Women Writing Wonder

Delving into forgotten material, much of it previously unpublished in English, Women Writing Wonder is an in-depth study of 19th-century fairy tales from France, Germany and the UK written by women. They present an incredibly rich and diverse collection, but as a whole they take to task not simply the idea that the fairy tale in the 19th century was the domain of men, but also the idea that fairy-tale heroines are, as a collective, passive, self-sacrificing, and marriage-obsessed. With little-known stories from authors such as George Sand, Elizabeth Gaskell and Christina Rossetti, as well as tales from prolific writers of wonder whom history has largely forgotten, the collection is a treasure trove of feminist wonder.

~Joanna Gilar, Gramarye

Once upon the seventeenth century, women wrote tales. Then . . . nothing, until 1960s feminism. Banishing this classic metanarrative from fairyland for good, these editors unearthed a trove of nineteenth-century protofeminist tales. Presented via smart introductions that situate the tales nationally, this lost heritage awaits readers and its moment in the critical spotlight.

~Christine A. Jones, University of Maryland

Women Writing Wonder is based on the extraordinary work of an exemplary collective of contemporary female scholars who have opened up new insights into the history and rise of the literary fairy tale, particularly in the nineteenth century.

~Jack Zipes, Journal of Folklore Research

Covering the century that cemented the fairy-tale tradition in the Western world, this exciting cross-cultural collection forefronts the inestimable contributions French, German, and English women writers made to the genre. Both the texts and commentaries will challenge conceptions about the history of the fairy tale and its creators.

~Shawn C. Jarvis

Finally, a wondrous anthology of fairy tales, based on impeccable research, that honors women writing in the nineteenth century. This collection of German, French, and British fairy tales fills a huge historical gap and reveals how exceptional and how neglected female writers were and are. In fact, the nineteenth century was a period in which the fairy tales created by women writers flowered, and these stories can now be rediscovered and given their due appreciation.

~Jack Zipes

This important anthology expands current fairy-tale studies by making mostly unknown tales of nineteenth-century women writers in Britain, France, and Germany accessible to general readers and scholars. Bridging the conteuses of the early modern period and the revisionary feminist writers of our postmodern times, the fairy tales and highly informative essays included in Women Writing Wonder explore the sociopolitical issues such as class, gender equality, and race that engaged these women writers.

~Shuli Barzilai

Women Writing Wonder is a treasure trove of fascinating stories from nineteenth-century Britain, France, and Germany, sure to delight any reader with an interest in fairy tale or fantasy. This critical anthology debunks the notion that it was a select group of male writers and scholars that revolutionized the genre during the 'golden age' of fantasy writing and folklore study. The literary fairy tales collected here demonstrate instead that the genre has long served as a framework for creative, subversive, and often politically engaged writing by women, across national boundaries.

~Jennifer Schacker