Disenchantments: An Anthology of Modern Fairy Tale Poetry

Book Overview

Poems reexamine the stories of the Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rumplestiltskin.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874514401
• ISBN13: 9780874514407
• Release Date: February 1988
• Publisher: Vermont
• Length: 221 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Edgy slant on fairytales

I recently bought a copy for a friend; I've owned a copy for several years. This anthology contains work by accomplished poets around the world. Each poem presents a personal slant on a familiar fairytale. Some are dark, some funny, some very introspective, meditative or psychologically revealing. Something for everyone in this book, even work for those who are not fond of poetry. This is by far the best of the fairytale anthologies. Outstanding!

i do wish someone would reprint this!

this is an absolutely splendid anthology of poems about fairy tales and fairy tale characters. provided me with a number of new insights into fairy tales, things i never would of thought of. i do wish someone would reprint it! in the meantime, borrow it from a university library and enjoy! phil sheridan storyteller [...]

A rare and fantastic collection of poetry!

What a fabulous collection of poetry! These poems interpret well-known fairy tales - The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Snow White and Rose Red, and Rumpelstiltskin. A few address the world of fairy tales in general, and its influence on our psyches. Many are excellent poems, in their own right. Some of the poems have psychological depth; others are humorous. Most speak from the point of view of a fairy tale character (e.g. Cinderella, even the Frog). As a psychotherapist/writer who has led seminars in mythology and women's empowerment, I have shared many of these poems with hundreds of women, who inevitably find ones they can relate to, as most of us have life scripts that reflect in some way a fairy tale or myth that has influenced us. As for me, it's Rapunzel, and the Rapunzel poems are particularly good.......

Life after the Glory

I read a poem once by Louise Gluck, entitled "Gretel in Darkness." I thought it was a beautiful reflection on the life of Gretel after her childhood trauma. I looked further for poetry that views the lives of our favorite fairy tale characters AFTER "....and they lived Happily Ever After," and I found this book in my college library. It is a WONDERFUL collection of poems that show the stark reality of what the world of these characters might have been like. This book is a beautiful and diverse collection of fairy tale literature.

A Classic Collection of Fairy Tale Poetry

Mieder has gathered a large range of 20th century poetry that uses the themes from popular fairy tales. Many of the poems are obscure and would be nearly impossible to find while others are standard in the field, such as Anne Sexton, Sara Henderson Hay, and even Roald Dahl. The fairy tales explored are Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Snow White and Rose Red, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty (which has the most), The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, and Rumpelstiltskin. My only regret is that Beauty and the Beast is not included in the collection. Still, this is an excellent collection of poetry.