
TITLE: The Island of Happiness: Tales of Madame D'Aulnoy
AUTHOR: Prof Jack Zipes (Trans.) Natalie Frank (Artist)
PUBLISHER: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691180243
PODCAST EPISODE: Episode 101
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
The Island of Happiness: Tales of Madame d’Aulnoy, published by Princeton University Press, is a curated collection containing eight of Madame d’Aulnoy’s seventeenth century fairy tales. The book includes an introduction by the renowned translator of folktales Jack Zipes and is lavishly illustrated throughout by the brilliant artist Natalie Frank. This highly anticipated volume contains improved translations of the aforementioned fairy tales, as well as the most detailed biography of Madame d’Aulnoy currently available to English-speaking audiences. In short, the book is a must-buy for the fairy tale enthusiast.
Although her name is not as familiar to the layperson as the oft-celebrated Charles Perrault, Madame d’Aulnoy was a contemporary of the well-known writer, both more famous and more influential than him within her own time. She was the creator of the entire genre of “literary fairy tales,” taking the oral transmission of folklore and legends and turning it into a literary art form within high society in the French salons she frequented. Her biography is utterly fascinating, and rife with intrigue one would more generally find in contemporary spy thrillers. Knowing her biography, to the extent it can be known, casts her fairy tales within a new light. Suddenly, the concerns of her day addressed through euphemism within her stories become much more vibrant and interesting. The context, as always, deepens the understanding of these stories and helps readers understand their relevance to modern, particularly female, audiences.
“The Island of Happiness,” the titular tale, sets the tone for the remainder of the book. The tragic tale of Adophus drives home both the hyperbole that so characterizes d’Aulnoy’s later work and 'the concerns of both her and other French aristocracy. Most readers will recognize Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel being combined into a tale of fairies rewarding good manners in “Finette Cendron”, as well as the obvious allusions to Psyche and Cupid in “The Ram” and “The Green Serpent”. “Belle-Belle, or the Chevalier Fortune” on the other hand, is an artful retelling of “How The Six Made Their Way Through the World” with comedic cross-dressing and the clever destruction of a local dragon. “The Blue Bird” and “The White Cat,” however, are more original in their sourcings - a touch of Rapunzel here, and her own invention entirely in the kingdom that the White Cat inhabited along with her fairy jailers and their horrible green dragon, as well as the heartbreaking transformation of man into bluebird. “The Tale of Mira”, however, is a wholly unique story that draws its humour skilfully from over exaggeration and fourth wall breaking. The tale is structured as a story within a story, and at its climax the storyteller gets bored of the tale - a joke that would still land today.
Natalie Frank’s skilful hands turned this book into a genuine work of art. Her illustrations, in gouache and chalk pastel, immerse the reader in the fantastical world that d’Aulnoy’s stories create. Her artwork commands a sense of motion and urgency, and the herione's dance in a brilliant array of colours from page to page. Whether wearing the skin of a white cat or a leopard, or simply dancing and embracing the masculine version of themselves, they command a sense of autonomy that resonates with the feminist messages that d’Aulnoy wished to convey. These women create their own destinies and are imbued with their own unique power. Seldom in need of rescue, they work instead to free themselves and choose their own partners when the time is right.
D’Aulnoy’s fairy tales struck me as relevant even today, and rife for a new audience and examination. While authors such as Angela Carter have breathed new life into feminist fairy tales in more modern times, I was fascinated to learn that the very genre of literary fairy tales was at its inception written by women and for women. The women in these fairy tales make mistakes and have faults, but they rise above them in ways that feel truly organic and are inspiring to read. The humour throughout and the gorgeous artwork makes this book one that any enthusiast of the genre would be proud to have on their bookshelf.
AUTHOR: Prof Jack Zipes (Trans.) Natalie Frank (Artist)
PUBLISHER: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691180243
PODCAST EPISODE: Episode 101
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
The Island of Happiness: Tales of Madame d’Aulnoy, published by Princeton University Press, is a curated collection containing eight of Madame d’Aulnoy’s seventeenth century fairy tales. The book includes an introduction by the renowned translator of folktales Jack Zipes and is lavishly illustrated throughout by the brilliant artist Natalie Frank. This highly anticipated volume contains improved translations of the aforementioned fairy tales, as well as the most detailed biography of Madame d’Aulnoy currently available to English-speaking audiences. In short, the book is a must-buy for the fairy tale enthusiast.
Although her name is not as familiar to the layperson as the oft-celebrated Charles Perrault, Madame d’Aulnoy was a contemporary of the well-known writer, both more famous and more influential than him within her own time. She was the creator of the entire genre of “literary fairy tales,” taking the oral transmission of folklore and legends and turning it into a literary art form within high society in the French salons she frequented. Her biography is utterly fascinating, and rife with intrigue one would more generally find in contemporary spy thrillers. Knowing her biography, to the extent it can be known, casts her fairy tales within a new light. Suddenly, the concerns of her day addressed through euphemism within her stories become much more vibrant and interesting. The context, as always, deepens the understanding of these stories and helps readers understand their relevance to modern, particularly female, audiences.
“The Island of Happiness,” the titular tale, sets the tone for the remainder of the book. The tragic tale of Adophus drives home both the hyperbole that so characterizes d’Aulnoy’s later work and 'the concerns of both her and other French aristocracy. Most readers will recognize Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel being combined into a tale of fairies rewarding good manners in “Finette Cendron”, as well as the obvious allusions to Psyche and Cupid in “The Ram” and “The Green Serpent”. “Belle-Belle, or the Chevalier Fortune” on the other hand, is an artful retelling of “How The Six Made Their Way Through the World” with comedic cross-dressing and the clever destruction of a local dragon. “The Blue Bird” and “The White Cat,” however, are more original in their sourcings - a touch of Rapunzel here, and her own invention entirely in the kingdom that the White Cat inhabited along with her fairy jailers and their horrible green dragon, as well as the heartbreaking transformation of man into bluebird. “The Tale of Mira”, however, is a wholly unique story that draws its humour skilfully from over exaggeration and fourth wall breaking. The tale is structured as a story within a story, and at its climax the storyteller gets bored of the tale - a joke that would still land today.
Natalie Frank’s skilful hands turned this book into a genuine work of art. Her illustrations, in gouache and chalk pastel, immerse the reader in the fantastical world that d’Aulnoy’s stories create. Her artwork commands a sense of motion and urgency, and the herione's dance in a brilliant array of colours from page to page. Whether wearing the skin of a white cat or a leopard, or simply dancing and embracing the masculine version of themselves, they command a sense of autonomy that resonates with the feminist messages that d’Aulnoy wished to convey. These women create their own destinies and are imbued with their own unique power. Seldom in need of rescue, they work instead to free themselves and choose their own partners when the time is right.
D’Aulnoy’s fairy tales struck me as relevant even today, and rife for a new audience and examination. While authors such as Angela Carter have breathed new life into feminist fairy tales in more modern times, I was fascinated to learn that the very genre of literary fairy tales was at its inception written by women and for women. The women in these fairy tales make mistakes and have faults, but they rise above them in ways that feel truly organic and are inspiring to read. The humour throughout and the gorgeous artwork makes this book one that any enthusiast of the genre would be proud to have on their bookshelf.