The Owl, The Raven, and the Dove The Religious Meaning of the Grimms' Magic Fairy Tales

by Murphy, G. Ronald

• ISBN13: 9780195151695
• ISBN10: 0195151690
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-11
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The fairy tales collected by the brothers Grimm are among the best known and most widely-read stories in western literature. In recent years commentators such as Bruno Bettelheim have, usually from a psychological perspective, pondered the underlying meaning of the stories, why children are so enthralled by them, and what effect they have on the the best-known tales ( Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty ) and shows that the Grimms saw them as Christian fables. Murphy examines the arguments of previous interpreters of the tales, and demonstrates how they missed the Grimms' intention. His own readings of the five so-called "magical" tales reveal them as the beautiful and inspiring "documents of faith" that the Grimms meant them to be. Offering an entirely new perspective on these often-analyzed tales, Murphy's book will appeal to those concerned with the moral and religious education of children, to students and scholars of folk literature and children's literature, and to the many general readers who are captivated by fairy tales and their meanings.

Author Biography

Ronald G. Murphy is Professor of German at Georgetown University.

Table of Contents

The Roots of Spiritual Stories	p. 3
Scholars and the Religious Spirit of the Tales	p. 17
The Spirituality of Wilhelm Grimm	p. 31
Hansel and Gretel	p. 45
Little Red Riding Hood	p. 67
Cinderella	p. 85
Snow White	p. 113
Sleeping Beauty	p. 133
Afterword	p. 153
The Verses Marked by Wilhelm Grimm in His Greek New Testament	p. 155
Little Red Riding Hood, 1st edition, 1812	p. 165
Yggdrasil, the Cross, and the Christmas Tree	p. 171
Select Bibliography	p. 179
Index	p. 185
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