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Genre

Fairy Tale

Speculative and Fantastic Fiction

A fairy tale is a short story belonging to the folklore genre, typically featuring magic, enchantments and mythical or fanciful beings such as dragons, giants, fairies, witches and talking animals. In most cultures there is no firm line separating myth from folk tale or fairy tale, and together they form much of the literature of preliterate societies. Fairy tales are usually distinguished from other folk narratives such as legends and explicit moral tales like beast fables.

Facts
Place of Origin
Europe 1
Notable Example
Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, fixed by Charles Perrault (1697) 1
Defining Trait
Features magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings 1
Fairy Tale
Filter Results4 entries
FAQs

Who gave Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella the forms most readers know?

Charles Perrault fixed both forms in 1697.

The French writer Charles Perrault, who in 1697 fixed the forms of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Wikipedia's account of the genre's history places him in the Salon Era, and it also says the roots of the genre lie in oral stories passed down in European cultures, so Perrault shaped older tales rather than inventing them.
Connections

Features Author

Source Grimms' Fairy Tales (Wikipedia)
Jacob Grimm, Authors
Source Wikipedia: Jacob Grimm
Source The Little Mermaid (Wikipedia)
The Snow Queen, Works
Source The Snow Queen (Wikipedia)
Source The Ugly Duckling (Wikipedia)

Form Of Genre

Fantasy, Genres
In the Other Atlases

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Fairy Tale (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. Fairy Tale (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead paragraph, second sentence
    Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings.
  • History of the genre section, Salon Era paragraph, Perrault sentence
    Charles Perrault (1697), who fixed the forms of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.
  • History of the genre section, second paragraph, opening sentence
    Roots of the genre come from different oral stories passed down in European cultures.
View the Source
The Little Mermaid (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationFeatures Author: The Little Mermaid, Infobox, genre field
Quote, Features Author: The Little Mermaid, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Fantasy, fairy tale
View the Source
The Snow Queen (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationFeatures Author: The Snow Queen, Infobox, genre field
Quote, Features Author: The Snow Queen, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Fairy tale
View the Source
The Ugly Duckling (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationFeatures Author: The Ugly Duckling, Infobox, genre field
Quote, Features Author: The Ugly Duckling, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Literary fairy tale
View the Source
Grimms' Fairy Tales (Wikipedia)
Features Author: Grimm's Fairy Tales, Infobox, genre field
Quote, Features Author: Grimm's Fairy Tales, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Fairy tale Folklore
View the Source
Wikipedia: Jacob Grimm
Features Author: Jacob Grimm, Lead section
Quote, Features Author: Jacob Grimm, Lead section
He formulated Grimm's law of linguistics, and was the co-author of the Deutsches Wörterbuch, the author of Deutsche Mythologie, and the editor of Grimms' Fairy Tales.
View the Source
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