By: Reham Essam
French author Charles Perrault was born
388 years ago on January 12, and has become immortalized as the father of the
fairy tale as we know it. Google doodle celebrates his commemoration in 2016.
Charles Perrault, the author of Little
Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella was born in Paris in 1628.
However, he was a lawyer before being a famous writer.
 |
| Charles Perrault (1628-1703) |
In 1695, at the age of 67, he wrote Tales and
stories of the Past with Morals, a series of moral tales. Later on, the volume
contained the story now known as Mother Goose, which includes familiar titles
such as Puss in Boots, Blue Beard and Cinderella, and less famous stories like
Ricky of the Tuft and Little Thumb. The book was enormously successful, and was
translated into English in 1729 by
Robert Samber.
 |
| Cinderella |
The shocking fact is that Perrault's original
tales have lost much of their details today. For example, The Little Red Riding
Hood changes the man into a wolf who intent on preying on young girl who wander
alone in forest. In addition, Cinderella story has been represented till now
using some edits that add new taste to the original story, whereas it carries
out the same idea of a girl who treated her father's wife well regardless of
her bad manners with her. In the end, the prince falls for Cinderella and weds her.
So away from the romantic part, this story sends another message for the
readers to have hope and believe in good stories and it will pay off.
 |
| The Sleeping Beauty the classic tale and Disney new version |
Tales from the Past Times:
La belle au bois dormant (The Sleeping
Beauty in the wood)-
Le Petit chaperon rouge (Little Red
Riding Hood)-
La Barbe Bleüe (Blue Beard)-
-Le Maistre Chat,ou le chat Botté (The Master Cat)
-Les Fées (The Fairies)
-Cendrillion (Cinderella)
 |
| Charles Perrault most famous fairy tales |
Charles Perrault knew a lot of things,
and he was interested in making life beautiful for people. When some noblemen
wanted to close the Tuileries Gardens in Paris to everyone except the king,
Charles argued that they should be open to the public, and they still are to
this day. The king still liked him and gave Charles several positions,
including looking after Royal buildings, designing and writing poems.
 |
| Charles Perrault at the Tuileries Garden |
When Charles Perrault became a member of the famous Academie Francaise in 1671, he again
showed his love for people
by opening up the ceremony to the public for the first time.
After the death of his wife he gave up
his public life to educate their children. The astonishing truth that he was
almost 70 year old when he wrote his first fairy tales in 1697! They were
outstanding hits, and we get the most famous versions of some classic stories.
Charles Perrault died five years later, in Paris in the year 1703.
 |
| Google doodle celebrate the tales maker |
Never heard of him and even never knew that he is Cinderella's author, but thank you for spotting the light on him.
ReplyDelete