Grimm's Fairy Tales

The Brothers Grimm's collected folk tales, first published in 1812, include Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and Snow White in their German forms.

Author

Brothers Grimm

First published

1812

Setting

Early 19th-century Germany

Genre

Fairy tales, folklore

Read it if you like

The older, darker folk tales behind the stories you know.

On screen and stage

Countless films, plays and retellings

Overview

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm collected oral tales and published them as Children's and Household Tales from 1812, revising the collection through seven editions. It includes Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin and many shorter, less familiar stories. The tales are often darker and simpler than later retellings.

Themes

• Folk tradition
• Danger and survival
• Justice
• Transformation

Background

The brothers were scholars of language and culture in early 19th-century Germany, interested in preserving a national oral tradition. Later editions edited the tales for a family audience.

Why it endures

These stories underlie countless retellings, and reading the originals shows how much later versions changed.