Buried Treasures - by Jack Zipes

About the Book

"In this capstone book, fairy tale expert Jack Zipes has assembled what he describes as his last theoretical and critical study of fairy tales. His purpose is to create a coherent collection that pays tribute to a group of writers that he views as "survivors with a mission" whose tales inspire readers to this day. The book begins with a substantial introduction in which Zipes discusses the history of his interest in fairy tales and the motivation for his scholarship in the field. In a world filled with conflict, he writes, "fairy tales can be used for enlightenment by all of us or abused by small groups of powerful people who seek domination." The main text includes thirteen essays on notable authors of fairy tales-âEdouard Laboulaye, Kurt Schwitters, Bâela Bâalazs, Christian Bèarmann, Charles Godfrey Leland, Mariette Lydis, Ernst Bloch, Paul Vaillant-Couturier, Hermynia zur Mèuhlen, Lisa Teztner, Felix Salten, Emery Kelen, and Gianni Rodari-many of whom lived through revolutions and world wars or were otherwise compelled to confront political oppression during their lives. Zipes considers their cultural significance and their contributions to fairy tale literature, arguing that each deserves greater attention and appreciation. Some of the chapters have been adapted from previously published introductions Zipes wrote for the Oddly Modern Fairy Tales series, which he edits, and others are adapted from scholarly volumes that Zipes has published over his long career as a self-identified "scholarly scavenger" of largely forgotten tales. Together, they create a portrait of the political stakes that have animated Zipes's lifelong fascination with the fairy tale, and explain why readers and writers alike continue to return to this narrative form"--

Book Synopsis

Fascinating profiles of modern writers and artists who tapped the political potential of fairy tales

Jack Zipes has spent decades as a "scholarly scavenger," discovering forgotten fairy tales in libraries, flea markets, used bookstores, and internet searches, and he has introduced countless readers to these remarkable works and their authors. In Buried Treasures, Zipes describes his special passion for uncovering political fairy tales of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, offers fascinating profiles of more than a dozen of their writers and illustrators, and shows why they deserve greater attention and appreciation.

These writers and artists used their remarkable talents to confront political oppression and economic exploitation by creating alternative, imaginative worlds that test the ethics and morals of the real world and expose hidden truths. Among the figures we meet here are Édouard Laboulaye, a jurist who wrote acute fairy tales about justice; Charles Godfrey Leland, a folklorist who found other worlds in tales of Native Americans, witches, and Roma; Kurt Schwitters, an artist who wrote satirical, antiauthoritarian stories; Mariette Lydis, a painter who depicted lost-and-found souls; Lisa Tetzner, who dramatized exploitation by elites; Felix Salten, who unveiled the real meaning of Bambi's dangerous life in the forest; and Gianni Rodari, whose work showed just how political and insightful fantasy stories can be.

Demonstrating the uncanny power of political fairy tales, Buried Treasures also shows how their fictional realities not only enrich our understanding of the world but even give us tools to help us survive.

Review Quotes

"Buried Treasures: The Power of Political Fairy Tales seeks to acquaint us with a wider group of writers of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries who made use of the fairy tale form to tell their stories. . . . These essays push us outward to explore these writers and find marginalized works, 'buried treasures, ' on our own."---George Bodmer, Children's Literature Association Quarterly

"[Buried Treasures] is sure to delight those already familiar with Zipes's work, as well as those who are approaching it for the first time. . . . Part of the pleasure of this volume is discovering the many varied and extraordinary ways that fairy tales have been rewritten and reworked."---Jean R. Freedman, Journal of Folklore Research Reviews

"Buried Treasures is an apt title for this collection of profiles of modern writers and illustrators who used fairy tales to make political statements. . . . Highly recommended."-- "Choice"

"Buried Treasures shows . . . how fairy tales and fantasies may provide keys to understanding the world and why unburying them remains more than ever essential today."---Laurence Talairach, Literature & History

"[Buried Treasures] successfully illuminates the many thematic congruences among the featured writers and yields striking insights into the enduring relevance of their writings. . . . Zipes's commentary manifests the fruitfulness and relevance of unburying long-forgotten fairy tales. . . . [A] powerful, timely book."---Ann Schmiesing, German Studies Review

"Zipes is a rare and precious commodity: an academic who is readable and accessible."---Terry Potter, Letterpress Project

"A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of the Year"

"A potent testament to the power of stories."-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Jack Zipes is the author of The Irresistible Fairy Tale, translator of The Original Bambi and The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, and editor of The Sorcerer's Apprentice (all Princeton). He is professor emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota.