Resumen
Resumen de El libro violeta de los cuentos de hadas
Para quién es
For parents and teachers who love tales to read aloud, and anyone who enjoys stories from many lands, clever animals, magical helpers and fairy wives.
De qué trata este libro
The Violet Fairy Book is a collection of folk and fairy tales gathered by the Scottish writer Andrew Lang and published in 1901. It is the seventh in his series of twelve fairy books, each named for a colour. Lang did not invent these stories. He chose them from many countries and from many tellers, and he worked with helpers who put them into English. The pictures in the series were drawn by H. J. Ford.
The book was made for children, but it has always found grown readers too. Inside you meet kings and fools, clever animals, dwarfs, fairy wives and greedy neighbours, from places as far apart as Japan, China, France, Italy and the far north of Europe. Each tale is short enough to be read aloud in one sitting. In this summary you will hear how the book is built, what kinds of stories fill it, what they keep returning to, and how they sound when told. Let us start with the man who put the book together.
En este resumen
- 1Lang gathers tales from many landsFree
- 2Clever animals outwit the strong
- 3Kind people meet helpers, greedy ones meet trouble
- 4Fairy wives, princes and enchanted courts
- 5Northern and far-off tales bring new worlds
- 6Common threads and the sound of the tales
Idea clave 1 de 6
Lang gathers tales from many lands
Andrew Lang was a poet, critic and student of myth and folklore. In the late nineteenth century he saw that the old tales of peasants and nurses were being forgotten. He began to collect them for young readers, and the first volume, The Blue Fairy Book, appeared in 1889. Its success led to a long run of colours. The Violet Fairy Book came out in 1901, near the end of the first great wave of the series.
Lang was an editor more than an author. He read widely in the collections made by scholars in many languages, and he picked the tales that seemed fresh and lively. Others, including his wife and a circle of translators, helped him bring them into English. He wrote short prefaces to the books, and in them he joked about his role. He often said that the real makers of these stories were the common people of the world, over many centuries.
This matters for how you read the book. The tales have no single voice and no single country. A story from Japan sits beside one from France, and one from the Lapps sits beside one from the Arabic world. Lang believed that the same plots and wonders turn up everywhere, and the book lets you see that for yourself.
The volume holds about three dozen tales, some only a few pages long and some a good deal longer. They are not arranged by country or by theme, so each new title is a small surprise. That mix is a large part of the pleasure. You never know what kind of world the next page will open.
The first group of stories shows the range quickly, and it begins in the East.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- The Monkey
- The Monkey is a quick-witted creature whom the Jelly-fish seeks to bring to the Dragon King's palace.
- The Jelly-fish
- The Jelly-fish serves the Dragon King, who sends him to bring the Monkey beneath the sea.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 104,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 6 h 55 min
- Listening time11 h 30 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about El libro violeta de los cuentos de hadas
What is The Violet Fairy Book about?
It is a collection of about three dozen folk and fairy tales from many countries, including Japan, China, France and Lapland. The tales feature clever animals, kind and greedy people, magical helpers, princes and fairy wives.
Who wrote The Violet Fairy Book?
Andrew Lang edited it. He did not write the tales himself, since they come from folk tradition and older written collections. He chose them, shaped them for young readers, and worked with helpers who put them into English.
Where does The Violet Fairy Book come in the series?
It is the seventh of Lang's twelve fairy books, which are each named for a colour. It was published in 1901, with drawings by H. J. Ford, and followed the Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Pink and Grey books.
Are the stories in The Violet Fairy Book true or original?
They are traditional tales, not original inventions or true accounts. They come from oral folklore and older written fairy literature in many cultures, and Lang gathered and adapted them for children in the early twentieth century.
Is The Violet Fairy Book good for reading aloud?
Yes. The tales are short, with clear steps and simple language, so most can be read in one sitting. Children can follow them easily, and adults often enjoy the range of settings and the quick pace.