PublishedReaktion Books, December 2023 |
ISBN9781789147698 |
FormatHardcover, 320 pages |
Dimensions21.6cm × 13.8cm |
People often associate fairy tales with Disney films, and with the male authors from whom Disney often drew inspiration - notably Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. In these portrayals the princess is a passive, compliant figure.
By contrast, The Lost Princess shows that classic fairy tales such as 'Cinderella', 'Rapunzel' and 'Beauty and the Beast' have a much richer, more complex history than Disney's saccharine depictions. Anne E. Duggan recovers the voices of women writers such as Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, Marie-Jeanne L'Heritier and Charlotte-Rose de La Force, who penned popular tales about ogre-killing, pregnant, cross-dressing, dynamic heroines who saved the day. This new history will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about the lost, plucky heroines of historic fairy tales.