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COUNTESS D’AULNOY NOVELIST WHO COINED THE TERM “FAIRY TALE”

FULL NAME: Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville

BORN: (EXACT DATE UNKNOWN) 1650, NEAR HONFLEUR, FRANCE

DIED: JANUARY 14, 1705, PARIS, FRANCE

NATIONALITY: FRENCH

Countess d’Aulnoy, in an 18th-century engraving

FAIRY TALES FOR GROWN-UPS

Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, also known as the Countess d’Aulnoy or Madame d’Aulnoy, was a 17th-century novelist and fairy-tale writer. Many of her works told of intrigue and scandal, just like her own personal life. As a young wife, Marie is rumored to have conspired with her mother to make up false accusations about her husband. When the plot backfired, Marie had to leave France for 15 years. During this time, she traveled in Spain, England, and Holland. Her adventures fed into her stories, and when she returned to France in 1685, she began her literary career. At the time, literary salons (where writers would share stories out loud) were fashionable. Marie hosted her own popular salon, and her work was soon published.

Marie’s novels were very popular across Europe. They told fictionalized accounts of history in the royal European courts. However, it was her fairy tales (contes de fées), first published in 1707, for which she is best known. Marie coined the term “fairy tales” for the popular folk tales featuring fantasy characters and magic. The Brothers Grimm would become famous for their own collections of such tales over 100 years later. While Marie’s tales are less well known today, she made a huge contribution to the genre that helped create the tales we love today.

FAIRY TALE CHARACTERS

RAPUNZEL

AURORA (FROM SLEEPING BEAUTY)

SNOW WHITE

Fairy tales are fantasy stories—often, but not always, for children—that feature magic and include creatures such as fairies, elves, and dragons. Countess d’Aulnoy coined the term contes de fées (fairy tales) in the 17th century, grouping together this style of story. Traditionally, these tales were told out loud and passed down from generation to generation. The Grimm Brothers, Charles Perrault, Countess d’Aulnoy, and Hans Christian Anderson all collected these stories, and they have become the tales we know and love today.

Many fairy tales have a girl or woman at the center of them, such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel. In some cases, these women are able to make their own choices and rescue themselves. However, in several retellings that are now common today, these women often need to be rescued by someone else. There is a modern trend to give women in these stories a sense of their own control once again, as can be seen in current versions of these stories on the big screen, such as Tangled and Enchanted.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

CINDERELLA