Contents of
Vol. 17, No. 2 (2003)

Editorial Policy

Guidelines for Submissions

ARTICLES

The Rübezahl Legend in Benedikte Naubert and Johann Karl August Musäus

Laura Martin

This comparison of Rübezahl tales by Benedikte Naubert and Johann Karl August Musäus shows that each tale presents a system of beliefs implicit in the language and narrative structure, and in the depiction of men and women, Gentile and Jew. Naubert's work represents more truly some of the values of the Enlightenment, in its positive depiction of humane treatment of others and tolerance of class, racial, and sexual difference. He work subverts gender roles, which Musäus's story seeks to enshrine. Thus two important myths of our times are debunked: one, that enlightened thought comes exclusively from the upper echelons of the male educated classes; and two, that the German Volk expressed unanimously these early nationalistic and anti-Semitic sentiments, as Robert Darnton claims.

Sadeian Tragedy: The Politics of Content Revision in Angela Carter's "Snow Child"

Soman Chainani

Marked by its rich revision of the stepmother archetype and ambitious attempt to infuse the classic fairy-tale structure with feminist subtext, Angela Carter's "Snow Child" provides a significant opportunity to move beyond current heroine-focused analyses of the postmodern fairy-tale genre. This study closely examines Carter's model of revision for "Snow Child," which attempts to deconstruct fairy-tale and pornographic archetypes simultaneously by tracing their origin to the same source. By using Carter's The Sadeian Woman as a companion text, we can determine her success in using subtext to dismantle three binary archetypes hidden in the Snow White tales: mother-daughter, sister-sister, virgin-whore.

TEXTS & TRANSLATIONS

Laura Gonzenbach and Her Forgotten Treasure of Sicilian Fairy Tales

Jack Zipes

The largely forgotten collection of Sicilian fairy tales published by Laura Gonzenbach in 1870 is perhaps the most important collection of tales in the nineteenth century. An introduction to Gonzenbach's treasury of Sicilian tales describes the background and significance of her work, and a translation of the tale "Sorfarina" exemplifies the many tales in Gonzenbach's collection that portray resolute and clever women who take destiny into their own hands.

The Golden Necklace

Jhanara Amin/Translated by Wahid Omar

This tale was collected from Jhanara Amin, who learned the art of storytelling in her childhood from the professional storyteller Mohammad Anwar. "The Golden Necklace"--an Afghan variant of AT 403, The Black and the While Bride--illustrates the role played by women in maintaining the oral tradition of Afghanistan, which continues today despite the wars.

The Souls in Purgatory

Cecilia Böhl de Faber/Translated by Robert M. Fedorchek

This translation of "Las ánimas" is representative of the collection Cuentos andaluces (Andalusian Tales, 1859) by Cecilia Böhl de Faber, a nineteenth-century Spanish novelist and folklorist. It is yet another example of a Spanish adaptation (like others of hers and several by Antonio de Trueba) of a tale from another country, in this instance a variation on the Grimms' "The Three Spinners."

The Queen Mother

Juan Valera/Translated by Robert M. Fedorchek

This story by the nineteenth-century Spanish author Juan Valera appears in his Cuentos y chascarrillos andaluces (Humorous Andalusian Stories and Tales, 1896).  In the prologue he states that all the selections come directly from the oral tradition of southern Spain and that some are notable for their "coarseness and crudeness" (crudeza y grosería), and some, like this one, triggered by an embarrassing mishap, for their earthy sense of humor.

Reviews

Critical Exchanges

Contributors

Index to Volume 17 (2003)