A Fairy Tale Fiction Reading List
The "adult fairy tale" is a literary form popularized by the Italian writers Straparola and Basile in the 16th century, by the French salon writers of the 17th/18th centuries, the German Romantics in the 19th century, and the Celtic Twilight writers of the British Isles at the dawn of the 20th century. At the end of the 20th century, a revival of this form began among three overlapping groups of writers: contemporary "mainstream" authors (such as Angela Carter and Robert Coover); contemporary fantasy authors (such as Tanith Lee and Robin McKinley); and feminist poets (such as Anne Sexton and Carol Ann Duffy). In addition, writers of Young Adult fiction (such as Jane Yolen and Donna Jo Napoli) created sophisticated fairy tale novels that could be read on several levels by readers young and old.
As a new century begins, we're pleased to see that the modern revival of fairy tale literature seems to be growing stronger than ever. Below, you'll find a list of recommended novels, stories, and poetry collections which make deft use of fairy tales, folktales, and folk ballads, re-envisioned for modern readers. We've also included a short list of books about the history of fairy tales, for readers who would like to explore the subject further. For more information on each book, the title link will take you to its page on Amazon.
Adult Fairy Tales
Fairy Tale Fiction Anthologies
- Mike Ashley, editor: The Mammoth Book of Fairy Tales
- Jeanne Marie Beaumont and Claudia Carlson, editors: The Poets Grimm:
20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales - Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, editors:
- *adult anthologies (Snow White, Blood Red series)
- Snow White, Blood Red
- Black Thorn, White Rose
- Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears
- Black Swan, White Raven
- Silver Birch, Blood Moon
- Black Heart, Ivory Bones
- Wolf at the Door
- Swan Sister
- Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers, editors: Little Red Riding Hood
in the Big Bad City, contemporary fantasy fiction inspired by fairy tales - Wolfgang Mieder, editor: Disenchantments, an anthology of fairy tale poetry.
- Terri Windling, editor: The Armless Maiden.
- Jack Zipes, editor: Don't Bet on the Prince,
contemporary Feminist Fairy Tales in North America and England.
Young Adult Fairy Tales
- Francesca Lia Block, The Rose and the Beast (stories)
- Dia Calhoun, The Phoenix Dance
- P.W. Catanese, The Brave Apprentice
- P.W. Catanese, The Mirror's Tale
- P.W. Catanese, The Thief of the Bean Stalk
- Barbara Cohen, Roses
- Gillian Cross, Wolf
(winner of the Carnegie Medal) - Cameron Dokey, Beauty Sleep
- Cameron Dokey, Golden
- Eleanor Farjeon, The Glass Slipper
- Eleanor Farjeon, The Silver Curlew
- Nicholas Stuart Gray, The Seventh Swan
- Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl
- Nancy Holder, Spirited
- Dahlov Ipcar, The Queen of Spells
- Diana Wynne Jones, Fire and Hemlock
- Eileen Kernaghan, The Snow Queen
- Patrice Kindl, Goose Chase
- Andrea Koenig, Thumbelina
- Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted
- Gregory Maquire, The Dream Stealer
- Gregory Maquire, Mirror, Mirror
- Sophie Masson, Serafin
- Sophie Masson, Malkin
- Robin McKinley, The Door in the Hedge (stories)
- Robin McKinley, A Knot in the Grain (stories)
- Robin McKinley, Spindle's End
- Donna Jo Napoli, Zel
- Donna Jo Napoli, Beast
- Donna Jo Napoli, The Magic Circle
- Donna Jo Napoli, Breath
- Donna Jo Napoli, Bound
- Donna Jo Napoli and Richard Tchen, Spinner
- Edith Pattou, East
- Philip Pullman, I Was a Rat!
- Peter Rushforth, Kintergarten
- Gary D. Schmidt, Straw Into Gold
- Ursula Synge, Swan's Wing
- Debbie Viguié, Scarlet Moon
- Suzanne Weyn, The Night Dance
- Jane Yolen, Tales of Wonder (stories)
Further Reading
- Anna E. Altmann and Gail de Vos, editors, New Tales for Old:
Folktales as Literary Fictions for Young Adults,
and its sequel, Tales, Then and Now - Kate Bernheimer, editor, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall:
Women Writers Explore Their Favorite Fairy Tales (Expanded Edition) - Hilda Ellis Davidson & Anna Chaudhri, editors, A Companion to the Fairy Tale
- Elizabeth Wanning Harries, Twice Upon a Time:
Women Writers and the History of the Fairy Tale - Donald Haase, editor, Fairy Tales and Feminism:
New Approaches - Catherine Orenstein, Little Red Riding Uncloaked:
Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale - Valerie Paradiz, Clever Maids: The Secret History
of the Grimms Fairy Tales - Susan Seller, Myth and Fairy Tale in
Contemporary Women's Fiction - Maria Tartar, The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales
- P.L. Travers, What The Bee Knows:
Reflections on Myth, Symbol, and Story - Marina Warner, From the Beast to the Blonde:
On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers - Jane Yolen, Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie,
and Folklore in the Literature of Childhood - Jack Zipes, The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
Art: "Cinderella" by Terri Windling
