F is for Fairytales #atozchallenge

Posted April 6, 2013 in A-Z Challenge / 15 Comments

[‘Fairytale Contest’ by magikstock]

Today I’m continuing with the Blogging from A-Z Challenge hosted by Arlee Bird and his team of awesome bloggers. My theme is: Elements and features of speculative fiction and entertainment. So throughout April I will be blogging about characters, objects and themes that appear in sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian series. Today’s post is all about Fairytales.

Fairytales are stories from folklore that feature several fantasy characters and supernatural elements. In the past they were told orally and passed down from generation to generation, before writers such as the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen wrote down their own versions and published collections. Later, Walt Disney popularised many of the classic fairytales and added elements of their own.

At the moment, fairytale re-tellings are an enormously popular sub-genre of fantasy fiction and entertainment. Recently there has been a boom of fairytale films like Snow White and the Huntsman, Red Riding Hood, Tangled, Jack and the Giant Killer, Alice in Wonderland, Oz the Great and Powerful and Frozen. The TV show Once Upon a Time also has a steady fan following, and has encouraged more readers to delve into the realm of fairytales. Here are some examples:

Red Riding Hood

Rapunzel

Cinderella

Beauty and the Beast

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White

The Princess and the Frog

Hansel and Gretel

Rumpelstiltskin

Jack and the Beanstalk

What is your favourite fairytale? Have you read any re-tellings or seen any recent movie adaptations? What’s the next fairytale you would like to see reinvented?

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15 responses to “F is for Fairytales #atozchallenge

  1. I love your topic choice for the A to Z challenge, Anstice! I don't know if you get this over in the UK yet, but we have a television series in the States called GRIMM now in its second season that I really enjoy. Thanks for sharing those books – anything about Red Riding Hood or Hansel and Gretel always catches my eye.

    Keep up the outstanding work!

    Joe Bardales at Just Add Heroes

  2. Hello, Anstice! I enjoy a clever fairy tale retelling. My two favorite are probably Ella Enchanted and Fairest, both by Gail Carson Levine. My all-time favorite fairy tale is The Little Mermaid. I wanted to be a mermaid so much when I was little! I still do, LoL.

    Happy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

  3. I love fairy tales. I'm glad they're popular right now becuase I feel like it gives me more to choose from. (and yes, I'm one of thsoe Once Upon a Time fans).

    I agree with Laura, Ella Enchated is fantastic (the book not the movie). Gail Carson Levine does an amazing job. I really like Jackson Pearce and Robin McKinely as well.

  4. I've heard lots of good things about Cinder, but haven't had a chance to pick it up. Beastly and A Kiss in Time are two of my favorites. Alex Flinn does an amazing job on those classic tales.

  5. I think Sleeping Beauty is my favorite. I also like Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid. I took a class in college about fairy tails. It was quite enlightening!

  6. I love fairy tales and I like the fractured ones, too!
    What a fun post~
    I can't pick a favorite-I have many!
    Okay maybe Cinderella ;D

  7. @Dawn-thank you, I'm glad you like it. Oh yes some of the covers are so drool-worthy.

    @Joe-thanks! As far as I know we don't get GRIMM yet, but I've heard of it. Sounds like my sort of thing so maybe I can beg, borrow or steal it from somewhere 😉

    @Laura-I've heard a lot of good things about Ella Enchanted. The Little Mermaid is also my favourite fairy tale. I love the Disney version.

    @Janeal- yeah the movie put me off a bit but maybe I should check out the book.

    @Tammy-oh yes I love the dark and twisted tone of these new fairy tales too!

    @A Month of Blog-I really want to see that, looks awesome!

    @Patricia-I'd like to check out Cinder too, sounds so unique. Beastly and A Kiss in Time also sound great. So many books so little time!

    @sassyspeaks-I enjoyed the Snow White film too.

    @Sherry-that sounds like a really interesting and fun class!

    @Connie-oh yes Alice in Wonderland is a classic!

    @Nancy-thanks for the link, I'd never seen that site before.

    @Ella-yeah it's definitely hard to choose, so many great tales!

    @Roland- I know that feeling. My 'TBR' pile is growing at a rate of knots and I just can't keep up! If only I didn't have to sleep or go to work.

  8. I LOVE fairy tale retellings. Right now, ENTWINED, a remake of THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES, is my favorite. Though ELLA CHANTED and CINDER place close behind.

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