Saturday, December 4, 2010

Rapunzel Week: That's All Folks



Rapunzel by Emma Florence Henderson

Rapunzel Week is over for now.  I hope you aren't completely burned out on her.  And if you haven't seen Tangled yet, do fit it into your busy December schedule. I did enjoy it and plan to see it again, not what I expected.

And if you do see it, you might want to read Persinette, the French Rapunzel by Charlotte-Rose de La Force. Persinette's lifestyle reminds me of Tangled in which Persinette wants for nothing but companionship beyond her mother and knowledge of the outside world. You can find translations of it in The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm (Norton Critical Editions) and Rapunzel and Other Maiden in the Tower Tales From Around the World.

You can also read Terri Windling's great essay about the tale and its history at Rapunzel, Rapunzel,Let Down Your Hair. She includes a summary of Persinette as well as other Rapunzel variants.

Thanks also to everyone who shared their Rapunzel Love and Hate.  I loved reading your stories. 

Next week we return to the random postings that spring forth from my brain or appear in the news.

1 comment:

  1. Dear Heidi, the last couple of weeks have been so very interesting with your wonderful posts on Rapunzel theme and the precious information of any kind you were so generous to share with us! THANK YOU! I admire your profound knowledge of the matter, your unceasing energy and love towards children's literature!
    Congratulations to the winners! Of course, I'm sorry that I didn't have that luck, but I hope to have your book one day!:)I'm very much impressed by all the entries and the next few days I'm going to read and re-read them, as well as your posts. There's so much to be learned and thought over!
    With my best wishes: Rossichka

    P.S. I just wonder whether you have found time to see the photos from my puppet performance?

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