






































OCR Document


 

BOOK REVIEWS 

De Vos, Gail and Anna Altmann. New Tales for Old: Folktales as 
Literary Fictions for Young Adults. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries 
Unlimited, 1999. 406p. $39.00 hc. 

As society changes and the entertainment industry impacts our 
culture, traditional fairy tales borrowed from the oral tradition have been 
adopted and adapted into new forms by the popular media. The unique 
contribution of New Tales for Old is the listing and discussion of a wide 
range of contemporary adaptations—movies, novels, operas, poetry, 
short stories, picture books, and Internet resources based on eight 
folktales: "Cinderella," "The Frog King," "Hansel and Gretel," "Little 
Red Riding Hood," "Rapunzel," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Sleeping Beauty," 
and "Snow White." The persistence of these familiar fairy tales—often 
in dramatically altered forms—highlights the haunting power of these 
images and messages whose roots lie deep in oral tradition. Replete with 
interdisciplinary interpretations, this book is a treasure trove for teachers 
who work with undergraduates or high school populations. Folklorists, 
too, will find this a useful and stimulating resource. 

After discussing the theories of Walther J. Ong as presented in 
Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word, the authors 
provide an overview of the folktale genre and various interpretative 
approaches. In the following chapters, each focusing on a single tale, 
scholarly commentaries from folkloristic, literary, social, political, and 
psychological perspectives follow the story text. These scholarly syn-
theses, which emphasize the symbolism. of each tale as well as gender 
issues, are offered in an objective and non-judgmental manner. Versions 
of the tale in various popular media are discussed, and each chapter ends 
with thoughtful and creative classroom exercises and an extensive 
bibliography. 

An overview of one of the chapters will serve to illustrate the 
breadth and variety of scholarship in this work. "Snow White" (Chapter 
Nine) begins by comparing the version of the tale in Giambattista 
Basile's The Pentamerone (seventeenth century) with the Grimm ver-
sion, including a chart showing revisions made in subsequent editions of 
the Grimm texts. In their "Overview of Critical Interpretations," 

 



 

BOOK REVIEWS 

the authors summarize in chronological order commentaries on "Snow 
White" by Karl Schenkl, Alfred Nutt, Ernest Boklen, Bolte and Polivka, 
Kurt Heyman, J.P Grant Duff, A.N. Foxe, A.S. Macquisten and R.W 
Pickford, Julius Heuscher, Bruno Bettelheim, N.J. Girardot, Roger Sale, 
Sandra M.Gilbert and Susan Gubar, Derek Brewer, Kay Stone, Max 
Luthi, Maria Tatar, Betsy Cohen, Ruth Bottigheimer, Wolfgang Mieder, 
Joyce Thomas, Shuli Barzilai, Steven Swann Jones, James McGlathery, 
Lutz Rohrich, Trina Schart Hyman, Nancy Walker, Martin Hallett and 
Barbara Karasek, Diane Purkiss and Christiana Bacchilega. Interpretive 
and philosophical' statements are presented without criticism, as the 
authors' purpose is "to provoke rather than to judge." 

The authors' discussion also covers literary works based on "Snow 
White," including three novels: Pictures of the Night by Adele Geras 
(San Diego, CA: Harcourt, 1992), The Godmother by Elizabeth Ann 
Scarborough (New York: Ace, 1994) and Little Snow White, a graphic 
novel by David Wenzel and Douglas Wheeler (New York: Nantier, Beall 
and Minoustchine, 1995). Donald Bartheleme's Snow White is not 
included, perhaps because the authors considered it inappropriate for 
young adults? References to "Snow White" in children's picture books 
along with synopses of eighteen short stories and eleven poems 
(presented in chronological order of their publication) are also presented. 

The chapter includes a lengthy examination of "Snow White and the 
Seven Dwarfs" (1937), Walt Disney's first full-length animated film 
which sparked interest in animated reworkings of traditional and literary 
tales. De Vos and Altmann even include a section on "Movie Trivia" 
which reveals that individualized dwarfs were previously found only in a 
picture book published in England (1921) where the illustrator drew 
names on the dwarf's trousers: Stool, Plate, Spoon, Fork, Knife, Bread 
and Wine. Disney's innovation was not only to provide names for the 
dwarfs, but in addition, to give them distinct personalities. (Other names 
Disney considered included Gabby, Jumpy, Sniffy, Puffy, Lazy, Stubby, 
Shorty, Nifty and Wheezy.) Additional contemporary films discussed in 
this chapter include Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1996), directed by 
Michael Cohen and Willa: An American Snow White (1997), directed by 
Tom Davenport as well as several short films. 

Finally, in the Internet category, the authors describe a site devel-
oped by Professor Kay E. Vandergrift: www.scils.rutgers.edu/spe- 

106 



 

BOOK REVIEWS 

cial/kay/swteach.html. Here an 1898 edition of "Snow White" can be 
used to compare highlighted portions of the text with more than thirty 
other variants. The "Classroom Extensions" exercises include questions 
for discussion on essay writing: To what extent can the apple in "Snow 
White" be compared with the spindle in "Sleeping Beauty?" What is the 
role of the witch in history? In folklore? Is this witch different than the 
witch in "Hansel and Gretel" and "Rapunzel?" The chapter concludes 
with an extensive bibliography. Each of the other stories is presented 
with the same in detail coverage, referencing media publications and 
productions. 

New Tales for Old is enhanced by an attractive book design which 
includes convenient headers and footers, easy to read charts, and use of a 
bold font for story titles and section headings. I heartily recommend this 
book for lovers of folk tales and/or popular culture. 

RUTH STOTTER 

Suwyn, Barbara J. Edited and with an Introduction by Natalie O. 
Kononenko. The Magic Egg and Other Tales from Ukraine. [World 
Folklore Series.] Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. 1997. ISBN: 1-
56308-425-2. 222p, b&w and color illustrations, bibliography, index. 
$29.50 

This is a collection of delightful stories, rewritten to appeal to 
children, suitable for reading aloud or retelling orally. The volume, part 
of the World Folklore series, has been designed with a school and library 
market in mind. It includes supplemental material such as a glossary and 
pronunciation guide, introductions that provide historical and cultural 
context, and bibliographies with suggestions for further reading. The 
collection is divided into animal tales, how and why stories, moral 
stories, and legends and fairy tales. The variety of stories is chosen to 
appeal to a range of age levels and teachers and parents are urged to be 
selective in deciding which stories to share. A young child enchanted by 
stories like "The Turnip" or "The Little Round Bun" might find stories 
like "The Stranger" (a vampire story) or "The Sorceress" frightening, 
although these are gripping tales that will captivate older readers. The 
work is the result of collaboration between Suwyn, a professional 
copywriter and poet, and Kononenko, 

107 




