image of person or book cover 1849706642080243137.jpg
This image has been sourced from online.
y separately published work icon The Fairies Return ; or, New Tales for Old anthology   short story  
Issue Details: First known date: 1934... 1934 The Fairies Return ; or, New Tales for Old
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Original jacket blurb:

'Christmas book written by a number of distinguished authors. It is a collection of well-known fairy stories retold for grown ups in a modern setting.'

Princeton University Press re-issue blurb:

Originally issued in 1934, The Fairies Return was the first collection of modernist fairy tales ever published in England, and it marked the arrival of a satirical classic that has never been surpassed. Even today, this reimagining of fourteen timeless tales–from "Puss in Boots" to "Little Red Riding Hood"–is still fresh and bold, giving readers a world steeped not in once upon a time, but in the here and now.

Longtime favorites in this playfully subversive collection are retold for modern times and mature sensibilities. In "Jack the Giant Killer," Jack becomes a trickster who must deliver England from the hands of three ogres after a failed government inquiry. "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is set in contemporary London and the world of financial margins and mergers. In "The Little Mermaid," a young Canadian girl with breathtaking swimming skills is lured by the temptations of Hollywood. And Cinderella becomes a spinster and holy woman, creating a very different happily ever after. These tales expose social anxieties, political corruption, predatory economic behavior, and destructive appetites even as they express hope for a better world. A new introduction from esteemed fairy-tale scholar Maria Tatar puts the collection in context.

From stockbrokers and socialites to shopkeepers and writers, the characters in The Fairies Return face contemporary challenges while living in the magical world of fairy tales.

Notes

  • Contents indexed selectively. Only works written by Australian authors are individually indexed on AustLit.

    The full list of contents is as follows:

    • Jack the Giant Killer (A.E. Coppard)
    • Godfather Death (Clemence Dane)
    • The Fisherman and his Wife (E.M. Delafield)
    • Little Snow-White (Lord Dunsany)
    • Aladdin (Anna Gordon Keown)
    • Sindbad the Sailor (Eric Linklater)
    • Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (A.G. Macdonell)
    • Dick Whittington (E. Arnot Robertson)
    • Puss in Boots (Helen Simpson)
    • The Little Mermaid (Lady Eleanor Smith)
    • Little Red Riding-Hood (Œ. Somerville)
    • Cinderella (Robert Speaight)
    • 'O, if I Could but Shiver!' (Christina Stead)
    • The Sleeping Beauty (G. B. Stern)
    • Big Claus and Little Claus (R. J. Yeatman and W. C. Sellar)

Contents

* Contents derived from the Princeton, New Jersey,
c
United States of America (USA),
c
Americas,
:
Princeton University Press , 2012 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Puss in Boots, Helen Simpson , single work short story

A modernised, satirical version of the fairy tale.

When the honest miller's son heads to London to make his fortune, his cat realises that he is too honest for the modern world, and pushes him into politics to teach him the importance of compromise.

(p. 208-227)
'Oh, If I Could but Shiver!', Christina Stead , single work short story
A modern, satirical fairy tale.
(p. 302-324)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Edinburgh,
      c
      Scotland,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Peter Davies ,
      1934 .
      image of person or book cover 1849706642080243137.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 350p.p.
    • Princeton, New Jersey,
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Princeton University Press ,
      2012 .
      image of person or book cover 1670128085644861619.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 372p.p.
      Edition info: Rev. ed.
      Note/s:
      • Edited with an introduction by Maria Tatar.
      • Excludes the story 'Dick Whittington', for copyright reasons.
      ISBN: 0691152306, 9780691152301
Last amended 16 Nov 2020 10:02:10
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X