Showing results for "writers-" in Customs & Traditions

This remarkable and monumental book at last provides a comprehensive answer to the age-old riddle of whether there are only a small number of "basic stories" in the world. Using a wealth of examples, from ancient myths and folk tales via the plays and novels of great literature to the popular movies and TV soap operas of today, it reveals that there are seven archetypal themes which recur throughout every kind of storytelling.

In 17th century Paris, a group of women who called themselves conteuses (female storytellers) came together to weave the very first fairy tales. One of them, Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, actually coined the term ‘fairy tale’ and some of these stories contain many familiar (and well-loved) elements that appear in tales like Rapunzel and Beauty and the Beast. Unfortunately, these women, and their tales, have mostly been forgotten to history. Women of the Fairytale Resistance uncovers seven of these writer’s biographies—and retells 12 of their original stories.