to the princess’s life leads Prince Ting Tzun to his own love, the Moon Maiden. While one cannot outrun their fate, somehow these characters can find loopholes in their dark futures and cleverly trick their way into happy endings.

Both of these collections are replete with wisdom from worlds of the past, expressed through the language, culture, and history of these cultures. By using the South American and Chinese narrative style and language, both authors retain the tone of oral storytelling that inspired these stories. After reading these collections, we should be motivated to tell our own stories because each of us has a tale to tell.
I can’t wait to hear yours.