Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion

The fairy tale may be one of the most important cultural and social influences on children’s lives. But until Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion, little attention had been paid to the ways in which the writers and collectors of tales used traditional forms and genres in order to shape children’s lives - their behavior, values, and relationship to society. As Jack Zipes convincingly shows, fairy tales have always been a powerful discourse, capable of being used to shape or destabilize attitudes and behavior within culture.

For this new edition, the author has revised the work throughout and added a new introduction bringing this classic title up to date.

Jack Zipes is Professor of German at the University of Minnesota. An acclaimed translator and scholar of children’s literature and culture, his most recent books include Hans Christian Andersen: The MisunderstoodStoryteller and Speaking Out: Storytelling and CreativeDrama for Children, both published by Routledge.