How Did Gaston and Le Fou Meet? (Disney Enlists Kids To Create Stories Inspired by BatB, and Turns Them Into Short Films!)

Possibly our favorite things about the gigantic release and popularity of Disney live action Beauty and the Beast, is the creativity boom in so many areas as a result, a large focus of which is on reading and storytelling. (Yay!)

Disney themselves are participating in encouraging this as well, which makes it even better. Some of their publications are focused on 'what you can read' if you want to read like Belle, or mining the earliest written forms of Beauty and the Beast (Villeneuve and Beamont) and republishing in various ways, not to mention emphasizing storytelling and eco-conscious creation through fashion and foot ware. The best of the initiatives we've seen to date, however, is likely a writing and filmmaking collaboration with non-profit group, Young Storytellers, who aim to give a voice to low-income students by helping them write their own stories, through a one-on-one mentorship, and see them brought to life on stage and screen.

Partnering with Young Storytellers* and Tongal**, Disney enlisted the creativity of kids by giving them a pre-release showing of the movie on the Disney lot, then asking them to come up with stories, or 'spin-offs', based on their favorite characters. (* Young Storytellers is a non-profit organization in Los Angeles. "Every child has a story worth telling." **Tongal is an independent creative network with a global community of more than 120,000 writers, directors and animators) 

The title of the project was 'Beyond the Castle: Stories Inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast'.

(T)hey were paired with their mentors to write scripts inspired by their favorite characters from the film. Tongal* then matched these Young Storytellers'** scripts with its network of creators who turned them into live-action and animated short films...The Young Storytellers got the added surprise of seeing their projects come to life on the big screen with a premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. After the screening, they were surprised by a video greeting with actors from the film, Luke Evans (Gaston) and Josh Gad (Le Fou). (Hollywood Reporter)

Four talented young people were chosen to have their stories made into short films. Here are three of them (we can't find Acacia's story and film, Cooking Catastrophe but have no doubt it's just as wonderful as the others and hope it will be available on the Young Storytellers' YouTube Channel to see soon!).

This one is by 12 year old, Robert Nelson, who imagined how Gaston and LeFou might have met.

“LeFouston” from “Beyond the Castle: Stories Inspired by Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’"

The video was created in stop motion by Tongal creator Kevin Ulrich, with music by Trevor Gomes.

"Pug in a Cup" from “Beyond the Castle: Stories Inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast"

Written by Hana Morshedi (age unknown) and directed by Tucker Barrie.

“Beauty and the Curse” from “Beyond the Castle: Stories Inspired by Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’"

Written by Tamara Sims (based on her short story “Changing Ways”, age unknown) and directed by Maya Rudolph.

Many congrats to Tamara, Robert, Acacia, and Hana!

Here's a peek behind-the-scenes of these young people's storytelling adventure:

A brilliant and successful collaboration thanks in large part to the ongoing amazing work by Young Storytellers, along with Tongal and Disney. We only wish more kids got an opportunity like this, or are being encouraged to do this themselves with their own resources.

You can find out more about Young Storytellers and how to help with wonderful programs like this, by clicking the link HERE.

This Adaptation of Paul Gallico's "The Snow Goose" Is Magical & Haunting

Today we're sharing magic from the past, made accessible again via the wonder that is the internet.

We will admit, straight away, that given something to watch or listen to that's longer than a couple of minutes feels like a chore and "yet another thing to fit in" to our already busy days, but we urge you to at least try. Even just 3 minutes of this presentation will give you an idea of the magic of this production, even though it is barely the introduction to the story.
           
This incredible storytelling adaptation of the novella The Snow Goose: A Story of Dunkirk, by Paul Gallico, and was written by Spike Milligan and Ed Welch. It seems impossible to explain just how haunting and wondrous it is. Everyone we know introduced to it has marveled at how "fairy tale like" it is, yet it isn't, strictly, a fairy tale, though there is, most definitely, magic in this story, as well as the presentation.
                   
Spike Milligan is known largely for his humorous writing, both for children and adults, but this narrative adaptation he wrote for recording is sensitive, transporting and haunting, as is his storytelling.
                   
The music is, for the most part, a perfect match. Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ed Welch, the music sets the scene, the atmosphere and contains some of the most beautiful music you are likely to hear.
                             
In short, it's a masterpiece of wonder-storytelling that combines the arts of narrative and music while accessing the individual's imaginative sense in the most immersive way. More than that, it stands up to the test of time. You'd never believe this was released in 1976. It feels timeless and classic.
         
We hope that, being the weekend, you will have the opportunity to make the time to listen, in a quiet place, with no distractions, where you can be transported and be able to smile, cry and look to the skies for a glimpse of the sky princess.

The illustrations in this post are by Angela Barrett, who is well known for her fairy tale work, particularly Beauty and the Beast and Snow White.

Enjoy.

 

Five Second Fables: The Twitterverse on God Creating Animals

Barlow's Aesop

Twitter has been telling tales - fables, to be more precise - and apart from the funny factor, it turns out they tell us a lot about us, our stories and how we see the world.

Barlow's Aesop

Crowd sourced information gathering and storytelling is a fairly new phenomenon, made possible by the age of social media. Twitter in particular, encourages people to distill meaning down to 140 (or less) characters, which is excellent practice for writers and storytellers, and for spreading the word very, very quickly. It's even become a wide-spread tool for distilling themes (ie. "elevator pitches" which are useful in a wide variety of fields) but there are other applications storytellers and folklorists can use them for as well. Memes, with their unique form of social commentary (yes, cat memes, DO say something about society), spread ideas, create context and bridge facts with fiction, often blurring the lines between the two to create a new "thinking space" for issues.

A few years ago fairy tale scholar Donald Haase* proposed a "communal catalogue" of #TwitterTypes, which were to be new summaries of traditional tales in 140 characters or less, to be used as a modern projection of the tale types classifications. Why Twitter? In Haase's words (from his personal Facebook page):

Because the discipline of 140 characters composed on a computer or smartphone forces creative choices about a tale’s “essence,” and those choices reveal, to the Tweeter, the alternatives — the “Tweets-not-taken.”

(Note: we did actually collect as many of these #twittertypes as we could find at the time and are considering adding a page for them to be stored here, perhaps added to if folk are inspired.)

While the project started well, and proved fascinating, it didn't last long and was not very extensive, which was unfortunate, as the potential for study using this tool and tack is wonderful and very reflective of how people today think. It also reflects the methods and thinking process for how we often tell stories in this social media and visual era. The experiment, though not proving successful as a modern alternative to the Aa-Th classification system as planned, did, however, make the point of showing that tales can be told, distilled, summarized, from various cultural and personal viewpoints via this social media medium.

God creating the animals ‘The Taymouth Hours’, England 14th century.

The "creation fables" shown below, though created purely for humorous intent, tell their own silly stories, not unlike many ancestral creation tales in which gods and goddesses were seen to be just as fallible and emotional as man, deciding and acting according to their personal agendas.

Described mostly via a brief dialogue exchange with God and an angel "sidekick" (or creation-technician), there isn't a lot of narrative detail, but each imply a situation and a result, and collectively - as they were written by multiple Twitter-users in a collective "brainstorm" - they provide a snapshot of modern humor and fable. They also wonderfully illustrate storytelling via memes (or memetics).

We're sure there are folklorists out there who could easily expand this into a fascinating lecture on storytelling and sociology but for today: the lecture is over. ;)

We've decided to call these, "Five Second Fables".

The Lion reads to the Animals (Aesop's Fables), 1869, Ernest Griset

Warning: While the content included in this post is generally considered humorous, we are aware that some people may feel offended as it uses casual references to God, and describes God (and angels) using colloquial humor and some bad language. As a result, we are putting these "tweet-fables", under the jump. Please consider yourself warned and read at your own risk. We do hope though, that it will add some smiles to your Sunday.

✑  ✑  ✑  ✑  ✑  ♛ (click the "Read more" link below this line) ♛  ✑  ✑  ✑  ✑  ✑

"Frozen" Writer Robert Lopez Reimagines 1001 Nights for Kids Off-Broadway

1001 nights: A Love Story About Loving Stories is a new family musical adaptation of Arabian Nights and it looks like a LOT of fun. The Atlantic for Kids Season 2016-2017 opened on September 17 Off Broadway to rave reviews and features music and lyrics by Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award winner Robert Lopez (who co-wrote the music for Disney's Frozen). Lopez also co-wrote the book with Adam Koplan and Koplan directs.

Here's the description:

In this celebration of brainy imagination over brawn, a princess uses her wits to save a kingdom from an evil decree as she spins tale after tale for a narrow-minded king. Featuring genies, jesters, 40 thieves and other captivating characters, the princess’s cliffhanger stories keep the king - and audiences - on the edge of their seats. This playful adaptation of the Arabian Nights fairy tales is recommended for ages six and up. 

1001 Nights was first conceived in 1998 by Emmy, Grammy, Academy, and Tony Award winner Robert Lopez (Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, Frozen) and Adam Koplan, artistic director of Flying Carpet Theatre Company. This newly reimagined production features early songs by Lopez and is directed by Koplan with puppet direction by Jon Ludwig, artistic director of the Center for Puppetry Arts. All the puppets were designed by the Center’s resident puppet builder Jason von Hinezmeyer and built by the talented crew in the Center’s puppet building shop.

Robert Lopez originally wrote the music for 1001 Nights at age 23, for his first show out of college, staged by The Flying Carpet Theater Company. For this new production, Lopez wrote an additional new song to expand the show.

A very complimentary and fun review in the New York Times gives you an idea of the stories covered and the approach to, what are initially very scary ideas (ie a man in power killing his new wives every night):

Mr. Koplan has nimbly directed the 70-minute production, which frames the grim premise in a nonscary way: Sherry, a contemporary girl played by the spirited Caitlin Donohue, transforms herself into Scheherazade as she realtes the adventure to her stuffed animals. The toys also morph - into big fuzzy puppets that jmight have sneaked out of "Avenue Q". (They're just as smart-alecky, but G-rated.) The show also uses clever hand puppets - Matt Acheson is credited for puppet direction - to ecplain the king's vow to wed every day and put each bride to death within 24 hours: His first wife betrayed him. 

Portrayed by PJ Adzima, who may remind you of a younger Neil Patrick Harris, this monarch is fundamentally a big baby. (Aren't all tyrants?) He holds his red blankie as Scheherazade beguiles him with "The Fisherman and the Genie," "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" and the lesser-known romance of Prince Budur and Princess Qamar. The king and Scheherazade enact tales, along with the puppets and the Atlantic's terrific young ensemble. I's hard to say what's funnier: the many rhyming jokes or the stage business, which includes an "Open Sesame," "Shut Sesame" routine that's like "Who's On First" in ancient Arabia.

You can read the rest of the review HERE.

Here's a sneak peek of the current show, from behind the scenes with the writers of the show explaining different aspects... to the puppet performers:

We like the part about the power of stories, what they mean to us and how they change us, along with the idea of empowerment through words. It's such great material to introduce kids to, we wonder why we're not swimming in productions of Arabian Nights for kids. (There are a couple that come into circulation every few years, often puppets but also live stage shows to live-puppet hybrids, but they tend to be smaller companies and fairly local, which is a shame as the artistry in design, acting, music and puppeteering seems, across the board, to be enchanting. You can get a glimpse at a lovely one HERE.)

Here's the original trailer which shows more of the actual show and gives you an idea of the writing and a little of the music as well:

If this show travels, by flying carpet or not, there's a few children we'd be very happy to take to see this!

1001 Nights: A Love Story About Loving Stories, plays through October 16, 2016 at the Linda Gross Theater in Chelsea, NY.

Note: Some of these images were from earlier productions of Lopez's 1001 Nights but we thought they represented the show well at a glance, so included them.

Disney's New "As Told By Emoji: Beauty and the Beast" Is More Telling Than You Think

So "Storytelling by Emoji" is a thing now.

Easy to dismiss as a fad, nerdist quirk or a sad commentary on the lack of literacy in today's youth, there's actually a lot more to this storytelling form that's been hitting the internet for the past 12-18 months, than initially meets the eye, and the tale released today, September 7th, Beauty and the Beast, is a good example of why.

It's essentially storytelling via symbols and motifs, not unlike how the first stories were recorded back in the golden age of cave painters. (Makes me wonder if cave folk wouldn't adapt to cell phones faster than some of our older population...)

It's easy to scoff and roll your eyes because the cute is turned up to 11, which can be difficult to take seriously, but try to consider symbology as you watch these and note, not only the character icons but all the various transition symbols that are used in texting everyday, being employed here as vehicles to move the action forward. It's quite fascinating.

Take a look:

I will admit my first reaction, as a dedicated logophile and bibliophile, was closer to being aghast than fascinated on seeing the concept applied to an entire story. But as I grudgingly watched the first few seconds it dawned on me that there was more to this than meets the eye, and there's a big reason it's so effective in this age of the infographic, social media memes and visual information sorting.

To make this form of storytelling work, the creators must boil down the tale to its essential details, and anything added after is simply stylistic - very much like the innate method storytellers use all over the world. Storytellers have their "story frame", which contains the essential touchstone elements of the story they are telling, on which they embellish using their own unique language style and additional plot details, all designed to appeal as a whole to the audience in front of them at that time. Although simple, it's far more difficult to do well than it sounds.

These new Disney "As Told By Emoji" series are more effective and on point than I expected. While I would have been surprised to find a study on symbols and motifs to have been a key part of this process, it's clear the creators were looking shrewdly at the methods of communication used in social media, in particular, today, and are using this contemporary "shorthand" as a new form of storytelling.

I particularly like the transformation of Beast to Prince. It's exactly spot-on for today's everyday "vocabulary".

From d23.com:

In this digital day and age, folks often prefer texting over making a phone call. It’s quicker, sure—but you also have the option of getting your message across with, well, symbols. They’re called emoji, which means “picture character” in Japanese. Open the texting app in your smartphone of choice and you have hundreds of adorable, hilarious, and sometimes unusual emoji right at your fingertips. Over the years, folks have tried their hand at recreating song lyrics, or telling long-form stories, just through emoji… and that’s where the idea for Disney’s latest short video series was born. 

...The inspiration behind the series? “That’s a big question!” says Gino Guzzardo, the series director and producer, who also leads the video content team at Disney Interactive (DI) Media. “It was a trend we saw on the Internet. People would try to translate stories using static emoji, just through the Unicode [text] set that you have on your phone… We saw the opportunity of translating that into animation. So we thought, ‘What would that look like? Would it work?’ We hadn’t seen anyone use emoji to tell an animated story, like in an actual narrative, two-minute piece… 

So simplified tale telling went back up a few notches in adding back the animation-factor, but the bare bones of story are still very visible.

See? More interesting than you thought. ;)

You can read a little more about the process and the creator's thinking HERE and can watch other Disney fairy tales from the As Told by Emoji series as well (each are linked below in their titles).

So far there are:

• Aladdin
• Frozen
• Tangled
• Cinderella

Enjoy!

"Goldie & Bear" Debuts September 12 via Digital Distribution, Cable to Follow (Maria Tatar Is Series Consultant)

We're about to have a new, fairy tale focused, series for kids from Disney! And it's not about using Disney properties or 're-booting' old franchises; this is all about getting the fairy tales kids USED to know so well, back into circulation and back into our lives. (I know!! *much cheering and fist pumping*)

For the skeptics among us (which previously included me), I should mention straight away that one of our Grand Dames of fairy tale study and research, Maria Tatar, has been on board with the series as a consultant from it's development and continues on with the series in this capacity to help keep things - and the fairy tales - on track. (*more cheering, whooping added*)

Here's a quote from Development Executive Nancy Kanter (via Variety) about why they're doing this at all:

“We are trying to keep these classic stories, and classic characters, in kids’ minds,” said Nancy Kanter, executive vice president of original programming and general manager of Disney Junior Worldwide. "With school systems placing more emphasis on math, science and analysis of documents, perhaps there’s less room for Tom Thumb and Hansel and Gretel? “We thought it was really important that kids still had a touchstone to these time-honored tales,” she added.

I can't tell you how encouraging it is to hear that. While I believe there's more to it than just "wouldn't it be nice to keep some of that heritage alive", it's a wonderful start. I vote thumbs up!

They're also kicking this off via the vehicle kids are using most these days: apps, online access and games. While series TV via Disney Channel and Disney Junior on cable (and possibly other providers) will follow in November, the idea is to get the series into the hands of kids where they're most likely to find it for themselves first.

From the press release: 

Disney Junior will debut the first six episodes of fairytale-inspired "Goldie & Bear" on the popular WATCH Disney Junior platforms, beginning Saturday, September 12, with one new episode premiering on the WATCH Disney Junior app and WATCH Disney Junior.com each Monday from September 21 through October 12. Set in the magical world of Fairy Tale Forest, the animated series for kids age 2-7 reunites Goldie and Bear, after the renowned porridge incident featured in "Goldilocks and The Three Bears." The series premieres in November on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

Reflecting Disney's deep roots in storytelling that resonates across generations, "Goldie & Bear" captures the timeless appeal of sharing stories through fairy tales, folk tales and nursery rhymes. Each episode features two 11-minute stories that showcase the new, unexpected friendship between Goldie and Bear as they seek out fun and adventure along with their friends and neighbors, all of whom are drawn from beloved storybook characters. Whether it's helping the Big Bad Wolf learn to consider others before blowing down their houses, helping Jack and Jill get up that hill, or rescuing accident-prone Humpty Dumpty after his great fall, Goldie and Bear enjoy living in a fairytale world filled with real-life situations, humorous mishaps and heartfelt moments.  

Beginning where the classic tales leave off, "Goldie & Bear" celebrates the distinct personalities of Goldie, Bear and their quirky pals, and encourages children to develop their own enchanting friendships. The series is populated with a diverse cast of storybook characters who model friendship, community, respect for individuality, resilience in the face of adversity and compassion for others, and is meant to spark conversations among kids and parents about the narratives and morals highlighted by Goldie and Bear's unlikely friendship and their comedic interactions in Fairy Tale Forest.  

Maria Tatar, chair of Harvard University's program in Folklore and Mythology and series consultant, advising on storytelling, fairy tales and folklore, said, "When we are stumped, a story often provides the answer - not in the form of a one-liner but in a conversation about the things that mattered to us in the tale." DisneyJunior.com and WATCH Disney Junior will roll out a suite of more than 20 "Goldie & Bear" micro-games throughout the fall, with the first six debuting with the series.  Housed in a storybook containing an interactive map of Fairy Tale Forest, each game centers on a classic fairy tale or nursery rhyme character. 

"Goldie & Bear" stars Natalie Lander ("The Middle") as Goldie and Georgie Kidder ("Star Wars: The Clone Wars") as Bear. Recurring guest stars include Lesley Nicol ("Downton Abbey") as Fairy Godmother, Isabella Day ("Cristela") as little witch Rosita, Debby Ryan ("Jessie") as Thumbelina and Miles Brown and Marsai Martin ("black-ish") as Jack & Jill.  "Goldie & Bear" was developed for television and is co-executive produced by Jorge Aguirre ("Giants Beware!" graphic novel series); Chris Gilligan ("Frankenweenie") is executive producer and director; Joe Ansolabehere ("Recess") is story editor and Rob Cantor (from the band Tally Hall) is songwriter. 

I was sent a little sneak-peek of the synopsis for the premiere which I have been given permission to share:

The premiere episode "Big Bear/Birthday Chair" will go live on the WATCH Disney Junior app and WATCH Disney Junior.com on Saturday September 12th. In the episode, when Bear eats one of Jack’s magic beans so he can be a bigger bear, he and Goldie must find a way to reverse the magic after he learns being big isn’t as fun as he thought.  Then, when Goldie forgets Bear’s birthday gift, she has to quickly find the most perfect present for her best friend. 

And here's a little preview:

Normally I might make a note just to check in with a series like this (like I did for The 7D) but with Maria Tatar consulting on the series since it's early development, and continuing on with the show in this capacity, I'm going to make a point of watching it when I can.

It should also be noted that, Jorge Aguirre, creator of the wonderful graphic novel series Giants Beware, developed this series and is co-executive producer as well, so they're all points in favor of the series as far as I'm concerned.

I'm always a little hesitant to jump on board with CG series as many of them look so similar they can begin to blend together but perhaps a unique signature style will become more obvious and the show will look more instantly appealing when we see more variety of situations and characters.

Even with my reservations about the design style, the acting, animation and writing glimpses we have been given look very promising.

Fairy tale bonus of the day:

Goldilocks has been lurking around Disney for some time. There was supposed to be an animated short released back in 1936, but it never got beyond the development stage. From Disney Wikia:

The Three Bears (or Goldie Locks and Three Bears) is an unproduced animated short that was to have been released in 1936. It is a proposed Silly Symphony of the well-known children's story. Model sheets prove that Goldilockswas planned to look like, and possibly be voiced by, Shirley Temple. Papa Bear was modeled after W.C. Fields. Another version of this short as a Mickey, Donaldand Goofy cartoon would have had Mickey, Donald and Goofy casted in the roles of the Three Bears which was approached to the story after the prosed Silly Symphony failed to materialize.

The Choices of Wild Boys and Wild Men (wonderfully illustrated by Melissa Castrillon)

A chapter illustration by Melssa Castrillon for the book 'The golden ages of folk & fairy tales' by Jack Zipes.
Published in 2013 by Hackett Publishing.

Busy trying to do too many things at once and completely envious of people who were able to rest and rejuvenate this summer in the US! Maybe I'll aim to hibernate in Winter for a bit instead (except I adore Winter and don't want to miss a chilly moment!), but this week, despite it all I have to figure out how to get kiddo ready for back-to-school...

Speaking of 'going underground', above is my son's favorite picture from Jack Zipes' The Golden Age of Folk & Fairy Tales. We both keep coming back to it, so much so that he often talks about what might be hidden from sight when we're out in nature.

We were reminded to look at it again just yesterday when he/we were playing the newly released, rebooted fantasy/fairy tale-ish video game King's Quest. Along with surprises underground, the bridge trolls are just awesome, there are dragons in caves full of weird old beds (Why not?) , archery skills to learn, and many, many puns an eight year old can laugh at. With Christopher Lloyd playing the aging knight-king narrating his adventure to his granddaughter and the surprisingly awesome addition of Princess Bride alum Wallace Shawn ("Inconceivable!") it's a fun adventure which is more true to heart than expected.  (The illustration below, also by Melissa Castrillon, is right on theme for all these stories, and an especially good one for young boys to hear too, particularly in the context of making choices, which is what King's Quest is all about.) It's a pretty good way to wrap up some parent-kind end-of-summer playtime because these stories beget stories and I love that.

You can dig and dig and there are always more tales to discover. Perhaps instead of turtles all the way down, it's tales... ;)

'An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replies, "The one you feed."

"The Wild Girl" - Review by Christie Pang

"The Wild Girl"

by Kate Forsyth

Review by Christie Pang

Editor's Note: Here is Christie's promised review! (It's worth the wait, believe me.) 

And stay tuned today for all the details to enter our GIVEAWAY of this book! (for US residents only due to shipping sorry.)

Jacket description: 

"Dortchen Wild fell in love with Wilhelm Grimm the first time she saw him.

Growing up in the small German kingdom of Hessen-Cassel in early Nineteenth century, Dortchen Wild is irresistibly drawn to the boy next door, the young and handsome fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm. 

It is a time of War, tyranny and terror. Napoleon Bonaparte wants to conquer all of Europe, and Hessen-Cassel is one of the first kingdoms to fall. Forced to live under oppressive French rule, the Grimm brothers decide to save old tales that had once been told by the firesides of houses grand and small all over the land.

Dortchen knows many beautiful old stories, such as 'Hansel and Gretel', 'The Frog King' and 'Six Swans'. As she tells them to Wilhelm, their love blossoms. Yet the Grimm family is desperately poor, and Dortchen's father has other plans for his daughter. Marriage is an impossible dream.

Dortchen can only hope that happy endings are not just the stuff of fairy tales."

           

 
International covers for Australia & UK and audiobook cover 

“Wild by name and wild by nature,” Dortchen Wild was the childhood sweetheart of Wilhelm Grimm and the heroine of Kate Forsyth’s latest novel The Wild Girl. The book follows the life of this extraordinary woman who supplied the brothers with many of their famous tales. ‘Hansel and Gretel,' 'Rumpelstiltskin,' and 'Six Swans' are all part of the treasury the Grimm brothers seek to collect when Napoleon's war comes to Hesse-Cassel. For Dortchen, however, these tales are not a political response against the French, nor a means to turn her family's fortune, but a way to communicate to Wilhelm the hopes and fears of her love for him.

In many ways, Dortchen’s life can be seen as a parallel to the tales she shares. Similar to 'Aschenputtel' (Cinderella), Dortchen is practically a kitchen maid to her family, although her sisters are kind to her. Later, she finds transformation by donning a beautiful dress to gain Wilhelm's attention. More disturbing, however, is her similarity to 'All-Kinds-of-Fur'. For those not familiar with the tale, the conflict revolves around a king trying to marry his daughter and went through drastic revisions in the Grimms’ treasury.  It quickly becomes apparent that Dortchen’s father harbors abusive tendencies and later it turns toward incest. But unlike her fairy tale counterpart, escape is not easily forthcoming for Dortchen. For much of the novel, the psychological effects of sexual trauma hold Dortchen a prisoner in her own skin. Jakob once tells Dortchen that she must fight for Wilhelm's affections, and fight she does, against the shadowy memory of her abusive father whose presence has power over her even after his death.  

Since Forsyth had little historical evidence to use from the writings of Dortchen herself, it’s fascinating to see how she explores what-could-have-been rather than adhering only to what-did-happen.  Notwithstanding, Forsyth's bibliography is extensive. She researched everything from the Grimms’ early manuscripts to contemporary analyses by fairy tale scholars. She even spoke with a descendant of Dortchen's brother. In light of the already extensive coverage of the Grimm's lives, it is refreshing to see Forsyth's evocative prose seamlessly transition research into fiction. Forsyth takes particular care to highlight the tellers of the tales themselves, elaborating on their middle class origins and dispelling the popular idea that they came from German peasantry. It is surprising that Dortchen’s place in history remains marginal considering that she contributed almost a quarter of the tales in the Grimm's first collection. Fortunately, through Forsyth, Dortchen is finally acknowledged.

Dortchen reminds us that the heroines and heroes of fairy tales are not flawless—they are always in search of something on their journeys. For Dortchen, it is the courage to overcome her fear of reliving abuse by another man (“I am trying to learn how to be brave,” she tells Wilhelm). And most importantly, it is also about reclaiming her freedom, the “wildness” her name alludes to.

The Wild Girl is not entirely a happy novel, nor is it a dark one. It is a beautiful historical romance on its own and a near true-to-life fairy tale told with touching detail of two lovers and their struggle to nourish that love despite the odds of war and trauma. Forsyth explores the silence around Dortchen's life by “listening to the story within the stories that she told,” bringing out the voice that was previously hidden by the stories that this woman treasured. The Wild Girl is a phenomenal retelling that enables us to read the Grimms’ fairy tales anew.

Disclosure: A complimentary copy of the book was sent to the reviewer (originally provided by the publishing company) in exchange for an honest review.

Christie Pang is a graduate student in English with a concentration in Creative Writing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is also the curator for Pins and Needles (https://panfairytales.wordpress.com), a fledgling print and online fairy tale journal that foregrounds transformation in subverting societal norms.