York

W- Folk and Fairy Tales

We think of fairy tales - not quite the same as folktales, but they overlap – as the stuff of the nursery; in their earliest forms, they were not meant for children, (some are much too dark). Many fairy tales derive from folk tales that are often ancient, began before the written word became universal, and lie close to the roots of narrative. They have been changed by writing, and continue to be re-told and re-interpreted.

So far, our enthusiastic group has worked through the whole of Maria Tatar’s Classic Fairy Tales collection, and is currently looking at Katherine Briggs’s Sampler of British Folktales. At the time of writing, we are looking at fairies both in Briggs and beyond: they are not sweet little things with gossamer wings! Dragons, giants, and monsters are to come; just some of the 182 types of fairy (in the British Isles alone), and then there are urban myths, ghosts, touches of distorted oral history, and much else that reflects the hopes, daydreams and deep fears that arise from daily life across ages and cultures.

We have already ventured briefly into Russian, French, and South American tales too, and will revisit these and other traditions (Africa, India, China, Japan, The Caribbean...) , and though we often share tales from the internet, we find it useful to have a common core book, and will soon need to choose another.

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