CHARLES PERRAULT
French author (1628-1703)
Biography:
Charles Perrault was born in Paris on January 1628. Son of an upper-class burgeois family, he attended the best schools and becomes a lawyer in 1651. He wrote Parallèles des anciens et des modernes (Parallels between the Ancients and the Moderns), 1688-1697, which compared the authors of antiquity unfavorably to modern writers, and became a member of the Academie Française in 1671. His ideals are made clear in his writings: he critisizes authority and states that progress is possible in both arts and sciences, thus highlighting Louis' superiority over Auguste.
His Stories or Tales from Times Past, with Morals: Tales of Mother Goose (1697) gave him great popularity and opened up a new literary genre: fairytale. Among his most famous versions of fairy tales we can find Blue Beard, Sleeping Beauty on the Woods, Little Red Riding Hood, The Master Cat or Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Little Thumb and Donkey Skin.
He died in Paris on May 1703.
Charles Perrault, author of illustrated works:
Blue Beard, illustrated by Croqwill, Rotledge, 1845.
Le Favole, illustrated by Gino Baldo, Milan, Corticelli, 1950.
Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger, Duculot, 1983
La Belle au bois dormant, illustrated by Mireille d'Allancé, éditions Atlas, 1992.
Critical analysis on Charles Perrault:
About Charles Perrault and his influence on literature: "La naissance de la littérature de jeunesse, entre morceaux choisis et adaptation" (A. M. Bernardinis, Italie) Jean Perrot, sous la dir., Tricentenaire Charles Perrault : les grands contes du XVIIe siècle et leur fortune littéraire, Press éd., 1998.
Charles Perrault and cinema:
The tales written by Charles Perrault were very successful also in cartoon film versions. Disney has adapted Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Tex Avery has filmed three particular versions: Red Hot Riding Hood, Swing Sift Cinderella and Red Rural Riding Hood. With real actors we have Donkey Skin film, directed by Jacques Demi.