The
Classic Fairy Tales:
A Pathfinder
Encyclopedias
The following sources provide both general and specific overviews of fairy tales, their development, and their specific authors and titles.
Utley, Francis Lee. “Fairy
Tale.” Encyclopedia Americana: International Edition. vol. 10
Danbury: Grolier Inc., 2001: 846-847.
Davis Reference AE5 .E333 2001
Used as a general overview of fairy tales, this article is a wonderful guide. Subheadings include: genre, structure, classification, history, and interpretation. There are references to other encyclopedia articles for more information, such as “folklore” and “literature for children.” This article is excellent for beginning researchers or someone who simply wants to learn about fairy tales in general.
Zipes, Jack, ed. The
Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales: The Western Fairy Tale Tradition from Medieval
to Modern. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Davis Reference/UL Reference PN3437 .O94 2000
This book is a magnificent, comprehensive source for fairy-tale information. The entries are in alphabetical order and include listings for fairy-tale authors, fairy-tale illustrators, specific fairy-tale titles, certain countries and their fairy tales, and more. It is a great source for both specific information about a particular author or tale and more broad information about tales in particular countries. The entries range from paragraphs to several pages and are compiled by Jack Zipes, noted fairy-tale scholar and critic. Pictures are also scattered among the entries to which they relate. A listing of other contributors and editors appears in the front of the book both by abbreviation and full citation. The introduction, written by Zipes himself, discusses the attempt of defining “literary fairy tales.” This book should be consulted by anyone interested in fairy tales.
Indexes
The following indexes provide a means of looking up fairy tales by plot and subject, respectively. Tales by Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and Perrault appear throughout these indexes.
Ashliman, D. L. A Guide
to Folktales in the English Language: Based on the Aarne-Thompson Classification
System. Bibliographies and Indexes in World Literature. no. 11
Westport: Greenwood Press, 1987.
Davis Reference Z5983 .F17 A83 1987
This book is a wonderful source for reading the plots of fairy tales. The entries are arranged according to the tale-type number given by the Antti Aarne and Sith Thompson index. Should the tale-type numbers be unfamiliar, an index at the back of the book provides alphabetical listings of the titles and key words of the best-known tales. The entries themselves list the tale-type—such as “The Changeling”—provide a synopsis of the tale, and then list different citations for tales which correspond to the tale-type. This book is a great tool to consult should summaries of the tales or tales related to a certain tale-type be desired.
Sprug, Joseph W. Index
to Fairy Tales, 1987-1992 Including 310 Collections of Fairy Tales, Folktales,
Myths, and Legends With Significant pre-1987 Titles Not Previously Indexed.
Metuchen: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1994. Davis Reference Z5983 .F17 S67 1994
Ireland, Norma Olin and Joseph W. Sprug. Index to Fairy Tales, 1978-1986
Including Folklore, Legends, and Myths in Collections. 5th suppl. Metuchen:
The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1989.
Davis Reference Z5983 .F17 I732 1989
Ireland, Norma Olin. Index to Fairy Tales, 1973-1977, Including Folklore,
Legends and Myths in Collections. 4th suppl. Westwood: F. W. Faxon Company,
Inc., 1979.
Davis Reference Z5983 .F17 I732 c.2
Ireland, Norma Olin. Index to Fairy Tales, 1949-1972 Including Folklore,
Legends and Myths In Collections. Westwood: F. W. Faxon Company, Inc.,
1973.
Davis Reference Z5983 .F17 I73 c.2
Eastman, Mary Huse. Index to Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends. 2nd suppl.
Boston: The F. W. Faxon and Company, 1952.
Davis Reference Z5983 .F17 E2 1926 Suppl. v.2
Eastman, Mary Huse. Index to Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends. 2nd ed.
revised and enlarged. Boston: The F. W. Faxon Company, 1926.
Davis Reference Z5983 .F17 E2 1925 c.2
The above entries trace the many editions and supplements
of Index to Fairy Tales. Only collections are indexed, not individual books. Entries for Andersen, the
Brothers Grimm, and Perrault appear in each volume. The volumes leading up to
the most recent follow the same format, with most entries appearing by title
and only some by the author. Cross references are made to many other sources,
and subject headings are gradually incorporated among the entries. Each volume
brings the previous volume up-to-date, and the most recent volume (1994) has
a different format. The 1994 volume provides an excellent introduction to explain
the major changes in format, the selection process for the books included, and
the incorporation of more complete entries and many more subject headings. This
index is a helpful tool when looking for collections of stories about particular
subjects such as “Heroine,” “Magic Powers: Acquisition or
Loss,” “Mountain(-s),” and “Three (number).”