Overview

How have fairy tales from around the world changed over the centuries? What do they tell us about different cultures and societies? Drawing on the contributions of scholars working on Italian, French, English, Ottoman Turkish, and Japanese tale traditions, this book underscores the striking mobility and malleability of fairy tales written in the years 1450 to 1650. The essays examine how early modern scientific theories, debates on the efficacy of witchcraft, conceptions of race and gender, religious beliefs, the aesthetics of landscape, and censorial practices all shaped the representations of magic and marvels in the tales of this period. Tracing the fairy tale’s swift movement across linguistic and geographic borders, through verse and prose versions, from the printed page to the early modern stage, this volume demonstrates the ways in which these fantastic literary texts explored the ideological borders constructed by different societies. An essential resource for researchers, scholars and students of literature, history and cultural studies, contributors explore themes including: forms of the marvelous, adaption, gender and sexuality, humans and non-humans, monsters and the monstrous, space, socialization, and power. A Cultural History of Fairy Tales (6-volume set) A Cultural History of Fairy Tales in the Age of the Marvelous is also available as a part of a 6-volume set, A Cultural History of Fairy Tales, tracing fairy tales from antiquity to the present day, available in print, or within a fully-searchable digital library accessible through institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com). Individual volumes for academics and researchers interested in specific historical periods are also available digitally via www.bloomsburycollections.com.

Full Product Details

Author:   Professor Suzanne Magnanini (University of Colorado, Boulder, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 16.80cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 24.20cm
Weight:   0.480kg
ISBN:  

9781350594128

ISBN 10:   1350594121
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   13 November 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   To order  

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Series Preface Introduction: Fairy Tales in the Age of the Marvelous World Suzanne Magnanini 1. Forms of the Marvelous: Ring and Riddle in the Shakespearean Marriage Tale Kevin Pask 2. Adaptations: Prose Stories Dressed in Ottoman Attire N. Ipek Hüner Cora 3. Gender and Sexuality: Gender and Sexuality in the Fairy Tales of Straparola and Basile Cristina Mazzoni 4. Humans and Non-Humans: Animal Bridegrooms and Brides in Japanese Otogizoshi Laura Nüffer 5. Monsters and the Monstrous: Witches and Werewolves in Early Modern French and Italian Tales Kathleen P. Long 6. Spaces: Geographies of the Fairy Tale in Giambattista Basile’s The Tale of Tales Davide Papotti 7. Socialization: Civilizing the Fairy Tale in Early Modern Italy Suzanne Magnanini 8. Power: Abuse of Power, Gender, and Race in Tales by Straparola and Basile Armando Maggi Notes Bibliography Notes on Contributors Index

Reviews

Author Information

Suzanne Magnanini is Associate Professor of Italian at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.

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