Don't Bet on the Prince: Contemporary Feminist Fairy Tales in North America and England

I first read Don't Bet on the Prince roughly 20 years ago, and recently went searching for my copy (apparently loaned or lost). I bought a replacement copy and came to the realization that a lot has changed in 20 years. My intent this time was to have some stories to read to my daughters that offered a counterpoint to the traditional/Grimm/Disney imaging of women in general and princesses in particular. Some of the stories are well above the elementary or middle school levels, while some others are appropriate as stories for children. Zipes acknowledges this by segmenting the stories into two groups, one for the young, and the other for the young at heart. Most are referential, though, in the sense that strong familiarity with the traditional tales make these more interesting. An additional section of feminist literary criticism follows. To the end of stories for kids, I very much like "The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet," and "Prince Amilec." That said, there are most likely better anthologies of stories for children. As a bit of critical text, it certainly represents a step in the progression of feminist theory, just not the current one.

The book tells feminist fairy stories that are gentle with the guys too. Jack Zipes, the editor is, after all, a man. I've used the book with students, grandchildren, fellow feminists - all to a warm welcome. Highly recommended.

This book is divided into three parts. The first, "Feminist Fairy Tales for Young (and Old) Readers," is the selection of stories you want to read aloud to your daughter or son. These stories have sophisticated subjects and good language, but no lengthy exposition of narrative that bogs down a reading out loud. Most set up admirable gender roles, but some, such as "Snow White," are explicitly political, and can help you raise good activists.The second section, "Feminist Fairy Tales for Old (and Young) Readers," is comprised of more structurally complex stories that invite a silent reader to take time and try to swallow them. Though intended for adult readers, literate children can follow them, and for the most part should be encouraged to do so early and often. Sex roles and social station dominate these stories, but we get glimpses of how these issues are impacted by war, work, and more.The third section, "Feminist Literary Criticism," is pretty slow-moving. Most of us are already familiar with the idea that fairy tales have detrimental effects on our children, especially our daughters, and while we may be briefly interested in a scholarly explanation of why this is so, the common reader won't get as much good out of this part as the previous two.Educator, writer, and scholar Jack Zipes has compiled here an excellent antidote to the stultifying fairy tales that molded the minds of most of us when we were young. Zipes is the editor of several thematic books of fairy tales, and this is neither the least nor the last. Whether you approach this work as a parent, a reader, or a scholar, this book is highly rewarding.

This is such an amazing book. It's part of what lead me into my research into looking at strong female characters in folk tales. This book is a must for people who don't want to read stories about wishy washy princesses waiting for the prince, and scholars alike. I reccomend this book highly.

this is an excellent book. The stories are well written and varied in theme. I was captivated by the stories for young readers as well as the stories for old readers. buy this book for your children!