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Grimm's Fairy Tales
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Grimm's Fairy Tales
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Grimm's Fairy Tales
Audiobook8 hours

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Written by Brothers Grimm

Narrated by George Newbern

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

From Children's and Household Tales (German: Kinder und Hausmarchen) Grimm's Fairy Tales was first published in 1812 by the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm. Though earlier editions included material deemed unpalatable to modern audiences, subsequent editions softened some of the violence and raciness of the original.

Containing 62 stories, including Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty), Hansel and Grete, Snow White and Rose Red, and Ashputtel (Cinderella), this collection was praised by W.H. Auden as among the founding works of Western culture.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 25, 2018
ISBN9781974914531
Author

Brothers Grimm

Wilhelm Grimm and his brother Jacob are famous for their classical collection of folk songs and folktales, especially for Children’s and Household Tales, generally known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

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Reviews for Grimm's Fairy Tales

Rating: 4.179980732242541 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    (Original Review, 2005-11-16)In Genesis there is suddenly this sentence/observation about giants walking the Earth in them days... I always see those elderly male Jews in Babylon, staring glumly at some campfire, thinking about the good old days and thinking up revengeful plans to smite the enemy. They tell the stories of their tribes but there is that one quite senile idiot always going on about 'them giants' - so in the end they say, "Okay, we WILL put them in. Now shut up already!" I can see myself being the Giant Guy (if more all over the place) and I'm not sure the good campfire folks here need the distraction... I don't know if it is only about 'folk tales' per se, but I am with most people on the campfire and howling wolves. For me the atmospherics are very, very important. Our culture no longer has much in the way of campfires and wolves so our writers have had to incorporate them, figuratively, into the fictions themselves. The rest is literary history.I don't see fairytales simply as children's stories; that's a relatively recent- and, of late, receding- viewpoint. There is a vast quantity of material around beyond Grimm and Andersen and little of it aimed at children. Perrault or Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy were writing for the amusement of adults, and the Arabian Nights were not exactly suitable bedtime reading for under-5's, while Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen achieved almost occult-like effects in her wondrous tales, which float somewhere between Baghdad and Copenhagen.Fairytales are most powerful when they access the taboo, the suppressed, or the deepest fears and desires within us. And they do so often. Your "children's rituals" and "simple messages" are really only the tip of the iceberg. For that matter, “The talented Mr. Ripley” (LINK) fulfills a similar role - a very wicked and challenging little tale full of deliciously gratuitous moments, the enjoyment of which made me at least think long and hard about my own morality.I was raised on the standard stuff: Grimm and Andersen mostly. There is obviously darkness there - and taboos, yes. (It's interesting that in the stories where children are imperiled the original versions had 'mother' and the later versions 'stepmothers'.) The ones I and probably most children end(ed) up with are the simpler, safer ones though, don't you think? I love Angela Carter's “Bloody Chamber” but most kids will be more likely to see Disney as the centre of the fairytale universe - which truly is a disservice to fairytales, of course.I am no longer that interested in stories where the characters are merely there to move things alone. Like standard puppets that can be used and reused for all kinds of similar types of stories. As I mentioned elsewhere, that goes for all kinds of stories, including movies. What I find fascinating about the early stories passed along (mutating on the way) is more that they give us some kinds of fleeting glimpse of the origin story of stories. Because most of the early part of that origins stories is/was in an oral form we can never really know how stories began and evolved. There are no helpful fossils - or not enough to have more than (slightly) informed theories.Did stories start as parts of religious/ceremonial chants? Were they like cave paintings: meant to magically influence the outcome of the hunt? Where did fiction start to make an entrance, if the earliest stories were mostly a sort of remembering (the deeds and wisdom of) dead tribe members? All endlessly fascinating to me - and no more than useless musings in the end.Back to fairytales for a moment. They may no longer really work for me as entertainment but the reason they don't is in a way part of their strength. That they are predictable is partly why they work so well as stories. They warn us about the evils of the world but they are also almost like a church service: a repeated ritual to explain the world. They bring order to what basically is a chaotic system. Which is of course also why they are so enduringly popular with children, who like rituals and the idea of safety-through-repetition. I like my stories, like “Grimms Märchen,” more complex but it is easy to see how stories that carve simple messages out of the complex narrative of the world will be as enduring as the world. In that way they are exactly like religion (for me at least). The Grimms, despite their initial attempt to be "invisible" curators of folklore, began increasingly to modify and colour the tales they transcribed. Italo Calvino discusses this phenomenon at length in the introduction to Italian Fables, his own attempt to replicate the Grimms' work in Italy.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I'm glad I finally read this collection, but it was not very impressive. Most of the tales were very repetitive--maybe one element was changed in the new tale. Some of the tales were inane and ridiculous, but not in a good way. The best tales were already snagged by Disney to turn into movies. It was interesting reading the original versions of those stories, though. Again, I'm glad I read it, but won't be reading it twice.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I decided to read the original Grimm's Fairy Tales, possibly the world's first set of collected fairy tales, shortly after finishing The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I loved Grimm's Fairy Tales for their darkness and originality. Although some of the fairy tales have become ubiquitous in our culture, such as "Hansel and Gretel," I enjoyed reading the original version.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Good folk tales but not for children!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I guess I'm glad I read it, but it was a chore. For every good story, there are twenty near-unreadable messes.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Finally finished. I have lots of thoughts about these tales and their common motifs. Pretty much, if you have a stepmother, she's wicked and dabbles in witchcraft. Trials and events happen in threes. There's always a dress of the sun, a dress of the moon, and a dress of the stars that a beautiful maiden will exchange with a false bride so that she may sleep in the same chamber as her beloved, but the false bride will give the groom a sleeping potion so that he won't hear the beautiful maiden's story and remember who she is. Luckily the servants will inform the prince and all will be made well. The cleverest son is usually the one deemed stupid or daft. If you can slip from the skin of an animal, a form you are required to take by day, and someone steals the skin and burns it, then you are free from your curse and will remain human. And on and on. I learned many ways to cheat the devil, so that's handy. It was enjoyable to read the original, darker versions of the tales Disney "cleaned up" and to read the tales no one ever mentions, like "Allerleirauh" which in the German means "of many different kinds of fur." "The Bremen Town Musicians" and "The Master Thief" are two of my faves.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wow, disney is WAY off on how the original Cinderella went!! I like this book, but the brothers Grimm were a little morbid!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I loved these stories but they are definitely not intended for children. They were also more than a bi moralistic especially for Europe during the times of the Enlightenment
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Timeless stories, in all their bloody glory. :) My favorite is Rumpelstiltskin, when he rips himself in half. :D
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Interesting reading, but hard to get through. These are the fairy tales I heard of as an adult, but never knew as a vhild. Some of these are NOT for children.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enormous breadth, and much crueller in the original telling (and the best children's literature often has a streak of cruelty viz Roald Dahl). Maybe there are too many stories in the volume - sometimes they can be repetitive. On a secondary note and interesting window into the folk traditions of early modern Germany.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The best thing about this edition is, of course, its completeness. This has all the tales, including the ten religious tales for children. It's definitely an adult version- just the tales and no pictures or mincing about. The translation is based on the Grimms' last edition. I bought this after becoming interested in fairy tales and have since been more than happy with the results.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The brothers Grimm. Required reading for all children. Required reading auf deutsch for anyone who is studying German.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    These fairy tales should never be mistaken for just 'children's stories'. They are not dumbed or watered down - they are as they were written as Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm originally set them down: bold, primal, just frightening enough, and endlessly engaging. I think this should be a must read for any adult out there.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I appreciate these classic fairy tales more as an adult than I did as a child.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It was interesting to read the original (and darker) versions of some of the fairy tales that Disney has sanitized for American children. I love Grimm fairy tales, and they are even better in their original German. Each one is not only entertaining, but teaches a great life lesson. If you have a dark sense of humor or just plain like morbid stories, Grimm fairy fales are as good as they get.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Summary:The book I own is from 1945 and I could not find the specific book on here. This is a collection of the fairy tales collected and printed by the brothers Grimm. All of the classic tales such as Briar Rose (sleeping Beauty) and Cinderella are in the book as well as some unknown to me like Fundevogel. Many of the stories start with 'Once upon a time' and contain someone good, someone bad and a quest or lesson to be learned. The book is bound with burgundy material and has wonderful color prints on the front and throughout the book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The brothers grimm book of fairytales is not for the lighthearted. Its scary and has many dark themes yet somehow on a cold winters night im always drawn in.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a great thing to reread all these old tales again, most of them as if for the first time! I'd forgotten how much simpler and purer many of these are than their Disney versions (although I do appreciate those also) such as Rumpelstiltskin and how explicitly Christian many of them are such as Our Lady's Child, my favorite, from which Tomie Depaola's classic "Clown of God" obviously draws from. I think the translation is one of the most readable I've seen, keeping a touch of old world flavor without sounding too foreign to modern ears. Great collection.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think every person should read a fairy tale anthology. Grimm's is a good choice. Not all the stories all good, and there is a lot of repetition - one element from here, another there, to make a different story. But - it is interesting to see the stories as told originally to the Grimm brothers, before Disney got hold of it and changed the story. In this book, there are a few good witches, many more bad witches, but no fairy godmothers granting wishes.What I found most interesting is that these stories change from teller to teller, and for the circumstance. There is many references to Christianity (tricking the Devil, Angels, Churches, etc) so I think that they were changed from pagan to accommodate the changing beliefs.I wonder where all the royalty comes from, it seems that every story has a peasant marrying a royal after some sort of trial, or royalty marrying other royalty after a trial - is this a wish fulfillment or something else by the story teller?Even though these stories are fiction and were created to entertain, they show an element of life at the time they were spoken - lots of hard work, very little money, and a world that is supernatural, not tamed by science.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Although very long, worthwhile for readers for all ages! These are fun twists on classic fairy tales most of us have heard, & the ones we haven't the reader will fall in love with!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This a is great little story that shows you can never receive something without expecting to have to give something in return.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    These are the unabridged tales of the Brothers Grimm, which means death and envy and not-nice endings. These are old German tales, which can bring back rather Teutonic visions of paganism and malicious parents. One can understand the superstition of the Germanic population and how many of these tales originated during the Thirty Years' War, when entire families and villages vanished in flames. I suppose if I had to survive during those times, my mind would have created wondrous stories that focused on retribution and survival. While the Grimms collected these tales in the 19th Century, the horrors of the previous centuries come through loud and clear.

    There are many patterns throughout the stories with the numbers 3 and 7 being very popular. Three sons venture into the world, seven brothers are turned into swans, three puzzles must be solved by the potential groom, seven years must be served under the Devil...and so forth and so on. Wives and mothers do not come out well here, either being selfish or witches or both. Hansel and Gretel still resonates, more so after reading the original version (as in, parents not wanting the kids).

    I took my time reading this over several months, so I could enjoy each story. There are many favorites but the one I enjoyed the most was the shortest:MISFORTUNE, which quickly tells the tale of a man who couldn't win, even as he was being saved (crushed by a wall).

    When misfortune pursues any one, it will find him out into whatever corner he may creep, or however far he may flee over the world.

    Book Season = Autumn (season of the witch)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read this over and over again as a kid (obviously not the "kindle" edition, but it was one big volume.)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This fairytale was about a brother and sister named, Hansel and Gretel, who are lured into the woods by their evil stepmom. They can't find their way back home and come upon a gingerbread candy house. They begin to eat the house and then get invited in by a witch who tried to fatten them up to eat them in a stew. They trick the witch, kill her, and then find their way home to their father with riches. The theme of this story could be triumph and perseverance. This story is kind of scary to teach as a lesson but I think it is a great book to have in the classroom for special story days to read about fairytales and the different types of them.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Summary: The Grimm brothers' collection of folk stories was originally intended as a scholarly work for adults, although they're better known today as children's fairy tales. This collection contains early versions of favorites such as Cinderella, Rumplestiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. However, there are also many lesser-known fables as well, telling stories of noble kings and beautiful princesses, clever merchants and shiftless sons, magical sacks and enchanted animals, and wicked witches and the depths of the dark forest.Review: I'd always heard that the original versions of fairy tales were a lot darker and more gruesome than the Disney-fied versions that everyone knows. And, while it's true that the stories in this collection were certainly not nearly as sanitized as the versions that you'll find in children's storybooks, neither were they quite as dark as I'd been led to believe. A lot of the stories are either humorous and light, or relatively straightforward morality tales with the good and honorable people winding up happy and the wicked people ending up punished for their misdeeds. What really surprised me were the few stories that seemed to run counter to the implied morality of the rest of the tales - there was more than one story where the character who is clever and manipulative and greedy actually gets his own way, instead of causing his own downfall. That discontinuity actually interested me more than any of the so-called "dark" elements to the stories; I'd be curious to read a more analytical approach to these classic stories.This book took me a long time to finish, not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because when a book contains short short stories, it becomes too easy to put down and not pick back up again. The stories I enjoyed most were not the stories I already knew (i.e. Cinderella, etc.), nor the stories that were totally unfamiliar, but rather the stories that I had only ever encountered in passing in other works of fiction. I got a lot of background on quite a few Fables characters whose origins I didn't already know, that's for sure. Finally reading "The Goose Girl" let me see how much of Shannon Hale's version was her own invention, and I was shocked to see that Tender Morsels is an actual quote from "Snow White and Rose Red." Overall, if it isn't too blasphemous, I do have to say that I generally enjoy retellings more than the originals, but that my appreciation for the retellings is deepened by knowing where they come from... so reading the Grimm brothers' originals was certainly worth my time. 4 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Every lover of fantasy and fairy tales should probably read this (and Hans Christan Andersen's Fairy Tales) at some point in their lives.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The one thing I would change about this book is to add more color to the illustrations in the stories. This way it would be more appealing to the students than just a black and white illustration.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    With love from Mummy and Daddy Xmas 1959, I was three and the words and pictures have never left me. A rock on which the rest of my life was built. The book records a moment in time and place, defined by stories, marked on every page by the history of the world, cousin to other stories in other places all over the world and full of the expectancy of the ever changing future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    These are Stories I have read and loved as a child and Adult.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a hard book to read. Not because these stories weren't interesting. No, it was the sheer amount of stories to get through and the repetitive nature of the stories and how they were organized in this book. All the stories that were similar were lumped together so that by the time you'd gotten through fifty pages of Cinderella versions you could hardly read anything more. The repetitive nature makes sense sine these tale were originally oral tales and had to be easily remembered. Beyond the language however, there was a repetitiveness to the story-lines as well. The wolf creatures were always getting their belly's cut open to have their meals jump out unharmed and well, and there are always three siblings and it's always the youngest sibling who accomplished the goal and came out on top. Things like that. But beyond the chore of getting through more than a few pages at a time, it was interesting to read this short stories and discover a life lesson people of old would tell their children to make them aware of the world. I have to admit however that I ended up scanning towards the end of the book because it was such a chore to read. This book has been a long time on my desk. I think as an alternative I would recommend finding the original Grimm's stories for those classic stories you want to hear about - Cinderella, Rapunzel, etc and not worrying about the rest of the small tales unless you really want to.