List of fairy tales by Charles Perrault according to the research of French literary critics

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Charles Perrault (1628–1703) is known in Russia primarily for his fairy tales. But in France, he was mainly during his life a high-ranking official, and fairy tales were for him entertainment, leisure. The list of fairy tales by Charles Perrault was constantly updated.

Education

Charles Perrault was born into the family of a lawyer who opposed orthodox Catholicism, especially Jesuitism. But the family professed Catholicism strictly, trying to revive the true spirit of Christ. Charles was the youngest in the family, where in addition to him there were two sisters and four brothers. He received a good education and became a lawyer. At the same time, he wrote poetry and poems, made translations of the Aeneid. That is, the craving for literary creativity was inherent in him. Then the writer does not yet know that he will be glorified by folk stories, from which now you can make a list of fairy tales by Charles Perrault.

Work

A hard-working young man works in the Ministry of Finance, and the style of his letters is noted even by King Louis XIV himself. Moreover, in connection with the marriage of the king, and then the birthDauphine, he writes odes. He participates in the birth of the Academy of Fine Arts. Subsequently, Perrault will be accepted into it, he will become an academician.

But he does not yet know that he will begin to study folk art, from which a whole list of fairy tales by Charles Perrault will later be compiled.

Fairy tales

Meanwhile, interest in ancient legends is emerging in society. Charles Perrault joins these trends with great enthusiasm. A whole list of fairy tales is gradually coming out from under his pen. Charles Perrault is somewhat embarrassed - for such trinkets he is too serious a person. Recall the well-known "Cinderella" (1697). The poor girl's mother died, and her father remarried some time later. The stepmother, loving her two daughters, entrusted all the work, especially the dirty one, to the stepdaughter, and she did not allow the girl to have fun at all. When the king announced that he was inviting all the girls of the kingdom to the ball, the poor thing, of course, was not taken, but was assigned a lot of work. But after the stepmother and her daughters left for the ball, the godmother appeared. She was a fairy. The godmother dressed the girl and gave her a carriage and glass slippers. But she strictly ordered me to leave the ball as soon as the appointed time came.

Charming beauty got carried away dancing with the prince and at the very last minute came to her senses and ran away from the ball, having lost a tiny glass shoe.

This shoe was picked up by the prince and announced that he would marrythe girl on whose foot this shoe will be put on. The shoe was tried on for all the girls. Finally, it was Cinderella's turn. To everyone's surprise, the shoe fit her perfectly. But even more surprising was the fact that Cinderella took out a second shoe from her pocket. The prince peered at Cinderella and recognized the sweet stranger who charmed him at the ball. The girl was dressed and taken to the palace, and a few days later they played a wedding. So happily ends this magical fairy tale, which is believed to this day.

The tales continue

What other fairy tales did Charles Perrault write? The list goes on:

"Puss in Boots";

"Red Riding Hood";"Boy with a finger."

Fairy who bestows gifts "on merit"

This tale is correctly called "The Fairy's Gifts" and was written, like everyone else, in 1697. There lived a widow with two daughters. One was the spitting image of a mother - rude and unfriendly, and the second, the youngest, as if she was a stranger to them. The girl was sweet and friendly. But the mother loved the one who looked like her, lazy and rude. The youngest daughter was forced to work hard in the house and also go to a distant source for water. It was both hard and long. Once, as usual, when she came for water, the girl met a miserable poor old woman there, who asked for some water to drink.

It was a fairy who wanted to know what kind of character the girl has. With great eagerness, the girl rinsed the jug, drew clean water and offered the old woman a drink. After drinking some water, the old woman said that what is the service, such will be the reward. With everywith a word uttered by a girl, either a precious stone or a flower will fall from her lips. After that, the fairy left, and the girl went home, carrying heavy water.

When the girl returned, her mother attacked her with reproaches for the delay. And the youngest daughter began to make excuses, and after each of her words a diamond or a pearl fell from her lips. The mother asked what was the matter, and sent her eldest daughter to fetch water. She went with great reluctance, angry at the long journey. At the spring, she met a richly dressed lady who asked her for water. Rather rudely, as if sparing the water, the girl handed the jug to the lady. She, having drunk the water (and it was again a fairy, who now took on a different appearance), said that the girl would certainly be rewarded for the water. And they parted, each in their own direction.

Mother was delighted with the appearance of her daughter and began to ask her what was at the well. When the eldest daughter spoke, toads and snakes began to fall out of her mouth. The mother was angry with both daughters, and the youngest was simply kicked out of the house. Walking through the forest, the girl met the prince, who spoke to her. And when the girl began to answer him, flowers and precious stones fell from her lips. The prince was amazed at both the beauty and the treasures she dropped. He firmly decided to marry her and took her to his palace. The wedding was the end of the matter. And the eldest daughter every day became angrier and angrier. And she became so nasty that her mother kicked her out of the house. Nobody needed her, she died. The famous lawyer partly heard these tales in childhood, partly questioned the peasants and wrote them down. Here is how the fairy tales of Charles Perrault go on (list):

• "Riquet Tuft" (1697);
• "Bluebeard" (1697);
• Sleeping Beauty (1697).

In total, according to the assurances of the French, eight fairy tales were written. All the fairy tales of Charles Perrault are listed here. An alphabetical list is given in the text.