Windling, Terri, ed. - The Armless Maiden and Other Tales for Childhood's Survivors

[oyceter]

The Armless Maiden is a collection of stories and poems (and the occasional essay) of fairy-tale rewrites, much like Windling and Ellen Datlow's Snow White, Blood Red series of anthologies (which I love and own all of). This one is a themed anthology, however; Windling notes that many of the pre-Victorian versions of fairy tales are on the dangers of childhood, on how mothers and fathers can be just as deadly as the wolf in the woods, and how children conquer and overcome these dangers and hardships. Some of the stories and poems are more suited to this theme than others, but then, some of my favorite stories are ones that don't quite fit. So I'm not really arguing.

Particular stories I liked: Jane Yolen's "Allerleirauh," a very creepy version of "Donkeyskin," which I have actually read in another anthology. It's still good though. Patricia A. McKillip's "The Lark and the Lion" takes the "Psyche and Cupid" story and adds an additional chapter, which I liked very much, given that I tend to severely doubt most happily ever afters. I also loved what her princess turned into. Tappan King's "Wolf's Heart" actually started out as another story, but I like what she ended up with.

Others could feel a little heavy handed -- Charles de Lint's "In the House of my Enemy" got on my nerves a little just because it seemed to predictable, and while I was suitably frightened and disturbed by the beginning of Munro Sickafoose's "Knives," the second half changes tones. I suppose that was the author's point, and I do believe stories of recovery are important as well. The second half is done well and is a convincing look at recovery and choices, but I think it's the POV switch that jerks me out of the story.

I also liked Nancy Etchemendy's "The Lily and the Weaver's Heart," though it is a bit rote. Luckily, though the general storyline went with my expectations, Etchemendy didn't quite do everything I thought she would, which was a pleasant surprise.

My favorite part was actually Terri Windling's afterword, which tells her own childhood survivor story and explains why she was drawn to the world of fairy tales and folklore. It's entirely real, no fantasy at all, and yet it is centered around fairy tales, on appearances and deceptions and how by whitewashing the past, even "just" children's stories, we allow the same things to happen in silence.

Recommended, although maybe just for a Windling or fairy tale completist.

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Terri Windling's afterword was my favorite part too, although I liked most of the stories (though Ellen Steiber's was dull.) Tanith Lee's was even creepier than Jane Yolen's, if that's possible.

[oyceter]

Dude, I totally forgot about Tanith Lee's That was creepier than Yolen's. I must have erased that from my memory or something!

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

It still catches me funny that it is only since Buffy that I discovered some of the background, and work done on the fairy tales. It seems like for ever.

I don't think that I picked up on most of it when I was younger but a few, of course one did, and other like The Handless Maiden, I am glad I didn't come to until later. I still tend to prefer reading essays rather than the tales or the reworkings that are more edgy but that is because it gives me a little distance.

So many of the images still drfit into my work. One of the the pieces I am working on this week is an unchained mermaid. Another is a beautiful troll. (The third piece in process is a mask of Iyoba. I still don't know her story.)

Googling is fun too. Today I went from Surlalune to someone's web page to another trans. of the Kalevala to http://www.suemonkkidd.com/journal.asp?i=1&j=M which leads to the black madonna...to..

So sometimes the essays the Lj the restory-ing are like sparks, making you look again, see how things get rewritten, and also how things intertwine. One of my favorite stories is Tamlin also about transformations which show up in fairy tales, folk, myths and again today in my Morrison's Xmen reread.

And also in the Lucifer read. So linking transformations, and will/change vs destiny/environment, and the way we tell each other stories to entertain, or illuminate, and maybe provoke change and sometimes just to share about the spells and the bread crumb trail through the woods.

It is all pretty cool stuff. No, I am not really going anywhere with this, ;-) just marvelling.

[oyceter]

I like marvelling ^_^. Oh, do you think you will be scanning the pieces you've been working on? I feel bad for not offering more commentary, but I never quite know what to say. But the pieces are gorgeous, and I love having them show up. I still have your Faun and the faery and Green Man tacked on my bulletin board.

I actually read most of the fairy tales, even the edgier ones, when I was younger, but I think a lot of the adult content went waaay over my head. Looking back now, it seems funny that I was completely nonplussed over the rape of Sleeping Beauty (I just didn't know the mechanics of sex and wasn't quite sure how the babies showed up). I adore reading the retellings and how each author makes the piece their own,

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

I liked Windling's afterword (and IIRC, intro) too, and thought that was the best part of the book. OTOH, de Lint's story led me to his Jilly and then other books. Peter Straub's story was one of the creepiest I have ever read, ever. I also liked the authors' afterwords about their own stories and how they thought the stories fitted into the theme. Most of the poetry didn't impress me, tho.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Nick Cave's song "Do You Love Me?" (the last song on the album) on Red Right Hand is based on the Straub story, by the way.

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

Ack. I thought when I read this post, "That sounds like an interesting book."

But I dunno if I want to read a book that has anything to do with that song. ::twitch:: ::freak::

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

You could read everything but the Straub story.

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

(I put it on my list as I wrote that comment.)

[oyceter]

Ooo, I didn't actually read all of the Straub story =(. I really liked the afterwords and the essays, and some of the poetry I liked and some fell a little flat. amphibiouswords actually posted a poem she wrote that I really liked.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

I read all the Straub story, and honestly wished I hadn't, cause it didn't seem kathartic at all to me, just rather....gross. I thought "The Session" was sort of clever and funny, but not terribly deep; I wasn't that crazy about "She Sleeps in a Tower"; I really liked "In the Night Country," "The Face in the Cloth," and "Wolf's Heart" (if I'm remembering that last correctly). The story with the excruciating slang ("'Za" and so on) didn't seem to me to fit either as a story about abuse or a fantasy. It's been a while since I read the whole book, tho, and I originally found it in a library edition and hunted for it for years (this was before the whole online used book phenomenon).

One environment I've seen that book put to good use in is when therapists recommend it to patients who have been abused -- the fairy tale settings do seem to really help, somehow.

I don't remember if you posted anything about Anne Sexton's Transformations (I did a post about it on my LJ but it fell flat) but if you like retold fairy tales, esp with a sassy dash of humor, you might like those. They're v v funny and sort of pop modern, altho there are some v serious ones, too. You can usually find a freestanding volume in any bookstore or library. "Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty)" in Armless Maiden is the last poem in that collection.

Joanna Russ has a neat story in the same sort of vein called "The Dirty Little Girl."