Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; the eldest was so similar to her in face and character that, as they say, she would not have separated them. They were both so proud and unfriendly that, it seems, no one would agree to live with them. The youngest, on the contrary, took after her father in meekness and politeness, and besides, she was an extraordinary beauty. Every person likes what is like him: mother was crazy about eldest daughter, and felt an insurmountable disgust for the younger one. She forced her to work from morning to evening and did not allow her to have dinner at the table, but sent her to the kitchen.

Twice a day the poor thing had to walk on the water, three miles from home, and bring from there a large heavy jug, full to the top. One day, while she was at the well, a beggar approached her and asked her to give her a drink. “If you please, my dear,” the beauty answered, rinsed the jug, scooped up some water clean place source and gave it to her, while she supported the jug with her hand. so that the old woman could drink more skillfully.

Once upon a time there lived a nobleman, and he married for the second time the proudest and most arrogant lady in the world. She had two daughters from her first husband, who were like her in everything. The nobleman also already had a daughter - kindness and meekness unparalleled, she was given the character of her late mother, who was rare qualities.

Once upon a time there lived alone happy family: father, mother and their only daughter, whom her parents loved very much. They lived carefree and joyfully for many years.

Unfortunately, one autumn, when the girl was sixteen years old, her mother became seriously ill and died a week later. A deep sadness reigned in the house.

Once upon a time there lived an old miller, and he had three sons. When the miller died, he left his sons as an inheritance of all his limited property: a mill, a donkey and a cat. The eldest got a mill, the middle one got a donkey, and the youngest got a cat...

“This is just right for you,” laughed the older brothers, who never missed an opportunity to tease the younger one.

Once upon a time there lived a rich merchant who had three daughters and three sons. The youngest of the daughters was called Beauty. Her sisters did not like her because she was everyone's favorite. One day a merchant went bankrupt and said to his children:

Now we will have to live in the village and work on a farm to make ends meet.

Living on a farm, Beauty did everything around the house, and even helped her brothers in the field. The older sisters were idle all day long. They lived like this for a year.

Suddenly the merchant was told good news. One of his missing ships was found, and now he is rich again. He was going to go to the city to get his money and asked his daughters what to bring them as a gift. The elders asked for dresses, and the youngest - a rose.

Once upon a time there lived a girl who for some reason really did not like to take the straight and short path. She always chose the longest and most winding road. And if her mother sent her somewhere on an errand, she had to wait for a very long time. The girl could spend hours wandering through the surrounding meadows and forests, picking flowers and berries and singing songs. She also loved to talk to everyone who crossed her path, even complete strangers. And it often happened that she returned home only when it was already evening.

Once upon a time, there lived a woodcutter with his wife and seven sons. They were very poor and lived in a small house on the edge of the forest. Six of the sons were tall and strong, only the seventh did not grow tall. He was so small that they called him Thumb Boy. And although he really wasn't much more finger, he was a hundred times smarter than some overgrown person. His brothers and even his father often turned to him for advice.

Once upon a time there lived a successful, strong, brave, kind king with his beautiful wife, the queen. His subjects adored him. His neighbors and rivals worshiped him. His wife was charming and gentle, and their love was deep and sincere. They had only daughter, whose beauty was equal to virtue.

The king and queen loved her more than life itself.

Luxury and abundance reigned everywhere in the palace, the king's advisers were wise, the servants were hardworking and faithful, the stables were full of the most thoroughbred horses, the cellars were filled with countless supplies of food and drink.

Once upon a time there lived a brother and sister, Jean and Marie. Their parents were very poor, and they lived in an old house on the edge of the forest. The children worked from morning to night, helping their father, the woodcutter. Often they returned home so tired that they did not even have the strength to eat dinner. However, it often happened that they had no dinner at all, and the whole family went to bed hungry.

Once upon a time there lived a man who had a lot of all sorts of good things: he had beautiful houses in the city and outside the city, gold and silver dishes, embroidered chairs and gilded carriages, but, unfortunately, this man had a blue beard, and this beard gave him such an ugly and menacing appearance that all the girls and women used to say, as soon as they saw him, God bless him with his feet. One of his neighbors, a lady of noble origin, had two daughters, perfect beauties. He wooed one of them, without specifying which one, and leaving it to the mother herself to choose his bride. But neither one nor the other agreed to be his wife: they could not decide to marry a man who had a blue beard, and only quarreled among themselves, sending him to each other. They were embarrassed by the fact that he already had several wives and no one in the world knew what happened to them.

A collection of the most popular and beloved by all fairy tales by Charles Perrault for your children. Stories of their fairy tales by Ch. Perrault I took it not from books, but from pleasant memories of childhood and youth. Tales of Charles Perrault First of all, they teach virtue, friendship and helping one’s neighbor, and remain in the memory of adults and children for a long time. On our website you can find online fairy tales Charles Perrault, and enjoy reading them absolutely free. We tried to collect all list of fairy tales this wonderful writer.

Charles Perrault (French: Charles Perrault)

(12.01.1628 - 16.05.1703)

Often, when studying the biographies of writers, we notice that in addition to our successful creative activity they took quite a bit high position in the society of the time in which they lived. This is not surprising, since in those distant times educated people there were very few, the elite were mostly educated, so it turned out that the nobles, being close to the emperor, in addition to performing their official duties, wrote famous and exciting works, thanks to which they entered the historical heritage humanity. One of these writers is Charles Perrault. Born into the family of a judge of the Parisian parliament, Pierre Perrault, he received a decent education for that time. And thanks to his father’s connections and his personal qualities, he quickly walked through career ladder. Perrault was both a lawyer and a tax collector, and for 20 years he occupied the top of the administrative state pyramid, being an adviser to the king and the chief inspector of buildings. Perrault also had to deal with issues foreign policy, royal furniture and tapestry production and cultural issues. Taking into account the writer’s workload, it would be more likely to assume that his legacy would be some journals, reports, etc. for historians and economists, however, they inherited the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, which he miraculously had enough time to write. As we see, this man was diversified and perfectly aware of the spirit of society that hovered both in the elite and in the lower strata of society of that time. And the times, it must be admitted, were far from the best! Constant peasant revolts, constant hunger, lack of medicine, sanitation led to epidemics... Charles Perrault, holding such a high position, had a clear idea of ​​all this. Probably this whole situation made people more cruel, more evil, more unmerciful, which is what we observe when we begin to read the fairy tales of Charles Perrault. It should be noted that almost all of Charles Perrault's fairy tales that were published in the Soviet Union were changed by the press. The compilers removed all the cruelty and left the stories with a happy ending. This is probably why, as children, we so liked the works of Charles Perrault, reading his fairy tales in which good always triumphs over evil. However, in the original source these tales were filled harsh reality the time in which Charles Perrault lived and wrote fairy tales. Reading the collection "Fairy Tales" Mother Goose"Charles Perrault Little Red Riding Hood, having listened to the wolf, was eaten along with her grandmother and this is where the fairy tale ends, no one frees her, Sleeping Beauty also faces a sad fate. Her mother-in-law is an ogress who hates her daughter-in-law, only by a miracle did the sleeping beauty and her children manage to escape. Thumb and Bluebeard also amaze with the amount of blood and cruelty. It seems to us that our compilers removed all these scenes from Perrault’s fairy tales and made them truly childish. On our website we published fairy tales from different editions, trying to choose fairy tales with the least amount of atrocities, but you can’t remove everything, so we strongly recommend that parents first familiarize themselves with the content of the fairy tales, and then make their own decision about reading Charles Perrault’s fairy tales online. children, or wait until they grow up and then introduce them to the work of the French storyteller of the 17th century. Also on our website you can download the tales of Charles Perrault in the formats you need.

The fairy tale stories of Charles Perrault are known to everyone. They inspired many composers to create musical works. Directors and screenwriters also did not ignore amazing tales this author, and many have been created based on his works wonderful films. Perrault's fairy-tale characters come to life in amusement parks, on theater stages, computer games and remain among the most beloved, just like hundreds of years ago.

History of French fairy tales

In France XVII century The dominant direction in art was classicism. Including in literature. The works of ancient authors were considered role models. During the time of King Louis XIV of France, the cult of antiquity flourished in art.

Mythological subjects and heroes of ancient stories dominated the work of painters and poets. They glorified the triumph of reason and duty over feelings and, of course, glorified the power of the monarch, supposedly uniting all the forces of the nation. Soon the interests of the bourgeoisie came into conflict with the interests of the monarch in power, and opposition sentiments intensified throughout France.

The mood of society was naturally reflected in art. Among French writers, a dispute ensued about the superiority of ancient and modern authors. A few opponents of classicism argued that it is possible to write beautiful works without imitating ancient authors. In addition, new authors are superior to ancient ones in that they have better knowledge and outlook.

Among the initiators of this historical dispute about the need for change was Charles Perrault, a royal official and member of the French Academy. In his work “A Comparison of Ancient and Modern Authors,” he urged authors to display modern life, draw images and plots from surrounding reality, and not from ancient literature.

About the author

Charles Perrault was known primarily as a poet and publicist, one of the founders of the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Painting. Even while writing fairy tales for children, he remained a moralist and used his works for education and personal development. But before listing the works, including the list of fairy tales by Charles Perrault, I would like to introduce readers to the writer’s life story.

Charles Perrault was born on January 12, 1628 in the family of a judge. His parents were concerned about their children's education and at the age of eight the boy was sent to college, like his brothers. They all studied well and were never punished with rods, which was completely unusual for that time. While still in college, Charles studied literary research, but after disagreements with his teacher, he decided to leave his studies.

He studied biblical texts, the works of the Church Fathers and secular writers, the history of France and did translations. At the same time, Charles attended law classes and soon became a certified lawyer. Having purchased a license, Perrault holds the position of lawyer for some time. But he quickly gets tired of it. Charles decided to gain a foothold at court and, leaving the practice of law, he got a job as a clerk for his brother, who held the position of chief tax collector.

In 1663, Charles took the position of secretary at the Academy of Inscriptions and served under the leadership of Jean Colbert, the French Minister of Finance. Charles Perrault also worked as a controller in the Inspectorate of Royal Buildings. A jack of all trades, Perrault was directly involved in the creation of Versailles, and he also wrote the first guide to the labyrinth of the Versailles gardens.

Being quite a prolific writer, Charles wrote as light poetry, such as the gallant “Dialogue of Love and Friendship” and “impressive” works on the topic of architecture. Many of his works have been forgotten, although they represent a fairly extensive list. But it forever entered the history of literature and, in addition, brought its author worldwide fame a short list of fairy tales by Charles Perrault.

Founder of the fairy tale genre

Perrault, to prove the correctness of his words, decided by example show that morality can also be extracted from stories that depict folk life and modern life. He began processing folk tales, which at that time were not considered at all as a separate literary genre. As a result, in 1697 Charles Perrault published fairy tales. List in alphabetical order The works included in the first collection of “Tales of Mother Goose” look like this:

• "Cinderella";
• "Puss in Boots";
• "Little Red Riding Hood";
• "Tom Thumb";
• "Rike with a tuft";
• "Bluebeard";
• "Sleeping Beauty";
• "Fairies".

The fairy tale “Rike with the Tuft” belongs to the pen of the author himself. The seven other works in the collection represent folk tales he heard from his son’s wet nurse. The writer ennobled famous folk stories with his usual humor and talent. I omitted some details and added new ones. And the tales cut by the great master became widely known beyond the literary circle.

The works were instructive in nature, which the author noted in the title of the collection - “Stories with Moral Instructions.” Charles Perrault showed his fellow writers that a folk tale is no worse ancient works may be instructive.

IN secular society There was a fashion for fairy tales. Gradually, works by other authors began to appear - philosophical tales, old stories in modern presentation and fairy tales own composition. The following editions of the Mother Goose collection include three more tales by Charles Perrault. List in alphabetical order small:

• "Griselda";
• "Donkey skin";
• "Amusing desires."

Thanks to all this, independent literary genre.

The list of Charles Perrault's fairy tales is small; as a lawyer, academician and dignitary, he was afraid that such a frivolous activity would cast a shadow on him. Therefore, he published the first collection, indicating the name of his eleven-year-old son P. D’Armancourt. Nevertheless, Paris learned very quickly that the author of the fairy tales was none other than Charles Perrault.

Author's works

In 1653, Charles Perrault published The Wall of Troy. In writing the parody poem, he relied on his long-term research. Perrault, like his brothers Claude and Pierre, defended the superiority of new writers over the ancients. Based on Boileau’s treatise “The Art of Poetry,” he wrote the works “The Age of Louis the Great” and “Parallels of Ancient and Modern.”

To prove his assertion that his contemporaries are no worse than ancient authors, he publishes the impressive volume " Famous people France XVII century", where he collected biographies famous historians, artists, poets, scientists of the 17th century.

IN philosophical research“Apology for a Woman,” a father tells his son about the need to get married. Beautiful language the author talks about the virtue of a woman, about love, about serious and tender feelings, about mercy and compassion. In a word, he teaches his son to look for ideal wife- a “pearl” in the sea of ​​life. Other works by the author:

• Portrait d "Iris ("Portrait of Iris", 1659);
• Ode sur la paix ("Ode to the World", 1660);
• Ode aux nouveaux convertis (“Ode to the Converts,” 1685);
• La Création du Monde ("The Creation of the World", 1692).

In 1755, Charles wrote Memoirs of My Life, in which he spoke about important milestones his life: serving Colbert, editing the first French dictionary, works dedicated to the king, translations, a three-volume work devoted to a comparison of ancient and modern authors. But he didn’t mention a word about the collection “Mother Goose,” but it was this list of fairy tales by Charles Perrault that became a masterpiece of world culture.

What are his tales about?

The author's works, written for children, are extremely popular in all countries. Despite their somewhat French grace, the fairy tales of Charles Perrault have taken their rightful place in literature. Funny, entertaining, with a touch folk poetry, they easily reveal the foundations of human morality. Children perceive these magical and wonderful stories than moralizing conversations.

Charles Perrault showed perfectly by the example of his fairy tales that children are able to notice good and bad, kind and evil. Amused by the beauty and cuteness of the fairy tale, they learn the necessary lessons. Undoubtedly, fairy tales leave room for imagination, and children believe in the wonders of fairy tales. But, as soon as the time comes, they will learn to distinguish the imaginary from the real. And the lessons learned from the first books will remain with them forever.

The first collection in Russian

Perrault's "Magic Tales" have been translated into Russian famous writer I. S. Turgenev and published in St. Petersburg in 1867. Turgenev worked on the translation for almost 2 years and, judging by his articles, was dissatisfied with its quality. But despite this, his translation has been considered one of the best for more than a hundred years. The illustrations by Gustav Doré gave the first edition a special charm.

Let us once again list the tales of Charles Perrault. Full list they look like this:

• "Griselda" (1691);
• "Cinderella" (1697);
• "Puss in Boots" (1697);
• "Little Red Riding Hood" (1697);
• "Tom Thumb" (1697);
• "Donkey Skin" (1694);
• "Rike with a Tuft" (1697);
• "Bluebeard" (1697);
• "Funny Desires" (1693);
• "Sleeping Beauty" (1696);
• "Fairies" (1697).

The collection had resounding success and has been translated into many languages ​​of the world. Many musical works, animated films and films have been created based on fairy tales. feature films and even masterpieces of classical ballet.

Charles Perrault: biography and fairy tales for children

Charles Perrault: biography of the writer for adults and children, entertaining stories about the creation of fairy tales by Charles Perrault, audio fairy tales for children. Cognitive interesting video for children about the biography of the storyteller.

Who wrote the fairy tales of Charles Perrault? How do Charles Perrault's fairy tales differ from the modern children's versions we know? How did Charles Perrault become a children's writer?

Biography of Charles Perrault (1628-1703)

In this article you will find:

— biography Charles Perrault - short, understandable, accessible and interesting for adults and children,
- entertaining and amazing facts And the history of the creation of fairy tales by Charles Perrault,

- educational video for children about the biography of Charles Perrault,
— original texts author and how they differ from modern children’s texts known to us,
— bibliography about the life and work of Charles Perrault for adults and children,
— list of fairy tales Charles Perrault in alphabetical order,
— filmstrips for children based on the tales of Charles Perrault .

A story about Charles Perrault... You are probably expecting at the beginning of this article a story about how Charles Perrault dreamed of becoming a storyteller since childhood and how he consciously came to the decision to write fairy tales for children that have been known for more than 300 years? But everything in his life was completely different.

And Charles Perrault was not a storyteller at all, a.. an eloquent lawyer, scientist and poet, architect at the king’s court in the department of royal buildings, member of the French Academy. This was a courtier, accustomed to shining in high society and not at all a children's writer.

How did he write his still beloved children's fairy tales? What family did you grow up in? What kind of education did you receive? Did he even write fairy tales? Yes, we still don’t know for sure whether Charles Perrault really wrote the fairy tales we know about Puss in Boots and Little Red Riding Hood or if it wasn’t him at all. And if someone else wrote them, then who is the unknown author? More on this in the article below.

Portrait of Charles Perrault

Biography of Charles Perrault: childhood and youth

Charles Perrault, now known to all adults and children as the author of “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Puss in Boots”, “Rike with the Tuft”, “Tom Thumb” and other fairy tales, born more than 350 years ago - in the city of Tournai on January 12, 1628. They say that at birth the baby screamed so that it could be heard at the other end of the block, announcing to the whole world about his birth.

Charles Perrault grew up in a wealthy, educated family. Charles Pierrot's grandfather was a wealthy merchant in Turin. Charles's father, Pierre Pierrot, received an excellent education and was a lawyer in the Parisian parliament. Charles Perrault's mother came from noble family. As a child, Charles Perrault lived for a long time on his mother’s estate - in the village of Viry, from where the images of his “village” fairy tales may have originated.

The family had many children. Charles had five brothers. One brother, François, Charles’s twin, died before he was a year old. Researchers in the biography of Charles Perrault claim that his shadow haunted Charles throughout his life and greatly disturbed him in childhood. That was until Charles made friends in college with the boy Borin, who helped “lift Francois’s spell” and became his true friend, about whom they say “you can’t spill water” and actually replaced his departed twin brother. After this, Charles became more confident and more successful in his studies.

The four Pierrot brothers, like Charles Pierrot, would become worthy people will occupy important positions
- Jean will become a lawyer,
- Pierre - tax collector in Paris,
- Claude was admitted to the Academy of Sciences, became an architect, built the Paris Observatory and the Louvre Colonnade, created decorations for the Versailles Cathedral, practiced medicine,
— Nicolas wanted to become a professor at the Sorbonne, but did not have time, since he lived only 38 years. He taught theology.

All Pierrot brothers, including Charles, graduated from Beauvais College. Charles Perrault entered this college at the age of 8 and graduated from the Faculty of Arts. Eat different opinions about how young Charles studied. And all these opinions are very contradictory. Some say that he studied very poorly, others that he was a brilliant student. Are there any facts? Yes, I have. It is known that in the early years Charles Perrault did not shine with success in his studies, but then everything changed dramatically when he became friends with a boy named Borain. This friendship had a very positive influence on Charles, he became one of the best students and together with a friend he developed his own system of classes - such that he even surpassed the program in history, Latin and French.

In those years, literature was just a hobby for a young college student, Charles Perrault. During his first year at college, he began composing his first poems, poems and comedies. Composed literary works his brothers. The Perrault brothers communicated with the leading writers of the time (Chanlin, Moliere, Corneille, Boileau) in the then fashionable salons and introduced him to the best writers of that time.

Biography of Charles Perrault: adult years

Charles Perrault, at the insistence of his father, first worked as a lawyer, and then went to work for his brother, in his department as a tax collector. He diligently pursued his career, and did not even think about literature as a serious occupation. He became rich, strong, influential. He became an adviser to the king and the chief inspector of buildings, headed the Committee of Writers and the department of the Glory of the King (there was such a department, now it would probably be called the “king’s PR department” at that time :)).

At the age of 44, Charles married young Marie Pichon, she was 18 years old at the time. They had 4 children. There are different opinions about Charles’s family life, and again contradictory ones. Some biographers of Charles write about his tender love for his wife and family, others have the opposite opinion. They lived family life not for long - only six years. Charles Pierrot's wife died quite early - at the age of 24 - from smallpox. At that time it was impossible to cure this disease. After this, Charles Perrault raised his children himself - three sons - and never married again.

The literary life of Charles Perrault

What kind of era was this - the era of the life of Charles Perrault– in development French literature And cultural life this country? She is well known to us from Dumas' novels. At this time there was a war between England and France. And at the same time there was a flourishing of classicism in French literature. Let's compare the dates: around the same time, Jean-Baptiste Moliere (1622), Jacques La Fontaine (1621), Jean Racine (1639), Pierre Corneille, father French tragedy(1606). Around Pierrot the heyday of literature flourishes - the “golden age” French classicism. There is no interest in the fairy tale yet and will appear only in a hundred years; the fairy tale is considered a “low” genre, “serious” writers do not pay attention to it at all.

At the end of the 17th century, there was a dispute in literature between the “ancients” and the “new”. The “Ancients” argued that literature had already reached perfection in ancient times. The “new” ones said that modern writers They are already discovering and will continue to discover to humanity something completely new in art, previously unknown. Pierrot became the “leader” of the new ones. In 1697 he wrote a four-volume study, The Parallel between the Ancients and the Moderns. What to oppose ancient antiquity? The same ancient folk tale!

Perrault said in his work: “Look around! And you will see that it is possible to enrich the content and form of art without imitating ancient models.” Here are his words about ancient and modern times:

Antiquity, no doubt, is venerable and beautiful,
But we got used to falling on our faces before her in vain:
After all, even the ancient great minds -
Not inhabitants of heaven, but people like us.
And the century of Louis and the century of Augustus
Let me compare without being a boastful person. […]
If only someone in our age would dare to
Remove the veil of prejudice from your eyes
And look into the past with a calm, sober look,
That with perfections he would see next to
There are many weaknesses, and I finally realized
That antiquity is not a model for us in everything,
And no matter how much they tell us about it in schools,
In many ways, we have long been ahead of the ancients.
(Charles Perrault, translation by I. Shafarenko)

Charles Perrault as the author of famous children's fairy tales

A mysterious story about the authorship of fairy tales we know

Who wrote “the tales of Charles Perrault”?

“...My stories are even more worthy of being retold than most ancient legends... In them, virtue is always rewarded, and vice is punished... All these are seeds thrown into the soil, which at first give rise only to outbursts of joy or attacks of sadness, but subsequently they certainly bring to life good inclinations.”Charles Perrault. Introduction to a collection of fairy tales.

Charles Perrault's fairy tales were written as "moral" tales and teaching life lessons. And they were... in verse! How??? You will be surprised... why in verse, since we read Charles Perrault’s fairy tales to children in prose, and not in verse? Let's look into this very mysterious story about what kind of fairy tales Charles Perrault wrote and who wrote them in general.

The history of the creation of Perrault's fairy tales is similar to detective puzzle, which still does not have a single answer. Since the publication of Charles Perrault's fairy tales in prose (1697), there has still been debate about their authorship.

The only known and generally accepted fact is that the basis of all the plots of Charles Perrault’s fairy tales is made up of famous folk tales, and not his author's intention. Perrault created his own literary fairy tale based on them.

There are very different versions about the writing of Charles Perrault's fairy tales

Version 1. Charles Perrault wrote only fairy tales in verse, and the children's fairy tales in prose that we all know were written by his son Pierre.

This is how it was - one of the versions.

The fairy tales of Charles Perrault that we know were part of his collection “Tales of Mother Goose”, which was reprinted several times with changes and additions.

In the fourth edition of the collection there were fairy tales in verse (1691 - fairy tales “Griselda”, “ Donkey skin", "Amusing desires"). And it was published under the name of Charles Perrault himself.

In the fifth edition of the same collection and "Tales of Mother Goose" (1697) there were five fairy tales in prose: "Sleeping Beauty", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Bluebeard", "Mr. Cat, or Puss in Boots" and "The Witches". But... there is one very important “but”. All these fairy tales were signed not by Charles Perrault, but by the name of his youngest son as the author of the fairy tales! The author of the fairy tales known to us was stated to be “Pierre d’Armancourt”. He was dedicated to his name in the collection (it was dedicated to the young nephew of Louis XIV, Elizabeth Charlotte of Orleans).

The manuscript of "Tales of Mother Goose" has been preserved. signed with the initials P.P (Pierre Perrault - son of Charles Perrault). The father knew what he was doing. Pierre presented the manuscript of fairy tales to the princess. And.. very soon Pierre received noble title. When the collection was published, instead of P.P. it already included the authorship of “Pierre d’Armancourt”.

A year later, “Tales of Mother Goose” was republished again and three more new fairy tales appeared in them: “Cinderella, or a shoe trimmed with fur”, “Rike with a tuft” and “A boy as big as a finger”. The stories were selling out. And their author, Pierre Perrault, became famous.

But the situation changed dramatically in a tragic direction. Pierre, the son of Charles Perrault, killed a man, a neighbor's guy, with a sword in a fight. For this he was arrested. Charles Perrault managed to buy his son out of prison and send him as a lieutenant to the army, where he died in battle. And three years later, Charles Perrault himself died.

For another twenty years the book was published under the name of Perrault’s son - the author on the cover was Pierre Perrault d’Armancourt . And after that, another name appeared on the cover of prose fairy tales - Charles Perrault, since he was much more significant figure in the life of the state and French literature. After this, fairy tales in prose and fairy tales in verse were combined into one collection, “Tales of Mother Goose,” and began to be published under the same name of the author - Charles Perrault.

Thus, fairy tales about Cinderella, Puss in Boots and Little Red Riding Hood are still published in collections called “Tales of Mother Goose, or Stories and Tales of Bygone Times with Teachings” by Charles Perrault.

During his lifetime, Charles Perrault never claimed to be the author of fairy tales. Oze, his son was considered their author. And even in his autobiography, he did not mention a word about the authorship of fairy tales in prose and never once in his life did he put his signature on them.

Version 2. Traditional version. Charles Perrault deliberately hid his authorship and presented his son as the author of fairy tales, since fairy tales were not then considered a serious activity for a “real writer.”

In 1697 Charles Perrault publishes the collection “Tales of Mother Goose” under the name of his son and on the cover of the collection the author is listed as Pierre Perrault d’Armancourt. The collection includes eight fairy tales: “Sleeping Beauty”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Bluebeard”, “Puss in Boots”, “Fairies”, “Cinderella”, “Rike with the Tuft”, “Tom Thumb”. In subsequent editions, the collection was replenished with three more fairy tales: “Funny Desires” (in other translations – “Funny Desires”), “Donkey Skin”, “Griselda”.

Dedication in the book was like this (written on behalf of the son of Charles Perrault as the author of fairy tales): “Your Highness. Probably no one will find it strange that a child would come up with the idea of ​​composing the fairy tales that make up this collection; however, everyone will be surprised that he had the courage to offer them to you.” Indeed, what is prohibited for an adult is forgivable for a child or youth.

The proof of this point of view is that, in particular, the fairy tales reflect the life impressions of Charles Perrault, and not his son. Counts known fact that the Sleeping Beauty Castle is the famous Castle of Usset on the Loire. Now it houses the Charles Perrault Museum with wax figures his fairy tale characters. Charles Perrault first saw this castle when he was intendant of royal buildings. At that time, the castle was already in disrepair, in dense thickets, above which towered crenellated towers - exactly as it was described in the fairy tale by Charles Perrault.

And also as proof is the fact that fairy tales end with poems - moral teachings that a child or young man would hardly write.

Charles Perrault was the first European writer who took it upon themselves to introduce into the circle classical literature « low genre"fairy tales". And that is why Charles had to hide his name in the authorship of the collection with the popular title “Tales of Mother Goose.” After all, at that time he became an innovator, and innovation was not always safe and was not always encouraged.

The traditional version is convincingly proven by French literary scholars of the 20th and 21st centuries, in particular Marc Soriano. And also in literature textbooks.

Version 3. Young Pierre Perrault wrote down folk tales, and his father Charles Perrault seriously edited them. Or perhaps Charles Perrault composed these tales for his son when he was little and later simply wrote them down in his name.

According to this version, every evening Charles Perrault told his children fairy tales that I remembered from childhood. Then there were not enough stories, and he began to collect them from servants, cooks, and maids, which greatly amused them, because fairy tales were not considered something serious then. His passion for fairy tales was inherited by youngest son Pierre. The boy started a notebook in which he wrote down everything he heard from his father and other people. magical stories. It was this notebook that became the basis for our favorite fairy tales in prose, created in the co-creation of father Charles Perrault and his youngest son.

Whatever the case and whoever wrote the tales, it is generally accepted that It was Charles Perrault who first introduced the folk tale into noble society. And he became the founder of a whole trend - literary fairy tales for children.

And who was the true author of “Cinderella” or “Puss in Boots” - Charles Perrault himself or his youngest son, will probably remain a mystery. I adhere to the traditional point of view (version 2) and therefore call the author of the fairy tales in this article - the name already familiar to all of us - Charles Perrault.

Did Charles Perrault write fairy tales for children?

Very interesting facts of fairy tale history

The collection “Mother Goose Tales” was not intended for children at all; it was written primarily for adults and had adult overtones. Each fairy tale by Charles Perrault ended with a moral lesson in verse. Let's look at what lessons were embedded in some fairy tales.

Little Red Riding Hood

For example, now many fairy tale therapists are arguing about the fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood and the meanings inherent in it. But Charles Perrault himself revealed the meaning in his poetic afterword to the fairy tale. Here it is:

For small children, not without reason
(And especially for girls,
Beauties and pampered girls),
On the way, meeting all kinds of men,
You can’t listen to insidious speeches, -
Otherwise the wolf might eat them.
I said: wolf! There are countless wolves
But there are others between them
Rogues, so blown away,
That, sweetly exuding flattery,
The maiden's honor is protected,
Accompany their walks home,
They are escorted bye-bye through dark corners...
But the wolf, alas, is more modest than it seems,
The more cunning and terrible he is!

In Charles Perrault's fairy tale, the hunters do not come and save Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother! There are no hunters at all in the plot of his tale. And in folk tale and in the same plot of the Brothers Grimm, hunters exist and save Riding Hood and her grandmother.

Why is there such a difference in the plot of the fairy tale? It is explained very simply. Charles Perrault wrote a fairy tale for frivolous adult girls, wanting to warn them, and not for children at all! The fairy tale was intended for ladies of secular salons - “especially slender and beautiful girls” and was supposed to warn naive girls from insidious seducers.

Charles Perrault was convinced that tragedies in a fairy tale are necessary for teaching life (a fairy tale is a lesson in life) and therefore he would be so merciless towards our beloved Little Red Riding Hood. After all, life can also be merciless to the “girl”.

Bluebeard

Another fairy tale by Charles Perrault known to all of us is the fairy tale “Bluebeard”. What do you think was the moral of this tale? Perrault condemned evil husband named Bluebeard? Not at all! It is interesting that in the moral to this tale, the author does not talk about the villain - Bluebeard's husband, but about ... the harmfulness of female curiosity!

Here's the moral of the story:

A woman’s passion for immodest secrets is funny;
It is known that it came at a price,
It will instantly lose both taste and sweetness.

Puss in Boots

And the moral of the fairy tale “Puss in Boots” in the words of Charles Perrault sounded like this:

And if the miller's son can
The princess's heart is disturbed,
And she looks at him, barely alive,
It means youth and joy
And without an inheritance they will be in sweetness,
And the heart loves, and the head is spinning .

This means that neither life nor a fairy tale is possible without love! If there is love, there will be youth and joy even without an inheritance! Here is such an interesting testament from Charles Perrault.

sleeping Beauty

The afterword with a moral lesson to the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty” sounded like this:

Wait a little so that my husband turns up,
Handsome and rich, too
Quite possible and understandable.
But a hundred many years, lying in bed, waiting
It's so unpleasant for ladies
That no one will be able to sleep.
Let's take a second lesson:
Often the links of the bonds that Hymen knits,
While scattered, and sweeter and more tender,
Waiting like this is luck, not torment.
But a tender floor with such fire
Confirms his symbol of faith in marriage,
To sow a hell of doubt in him
We don't have enough gloomy anger.

Patience, woman's patience like a woman's virtue that will be rewarded - it turns out that this is what is important in this fairy tale!

How Charles Perrault's fairy tales came to Russia

Translated into Russian, Charles Perrault's fairy tales were first published in 1768 in a collection entitled "Tales of Wizards with Moral Teachings". Later, the fairy tale “Puss in Boots” was translated into verse by V. A. Zhukovsky. He also wrote The Sleeping Princess.

And in 1867, a collection of fairy tales by Charles Perrault was published with a foreword by I. S. Turgenev and without poetic moral teachings at the end of the tales, with illustrations by G. Doré. Translation by I.S. Turgenev helped fairy tales gain popularity in Russia. But then fairy tales were called differently. For example, instead of “Cinderella” the title of the fairy tale was “Zamarashka”.

“Despite their somewhat scrupulous Old French grace, Perrault's fairy tales deserve an honorable place in children's literature. They are cheerful, entertaining, relaxed..., they still feel the influence of folk poetry that once created them; they contain exactly that mixture of the incomprehensibly miraculous and the everyday-simple, the sublime and the funny, which makes up hallmark a true fairy tale." I.S. Turgenev. From the preface to the collection of fairy tales

After the publication of Charles Perrault’s fairy tales based on them, the lyrical-comic opera “Cinderella” by Rossini, the ballet “Cinderella” by Sergei Prokofiev, and the play for children “Cinderella” by Evgeniy Schwartz (based on the script of the play) appeared in Russia. famous movie for children "Cinderella").

Adaptation of Charles Perrault's fairy tales for children

This is important to know: now we read to children not the original texts of C. Perrault in translation, but adapted texts of fairy tales, specially created for children's perception by Russian translators. They were retold for children by M. Bulatov, A. Lyubarskaya, N. Kasatkina, L. Uspensky, A. Fedorov, S. Bobrov. There are no poetic moralizing in them, many of the plots have been changed. Fairy tales have become truly children's, with “adult” texts and incidents removed from them.

Examples of changing the plots of Charles Perrault's fairy tales and adapting them for children:

— Charles Perrault has a mother-in-law Sleeping Beauty was a cannibal. Russian translators removed these fragments.

- Little Red Riding Hood is certainly saved by the hunters and appears again in the Light of God. In Charles Perrault's case, she was destroyed by a wolf once and for all.

— In the fairy tale “Donkey Skin” by Charles Perrault, the king, having become a widower, falls in love with his own daughter and wants to marry her! That's why the princess runs away from him in horror and wants to disguise herself under a donkey's skin. In the Russian translation for children there is no attempted incest. Here the princess is not a daughter, but a pupil, a daughter close friend the king, who was taken into care. And she just doesn’t want to become the wife of her old husband.

— Boy - with - finger in Charles Perrault's tale, he confiscates the ogre's wealth and/or seven-league boots and becomes rich by delivering letters to lovers. We don’t have this in our fairy tales for children. The woodcutter simply lived richly and no longer took his children into the forest.

Brief biography of Charles Perrault for children of senior preschool age

What can you tell 5-6 year old children about Charles Perrault? The most important and unusual thing in the biography. For example, short biography The life of Charles Perrault for kids can be told before a quiz based on his fairy tales like this:

A story for children about Charles Perrault

Tell me, please, what fairy tales of Charles Perrault do you know? (Children's answers.) Wonderful! Who can name their favorite fairy tale by this author? (Children's answers) Yes, I also really love the fairy tale about Cinderella, and about Puss in Boots, and about Little Red Riding Hood. What do we know about their author, Charles Perrault? I'll tell you a little about him.

Charles Perrault was born in France more than three hundred years ago. Then the state was ruled by a very strong and glorious king, Louis XIV. He was called the Sun King. The king loved pomp and gold, loved to build palaces and castles. He loved balls and danced at them with pleasure. Ladies on these dance evenings were dressed in long dresses and sparkled with decorations, looked like fairy fairies. And their gentlemen were distinguished by lush curly wigs. And Perrault also wore a wig. (Showing a portrait of Charles Perrault.)

Charles Perrault served at the court of the Sun King, was involved in political affairs, the construction of royal buildings, and wrote poetry, plays and fairy tales. His fairy tales, which he released so long ago under the title “Mother Goose Tales,” are loved by all children. And you included. Maybe we can try to take a trip through our favorite fairy tales? So, go ahead! (Next there is a quiz - a meeting with the fairy tales of Charles Perrault. The author of the text is K. Zurabova. See: K. Zurabova. The Tale of the Storyteller. In the Year of France in Russia. // Preschool Education, 2010. No. 8. P. 70-79) .

Educational video for children about the biography of Charles Perrault

Fairy tales are “not at all trifles ... They all have the purpose of showing what are the advantages of honesty, patience, forethought, diligence and obedience and what troubles befall those who deviate from these virtues.” Charles Perrault.

Charles Perrault: bibliography

List of fairy tales by Charles Perrault in alphabetical order

Griselda
Cinderella, or glass slipper
Puss in Boots
Little Red Riding Hood
Thumb Boy
Donkey skin
Fairy gifts
Amusing wishes
Rike with a tuft
Bluebeard
sleeping Beauty

List of literature and methodological developments on the biography and work of Charles Perrault

Aleshina G. N. At Cinderella’s ball: [matinee based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale “Cinderella”] / G. N. Aleshina // Books, sheet music and toys for Katyushka and Andryushka. -2011.-No.5.-S. 11-12.

Ardan, I. N. Literary game based on the works of Charles Perrault / I. N. Ardan // Teachers’ Council. - 2010. - No. 5. - P. 3-10.

B. Begak. Academician-storyteller: [about creativity French writer S. Perrault] // Preschool education, 1981, No. 10, p. 53-55.

B. Begak. The fairy tale lives on!: To the 350th anniversary of the birth of C. Perrault. // Teacher's newspaper, 1978, January 12.

Boyko S.P. Fairyland Charles Perrault. - Stavropol: Book. publishing house, 1992. – 317 p. (The second part of the book describes an imaginary dialogue between our contemporary visiting Charles Perrault with an entertaining retelling of the biography through the lips of Charles himself)

Boyko S.P. Charles Perrault (from the series ZhZL - Life wonderful people). M.: Young Guard, 2005. 291 p.

Brandis E.P. Tales of Charles Perrault. Book: From Aesop to Gianni Rodari. – M.: Det.lit., 1980. P.28-32.

Zurabova K. Tale of the storyteller // Preschool education, 2010. No. 8. P. 70-79.

Competition on fairy tales by C. Perrault for the attentive and well-read: for students in grades 5-6 / ed.-comp. L. I. Zhuk // V fairyland. - Minsk, 2007. - P. 120-125. - (Holiday at school).

Kuzmin F. Storyteller of Mother Goose. To the 350th anniversary of the birth of C. Perrault. // Family and school, 1978. No. 1. pp. 46-47.

Sharov A. Beautiful and tragic world Perrault// In the book: Sharov A. Wizards come to people. – M.: Children's literature, 1979. – P. 251-263

Tales of Charles Perrault: filmstrips and audio tales for children

And at the end of the article - voiced filmstrips based on the fairy tales of Charles Perrault for children

Charles Perrault. Little Red Riding Hood

Charles Perrault. Cinderella

Charles Perrault. Puss in Boots

Charles Perrault. Thumb Boy

Modern high-quality editions of Charles Perrault's fairy tales for children

While preparing this article, I looked through a lot of editions of Charles Perrault's fairy tales. Alas, not all of them are of high quality. Therefore, at the end of the article I have compiled for you, dear readers“Native Paths”, which collects not just books for a children’s library, but also books that cultivate a child’s artistic taste, are books that I can recommend. Both in terms of the quality of the translation and the quality of the illustrations. In the list I give not just a link to the book, but also brief summary to her. Pay attention to her.

Collections of fairy tales:

Charles Perrault. Fairy tales. Translation by I.S. Turgenev. — Meshcheryakov Publishing House, 2016. Series “Book with History”. The book is aged, with wonderful illustrations. The texts of the fairy tales are unusual for us; they are from the first translation of the publication and were intended for adults (see audio fairy tales above). Therefore, I would not read them to very young children.

Charles Perrault. Fairy tales. The fairy tales are translated for preschoolers by M. A. Bulatov. A book specially created for children, cultivating artistic taste. There are 9 fairy tales in it. Amazing illustrations by Traugott.

Small thin books for children with individual fairy tales by C. Perrault:

Charles Perrault. Cinderella. In the classic translation by T. Gabbe. Beautiful illustrations by Reipolsky. My favorite series is “Mom’s Book” - books from our childhood published by Rech publishing house.

Another favorite book from childhood. Charles Perrault. Cinderella. Classic illustrations by V.M. Konashevich Translation by N. Kasatkina. Publisher: Melik - Pashayev. Series “Subtle masterpieces for the little ones.” Printed on thick coated paper.

Charles Perrault. Little Red Riding Hood. Publishing house "Rech". Series “Small Pages”. Also a book from childhood. Very bright illustrations by G. Bedarev, loved by children

Publishing house Astrel. The book is thin and has a non-standard format. Many beautiful illustrations Excellent paper and print quality.

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Charles Perrault

MAGICAL TALES

Bluebeard

Once upon a time there lived a man who had beautiful houses both in the city and in the countryside, gold and silver dishes, chairs decorated with embroidery, and gilded carriages. But, unfortunately, this man had a blue beard; this gave him such an ugly and terrible appearance that there was not a woman or a girl who would not run away when she saw him.

One of his neighbors, a noble lady, had two daughters, marvelously beautiful. He asked to marry one of them and allowed his mother to choose the one she would agree to give for him. Both did not want to marry him and abandoned him in favor of the other, unable to choose as a husband a man with a blue beard. They were also disgusted by the fact that this man had already been married several times, and no one knew what became of his wives.

To establish a closer acquaintance, Bluebeard invited them along with his mother and three or four best friends, as well as several young people, their neighbors, to one of their country houses, where the guests stayed for a whole week. All the time was taken up with walks, hunting and fishing trips, dancing, feasts, breakfasts and dinners; no one thought of sleeping, and every night passed with the guests making fun of each other; Finally, everything worked out so well that it began to seem to the youngest daughter that the owner of the house’s beard was no longer so blue and that he himself was a very decent person. As soon as we returned to the city, the wedding was decided.

A month later, Bluebeard told his wife that he needed to go to the country for at least six weeks on important business; he asked her to have fun during his absence; told her to call her girlfriends, so that if she wanted, she could take them out of town; so that she tries to eat tasty food everywhere. “Here,” he said, “the keys to both large storerooms, here are the keys to the gold and silver dishes, which are not served every day; here are the keys to the chests where my gold and silver are kept; here are the keys to the caskets where mine lie gems; here is the key that unlocks all the rooms in my house. And this little key is the key to the room at the end of the bottom large gallery“Open all the doors, go everywhere, but I forbid you to enter this small room so strictly that if you happen to open the door there, you must expect everything from my anger.”

She promised to strictly observe everything that was ordered to her, and he, hugging his wife, got into his carriage and set off.

Neighbors and girlfriends did not wait for messengers to be sent for them, but they themselves went to the newlywed - they were so impatient to see all the riches of her house, because while her husband was there, they did not dare to visit her - because of his blue beard which was feared. So they immediately began to examine the rooms, small rooms, dressing rooms, which surpassed each other in beauty and wealth. Then they moved to the storerooms, where they could not stop admiring the multitude and beauty of carpets, beds, sofas, cupboards, tables, desks and mirrors, in which they could see themselves from head to toe and the edges of which, some of them were glass, others were made of gilded silver, were more beautiful and magnificent than anything that had ever happened to be seen. Without ceasing to envy, they all the time extolled the happiness of their friend, who, however, was not at all interested in the sight of all these riches, for she was impatient to go open the small room downstairs.

She was so overcome by curiosity that, not considering how impolite it was to leave her guests, she went down the secret staircase, and with such haste that two or three times, as it seemed to her, she almost broke her neck. She stood at the door to the small room for several minutes, remembering the ban that her husband had imposed, and thinking that misfortune might befall her for this disobedience; but the temptation was so strong that she could not defeat it: she took the key and tremblingly opened the door.

At first she didn't see anything because the windows were closed. After a few moments, she began to notice that the floor was completely covered with dried blood and that the bodies of several dead women tied along the walls were reflected in this blood: all of these were Bluebeard’s wives, he married them, and then killed each of them. She thought that she would die of fear, and dropped the key that she had taken out of the lock.

Having recovered a little, she picked up the key, locked the door and went up to her room to recover at least a little; but she didn’t succeed, she was so excited.

Noticing that the key to the small room was stained with blood, she wiped it two or three times, but the blood did not come off; No matter how much she washed it, no matter how much she rubbed it with sand and a sand stone, the blood still remained, because the key was magical, and there was no way to completely clean it off: when the blood was cleaned off on one side, it appeared on the other.

Bluebeard returned from his journey that same evening and said that he had received a letter on the road informing him that the matter for which he was traveling had been resolved in his favor. His wife did everything possible - just to prove to him that she was delighted with his quick return.

The next day he demanded the keys from her, and she gave them to him, but with such a trembling in her hand that he easily guessed everything that had happened. “Why,” he asked her, “is the key to the small room missing along with the other keys?” “Probably,” she said, “I left it upstairs, on my table.” “Don’t forget,” said Bluebeard, “to give it to me as soon as possible.”

Finally, after various excuses, I had to bring the key. Bluebeard, looking at him, said to his wife: “Why is there blood on this key?” “I don’t know,” answered the unhappy wife, pale as death. “Don’t know? - asked Bluebeard. - And I, I know. You wanted to go into the small room. Well, madam, you will enter it and take your place there next to the ladies you saw there.”

She threw herself at her husband’s feet, crying, asking him for forgiveness and, by all indications, sincerely repenting of her disobedience. She, so beautiful and sad, would have touched even a rock, but Bluebeard had a heart harsher than the rock. “You must die, madam,” he told her, “and without delay.” “If I have to die,” she answered, looking at him with eyes full of tears, “give me at least a few minutes to pray to God.” “I give you seven minutes,” answered Bluebeard, “but not a moment more.”