The original tale of The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood was written by Charles Perrault, inventor of the modern fairy tale and creator of such timeless characters as Little Red Riding Hood and Puss in Boots. It is among the most beautiful and enduring of all stories, and has inspired hundreds of adaptations, including Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent.
This edition combines Søren Filipski’s lively modern translation with two famous sets of vintage illustrations: E. Monnin’s lavish engravings from the great 1843 Curmer edition and those of the French master Gustave Doré, from Tales from Mother Goose. Both sets provide a rich, dramatic visual compliment to this haunting tale of love and the passage of time.
Also included in the translation is the continuing story of the Princess’s life in the years after she awakes, omitted from nearly all modern editions.
Children’s Classic Read 2022 April
Sleeping Beauty, or Little Briar Rose, also titled in English as The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods, is a classic fairy tale about a princess who is cursed to sleep for a hundred years by an evil fairy, to be awakened by a handsome prince at the end of them.
The earliest known version of the story is found in the narrative Perceforest, composed between 1330 and 1344. The tale was first published by Giambattista Basile in his collection of tales titled The Pentamerone (published posthumously in 1634). Basile’s version was later adapted and published by Charles Perrault in Histoires ou contes du temps passé in 1697. The version that was later collected and printed by the Brothers Grimm was an orally transmitted version of the literary tale published by Perrault.
The Aarne-Thompson classification system for folktales classifies “Sleeping Beauty” as being a 410 tale type, meaning it includes a princess who is forced into an enchanted sleep and is later awakened reversing the magic placed upon her. The story has been adapted many times throughout history and has continued to be retold by modern storytellers throughout various media.
I found many versions at our public library and I purchased a Charles Perrault version.
Sleeping Beauty has been my favorite since childhood. I’m excited to read all these versions.
