Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is a story of January 12th.
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It is the 12th day of the year, leaving 353 days remaining in 2023.
He told stories of ancient times, but with a twist -- instead of reciting what we now call Fairy Tales in the oral tradition, he wrote them down. In doing do, he helped create the new literary genre, turning old folk tales into stories mostly for children, although adults enjoyed them as well.
Born into a wealthy family, he studied as a lawyer, and became a poet and author. He helped found the Académie Française, and took an active role in its promotion of the arts and its literary debates.
Late in his 60s, he published his first book of Fairy Tales, which he called Histoires ou Contes du Temps passé, with the subtitle, Les Contes de ma Mère l'Oye. (In English, Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals and Tales of Mother Goose.) They included such stories as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Tom Thumb, and Puss In Boots.
Perrault both modernized and retold the stories in simple language that was appropriate for children. For instance, his version of Little Red Riding Hood was a cautionary tale, advising children, particularly young girls, not to trust older men. In his version of the tale, Little Red jumped into the bed with the wolf, and was eaten.
Many of the stories later found their way into the version of the German tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Perrault died in Paris in 1703.
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