"Betts gives the stories the sense of humour ... The Gustave Doré illustrations in the Oxford editions add to the baroque feel of the thing as well. These are fairy tales that are as much a pleasure to read now as they were to be told once upon a time ago." -
Desperate Reader"It is extraordinary to revisit stories so familiar from childhood and see within their bounds savagery, deceit and dire warnings about predators and even puberty. The hidden symbolism of Perrault's tales is explained in the erudite introduction by Christopher Betts, who has translated the 1697 edition, the only complete translation in both verse and prose. The fairy tale is a rite of passage. Read yours aloud, share it with a small or re-read these tales and wonder at the depth that Disney never did." -
The Field
