英文童話故事選讀

正修科技大學梁 淑 芳 教授

What Is a Fairy Tale Fairy tales and fables are terms that are often used

interchangeably, and in fact, a fairy tale is actually considered a particular type of folk tale. Since both folk tales and fairy tales are handed down from one generation to the next, it's sometimes hard to see the difference between the two.

The distinctive qualities of a fairy tale, that often set it apart from other stories like legends and myths, are its descriptiveness and its complicated and sometimes lengthy plot. While folk tales are often very simplistic in their storylines, characters, and description, fairy tales are often much more in depth, with more complex characters and a variety of setting and plot changes.

Understanding the History of Fairy TalesIn order to understand the history of fairy tales,

readers need to be aware of for whom original fairy tales were really written. While today parents love relating their favorite fairy tales to their own children, the dark and often gruesome plot lines of the original stories were intended for adult audiences, not youngsters.

Many of the fairy tales that are repeated today date back to the 17th century and earlier. As these tales were passed down from one century to the next, they were often altered to remove some of the more ghastly and frightening elements and to make them more appropriate for a younger audience.

The term "fairy" was thought to have been taken from the French "contes des fee", and many of the fairy tales we read today are based on tales from French literature which often featured the ethereal creatures. In fact, Charles Perrault, a well-known writer of fairy tales, often wrote his stories to be presented at the court of Versailles, and these typically featured fairies as well as a moralistic theme.

While writers like the Grimm Brothers, who collected German tales, Perrault, and often Hans Christian Anderson are often the first authors named when discussing the history of fairy tales, their origin goes back much further than the 17th century, and many of these stories are actually just retellings of age-old tales, many created by women and retold throughout history.

Women and the Fairy Tale Women typically created fairy tales with a distinct

purpose in mind-to protest the societal constraints that were placed upon them and to emphasis their own rights as women in a man's world. Women like the Countess d"Aulnoy and the Contess de Murat struck back at the misery of their marriages by creating and telling fairy tales that didn't always feature happy endings. Countess de Murat in particular appeared to enjoy shocking those who attended her informal gatherings at salons in Paris in which she would captivate her listeners with tales of marriage and other topics.

Throughout history, tales continued to be told and retold as women spent much of their time together, spinning, weaving, and sewing. In a world where women were expected to remain silent, their tales allowed them to create heroines that were strong and enabled them to pass on stories to their daughters and granddaughters that taught powerful lessons of conquering adversity and rewarding virtuousness.

Tracing History Some people point to biblical times.Many of the beloved stories of today can be traced back to

original tales that have evolved and changed over time. For example, there have been many different versions of

Cinderella published and retold throughout the years, but the oldest version appears to date back to 860 CE (which is referred to as the Common Era) in China. While some of the characters are distinctly different from the frequently told story of today, there is a definite commonality between the ancient Chinese version and today's tale.

The Secret Garden (1) Born in Manchester, England on November 24 1849, Frances Eliza

Hodgson was the eldest daughter in a family of two boys and three girls. After her father's death when she was three years old, the Hodgsdons experienced severe financial difficulties. As a young girl, she would scrawl little stories on sheets of old notebooks, as she was unable to afford proper writing materials. In 1865 the family moved to Tennessee where they lived in a log cabin and the teenage Frances set up a little school. She began submitting stories to women's magazines and in a time when most women did not have careers, Frances Eliza Hodgsdon was a literary success. In 1873 she married Dr. Swan Burnett and they had two sons -- Lionel, born 1874, and Vivian, born 1876 -- but the marriage was not a happy one. Her younger son, Vivian, clamoured for something for little boys to read, so Frances wrote "Little Lord Fauntleroy" and modeled the main character after him. In 1890 tragedy struck when her eldest son, Lionel, died of influenza. Frances and Swan separated and finally divorced in 1898, and she went on to remarry Stephen Townshend. Frances moved to Long Island, New York in 1901 and there began to write her two most famous stories -- "A Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden", inspired by her poor childhood and her love for gardening. She began rather eccentric in her old age, but delighted in her grandchildren. Frances Hodgson Burnett died on 29 October 1924. www.imdb.com/name/nm0122364/bio

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The Secret Garden (2)The Secret Garden, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett,

is a charming book about a girl named Mary Lennox. She is a spoiled and sickly child who lives in India. When her parents die because of a cholera epidemic, she moves to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her rich uncle in England. Things are a definite change for her. Slowly she becomes stronger and starts to take an interest in the outdoors. She meets all sorts of people like Martha, Dickon, and Colin. Martha is a maid on the grounds who has taken a fancy to Mary, and Dickon is her brother. Dickon is quite an unusual fellow. He possesses the ability to talk to animals and is able to grow anything with a little bit of soil. Colin, who you will meet later in the story, is a child who has basically given up the will to live, believing he is doomed to be a hunchback like his father. Strong-willed Mary reprimands him and takes matters into her own hands. Mary has all kinds of adventures with strange sounds at night, funny accents, and a locked garden. The Secret Garden is a wonderful book about friendship, determination, and perseverance. . . .

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Study Questions1. Throughout the novel, Mary and Colin are

described as being "a perfect match" for one another. Why? What are their similarities? When first we meet them, they are both extremely unlikable. Does the narrator hold them responsible for their flaws? If they are not responsible, who is?

2. One of the central motifs of The Secret Garden is the idea of magic. What is magic? What are some of its features? Where does it come from? What are its effects? Refer to Hodgson Burnett's own philosophical beliefs in your answer.

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The Little Prince (1)Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ([ɑ̃H twan də sɛ̃H.tɛ̃g.zy.pe.ʀi]) (June

29, 1900 – presumably July 31, 1944) was a French writer and aviator. His most famous works is Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)... The Little Prince was and remains one of the most popular children's books ever, but transcends the genre of children's literature, reminding adults of the value of the innocence of child-like love and belief. The work underscores the foibles of the adult human ego, poking fun at human arrogance and the sense of self-importance. The "Prince," looking at human society with the eyes of an outsider, helps the narrator to understand what is truly important in life. Saint-Exupéry disappeared on the night of July 31, 1944 while flying on a mission to collect data on German troop movements.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia goodreads.com

The Little Prince (2) The Little Prince (French: ''Le Petit Prince''), first published in 1943, is a

novella and the most famous work of the French aristocrat writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944, Mort pour la France).

The novella is both the most read and most translated book in the French language, and was voted the best book of the 20th century in France, maintaining sales of over one million copies per year worldwide. Translated into more than 250 languages and dialects, with sales totaling more than 200 million copies, it has become one of the best-selling books ever published.

Saint-Exupéry, a laureate of several of France's highest literary awards and a reserve military pilot at the start of the Second World War, wrote and illustrated the manuscript while exiled in the United States after the Fall of France. He had traveled there on a personal mission to convince its government to quickly enter the war against Nazi Germany. In the midst of personal upheavals and failing health he produced almost half of the writings he would be remembered for, including a tender tale of loneliness, friendship, love and loss, in the form of a young prince fallen to Earth.

An earlier memoir by the author recounted his aviation experiences in the Sahara desert. He is thought to have drawn on those same experiences for use as plot elements in The Little Prince. The novella has been adapted to various media over the decades, including audio recordings, stage, screen, ballet and operatic works. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Study Questions 1. Saint-Exupéry wrote The Little Prince in

New York as World War II raged in Europe, and after his homeland had been captured by the Nazis. Are there any symbols that are particularly evocative of war and exile?

2. What differentiates adults from children in The Little Prince? Is the distinction simply one of age, or is it based on something else?

3. When the narrator and the prince search for a well, the narrator appears finally to understand the lessons that the prince has related to him. What does this say about the morals of the novel?

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