Charles Perrault's collection of popular tales, edited by Andrew Lang, brings together legendary stories that have shaped European folklore and children's literature for centuries. The book opens with an introduction examining the historical and folkloric origins of Perrault's tales, tracing their evolution from oral traditions shared by peasants and nurses to their polished forms at the court of Versailles. Lang explores the intricate web of global variants, comparing Perrault's narratives with parallel traditions from ancient Egypt, India, and indigenous cultures worldwide. The core of the volume presents the prose tales, including the accounts of the sleeping beauty, the crimson-capped child, the blue-bearded lord, the clever cat, the mineral-dropping fairies, the glass-slippered maiden, the witty dwarf, and the tiny hero who outwits an ogre.
Each tale is accompanied by detailed comparative research and extensive notes that observe the wanderings and transformations of popular motifs through generations. The argument addresses the difficult question of the diffusion of popular tales, weighing the theories of Aryan linguistic mythology against the Indian migration hypothesis and the possibility of independent polygenesis. While acknowledging the presence of ancient motifs in classical literature and diverse cultures, the text demonstrates that many narrative elements spring from fundamental human experiences and the shared imagination of early societies. The concluding sections reflect on the artistry of Perrault, who softened the brutal edges of primitive oral traditions with French common sense and courtly grace, ensuring the immortality of characters who remain eternal companions of childhood.
