The Lost Princess: Women Writers and the History of Classic Fairy Tales - Hardcover

by Anne E. Duggan (Author)

Once upon a time: the forgotten female fabulists whose heroines flipped the fairy tale script.

People often associate fairy tales with Disney films and with the male authors from whom Disney often drew inspiration--notably Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen. In these portrayals, the princess is a passive, compliant figure. By contrast, The Lost Princess shows that classic fairy tales such as "Cinderella," "Rapunzel," and "Beauty and the Beast" have a much richer, more complex history than Disney's saccharine depictions. Anne E. Duggan recovers the voices of women writers such as Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, Marie-Jeanne L'H駻itier, and Charlotte-Rose de La Force, who penned popular tales about ogre-killing, pregnant, cross-dressing, dynamic heroines who saved the day. This new history will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about the lost, plucky heroines of historic fairy tales.

Author Biography

Anne E. Duggan is professor of French and fairy-tale studies at Wayne State University, Michigan. She is the author, editor, or translator of many books, including A Cultural History of Fairy Tales.