Once Upon a Week: Fairy Tale References in Poetry and Music

Today is the last day of Once Upon a Week! Unfortunately, because life has been a bit hectic and got in the way, I have been unable to sort out a second fairy tale review for you. However, I'm not just a book fan; I am also a music and poetry fan. So, in place of a review, I have some poetic and musical treats inspired by fairy tales for you all.

First of all, the poem. People who know the original stories of Rumplestiltskin and Rapunzle should get the references in this poem, as well as references of other fairy tales. I studied it during GCSE English several years ago, and it's one that stuck with me. I find it amusing because of it's conversational, modern tone, and subject matter. I haven't missed anything out, this is actually how it starts.


Rapunzstiltskin by Liz Lochhead

& just when our maiden had got
good & used to her isolation,
stopped daily expecting to be rescued,
had come to almost love her tower,
along comes This Prince
with absolutely
all the wrong answers.
Of course she had not been brought up to look for
originality or gingerbread
so at first she was quite undaunted
by his tendency to talk in strung-together cliche.
'Just hang on and we'll get you out of there'
he hollered like a fireman in some sopa opera
when she confided her plight (the old
hag inside etc. & how trapped she was);
well, it was corny but
he did look sort of gorgeous
axe and all.
So there she was, humming & pulling
all the pins out of her chignon,
throwing him all the usual lifelines
till, soon, he was shimmying in & out
every other day as though
he owned the place, bringing her
the sex manuals & skeins of silk
from which she was meant, eventually,
to weave the means of her own escape.
'All very well & good,' she prompted,
'but when exactly?'
She gave him till
well past the bell on the timeclock
She mouthed at him, hinted,
she was keener than a TV quizmaster
that he should get it right.
'I'll do everthing in my power' he intoned, 'but
the impossible (she groaned) might
take a little longer.' He grinned.
She pulled her glasses off.
'All the better
to see you with my dear?' he hazarded.
She screamed, cut of her hair.
'why you're beautiful?' he guessed tentatively.
'No, No, No!' she
shrieked & stamped her foot so
hard it sank six cubits through the floorboards.
'I love you?' he came up with
as finally she tore herself in two.

I really like that poem! It's years since I studied, but if I remember rightly, it's supposed to be a micky take of modern relationships. However, you can google the poem, and various analysis' crop up, so you can get a proper understanding from them if you're interested.

On to the music. Here are two songs that I just LOVE that have been partly inspired by fairy tales in them. The first doesn't have specific references, but you can find them - there are a few. The second, however, has specific references for just a few lines, which you won't be able to miss. Enjoy!

A Walk Through Hell by Say Anything - Unfortunately, I can't find an official video for this song, but click the link and you can listen to the song using the widget at the top and read the lyrics. I LOVE this song!

This Kiss by Faith Hill - Similar situation here. Use the widget on the left. There's a ring tone pop-up, just so you're aware. Close it, and you can continue.

Do you know of any other poems or songs with fairy tale references?

Also, I noticed on a few blogs a few weeks back a few photos that were relevant to Fairy Tale Week. Dina Goldstein has a Fallen Princesses Photographic Project, in which she portrays fairy tale princesses in real life situations, where "The '...happily ever after' is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues". Check them out, they are pretty damn awesome. Not showing the images as I'm adding this to my already created post last minute, and don't have permission. But they are amazing, go take a look!

Sorry for the lack of videos. And a review today. Hope you enjoyed the fairy tale posts here on Once Upon a Bookcase, and on all the other blogs too!

Hope you live happily ever after! ;)

Continue reading Once Upon a Week: Fairy Tale References in Poetry and Music

Once Upon a Week: Starring In My Own Fairy Tale

As part of Once Upon a Week, Vanessa has asked us to take one of three quizzes to find out which fairy tale character we are, and to re-write the story with ourselves as the main chatacter. I took this quiz, and found out I was equally both Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White. Not being able to cast myself as both characters at the same time, I've instead tried to combine both stories, and make a modern-ish story, that could almost happen. Maybe. It's silly, it's not great, please don't take it too seriously, it's just for a laugh. And so on to the story!

Once upon a time, Jo woke up one morning, and was told by her Mum that her Nan was ill. Being the kind and caring granddaughter that she is, Jo offered to visit her Nan, and do any shopping that she needed doing.

At noon, Jo left home to make her way to the supermarket with a shopping list. When she got there, she was stopped by a homeless woman, who was asking for money. Having only left home with enough money to buy her sick Nan’s shopping, Jo was unable to give the woman any money. She told the woman this, making her apologies, and went to do buy her Nan’s food.
The homeless woman was angry with Jo’s refusal, and decided to visit this Nan of hers.

Unknown to everyone in the area, the homeless woman wasn’t very nice. In the past, she had tried to get her own back against those who didn’t help her, but this time she decided to go for Jo’s Nan. She knocked on Nan’s door, and Nan, thinking she was Jo, opened the door a little, told her not to come in so she wouldn’t catch anything. Pretending to be Jo, the woman handed Nan an apple through the small opening, saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!” Nan took the apple, and the woman left, smiling to herself. Nan went into her front room and ate the apple, thinking how lovely her granddaughter was.

Soon after, Jo arrived at her Nan’s. Having a key to her Nan’s house, Jo let herself in, and saw her Nan unconscious on the floor of the front room. The apple she had eaten was rotten, and being ill already, it had made her worse and she had collapsed. Jo immediately called an ambulance, and soon, Jo’s Nan was taken to the hospital.

After Nan had been helped into a bed by seven male nurses, who made sure she was comfortable and connected up to the right machines. After a short while, a doctor came in. He introduced himself to Jo as Dr. Charming, and he would make sure her Nan was better soon. He asked Jo to wait outside while he worked his magic.

An hour later, Jo went back in to find Nan awake, and starting to feel better all round. Dr. Charming had treated her illness as well as the effects of the rotten apple, and after staying overnight for observation, Nan would be allowed to go home the next day. And they all lived happily ever after.

The End. I hope you were able to decipher which parts of the story were supposed to be like Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. As I said, it wasn't great, but it was hard! Trying to combine them, create a story that made sense, and make a story that was... slightly believable, well, I had trouble! But I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

What fairy tale character are you?

Continue reading Once Upon a Week: Starring In My Own Fairy Tale

Once Upon a Week: Waiting on Wednesday - Fairy Tale Edition

As part of Once Upon a Week, here is a fairy tale edition of Waiting on Wednesday.

So here are some fairy tale-esque books I want to read! As I don't know of many soon-to-be-released fairy tale-esque novels, some listed are old, some are new-ish, and some are not yet released. But I'd like to read them all!

Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
"Let me put it this way: when your mom cooks, she doesn't have to close the doors to make sure the Gingerbread Men don't run outside."
Junior high is tough enough, even when your family is ordinary. And Julie Marchen's family is anything but ordinary: her brother is a talking cat, her grandmother is a bona fide witch, and her mother is Rapunzel. Yep, that Rapunzel -- long hair, tower, prince... Long ago, Rapunzel escaped the fairy tale with her fellow storybook characters to live in secret in our world. But Julie's world, our world, is about to change -- the fairy tale wants its characters back.
Now Julie must fight wicked witches, avoid glass slippers, fly griffins, and outwit magicians in order to rescue her mom and save her town from becoming a fairy tale kingdom. From Sarahbethdurst.com

Out of the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst

Ever since twelve-year-old Julie Marchen defeated the fairy-tale world of the Wild, life's been pretty much back to normal, as normal as it can be for a girl whose brother is Puss-in-Boots, grandma is a witch, and mom is Rapunzel. (Yes, that Rapunzel.)
The Wild is safely back under Julie's bed, but when it suddenly spits out her long-lost dad -- Rapunzel's prince -- things take a seriously enchanted turn. He's gallant, he's handsome, and he's totally clueless about life in the 21st century! (You try teaching a five-hundred-year-old prince how to text message.) Julie couldn't be happier to have her family back together, but when Dad dashes off to save a damsel who's distressing, it's up to Julie to bring him home, protect the family secret, and while she's at it, save the world.
Join Julie on a magical road trip across America. A flying bathmat, a very drowsy princess, a fire-breathing dragon, and several thousand magic beanstalks... Julie's world, our world, will never be the same again. From Sarahbethdurst.com

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.
Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.
But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering.
Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does. From Amazon US.

Ash by Malinda Lo

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief. From Amazon US.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Liga endures unspeakable cruelties at the hands of her father, before being magically granted her own personal heaven, a safe haven from the real world. She raises her two daughters in this alternate reality, and they grow up protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever ...Magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga's refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side? From Amazon UK.

Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire

A unique retelling of the classic fairytale, Snow White by the internationally bestselling author of WICKED

The year is 1502, and seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada lives perched high above the rolling hills and valleys of Tuscany and Umbria at Montefiore, the farm of her beloved father, Don Vicente. But one day a noble entourage makes its way up the winding slopes to the farm - and the world comes to Montefiore. In the presence of Cesare Borgia and his sister, the lovely and vain Lucrezia - decadent children of a wicked pope - no one can claim innocence for very long. When Borgia sends Don Vicente on a years-long quest, he leaves Bianca under the care - so to speak - of Lucrezia. She plots a dire fate for the young girl in the woods below the farm, but in the dark forest salvation can be found as well...

A lyrical work of stunning creative vision, MIRROR MIRROR gives fresh life to the classic story of Snow White - and has a truth and beauty all its own.

Confessions of an Ugly Sister by Gregory Maguire

We have all heard the story of Cinderella, the beautiful child cast out to slave amongst the ashes. But what of her stepsisters, the homely pair exiled into ignominy by the fame of their lovely sibling? What fate befell those untouched by beauty ... and what curses accompanied Cinderella's looks?

Set against the backdrop of seventeenth-century Holland, CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER tells the story of Iris, an unlikely heroine who is swept from the lowly streets of Haarlem to a strange world of wealth, artifice, and ambition. Iris's path becomes intertwined with that of Clara, the mysterious and unnaturally beautiful girl destined to become her sister. While Clara retreats to the cinders of the family hearth, Iris seeks out the shadowy secrets of her new household - and the treacherous truth of her former life. From Amazon UK.

Godmother by Carolyn Tergeon

Open the door into magical New York, and be cast under the spell of this breathtaking story of love, loss and redemption. Carolyn Turgeon’s stunning novel is an enchanting new invention of that most beloved of fairytales, Cinderella.

What would you do if you could make dreams come true? If you could ensure that Cinderella met her Prince, that sparks flew, romance blossomed, and most of all, that everyone lived happily ever after?

Be careful what you wish for – because fairy godmothers are as flawed as the rest of us, and temptation is a terrible thing. Meet sweet, well-meaning Lillian, who opens the quiet bookshop in Manhattan’s West Village every morning, and whose dark past contains a desperate act, a dramatic banishment, and a guilty secret she has carried with her for centuries. Only one kind deed done for love will break the spell that has kept Lillian from home for so long – but can she succeed in making her own dreams come true at last? From Amazon UK.

Do you know of any other modern/updated/re-worked fairy tales that are coming out soon that I should keep an eye out for?

Waiting on Wednesday is brought to us by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

Continue reading Once Upon a Week: Waiting on Wednesday - Fairy Tale Edition

Once Upon a Week: Interview with Misty of The Book Rat

Today we have an interview with book blog The Book Rat's Misty. Make sure you check out her blog, it's awesome!

So, we had a little chat about Fairy Tales...

What is your favourite fairy tale, and why?


This changes quite frequently. As a kid, I had 3: The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Elves and the Shoemaker (obscure, I know, but I loved it) and Puss in Boots. These all still hold a special place, but I tend to go for darker tales now. Hans Christian Anderson's The Rose Elf is seriously messed up and largely unknown; I would love to rework it into a full story.

How about your favourite fairy tale author/story teller?

Original: Perrault. Retellings: McKinley, with a special mention for Tanith Lee.

What fairy tale do you most relate to?

I don't know that I really do, but I must, or I wouldn't love them so fiercely, right? Hmm...

If your life were to be a fairy tale, what would you want to happen next?

I want to find out I have some magical creature (fairy godmother, etc) on my side, pulling for me and fairy-dusting things to my benefit. And I want to make out with some prince Charmings...

In The Emperor’s New Clothes, the vain emperor pretends to see clothes that aren’t there so he doesn’t look stupid. Has vanity or fear of looking stupid ever been the cause for any embarrassing moments?

I'm sure it has, or at least led me to do stupid things, but I am not easily embarassed, so I just go ahead and do the stupid things anyway. I wouldn't day vanity gets me really, but the stupid thing, maybe. And it's ridiculous, because I am not a stupid person by any means, but because of that, people have high expectations. There are no Jessica Simpson moments allowed in my life. I wish I could give you a good example of my Emperor moments, but I tend to brush these things off (read: block them out) :D

In Rumpelstiltskin, the King is told the daughter of a miller can spin straw into gold. What magical talent would you like to have?

I'm so lame, but there are two (equally lame) things I wish I could do: speak/read/write every language and play any instrument. I occasionally think I'd like to be able to read minds, but it's one of those "be careful when you eavesdrop" things -- I would hear things about myself that I shouldn't, and that's not fair to either party (but I want to know).

Think Disney. Who had the best dress; Cinderella, Belle, or Snow White?

Belle, hands down (the yellow dress, of course). I had a Belle doll, and I wanted to BE her.

If you had the chance to go to Neverland, and remain forever young, would you take it?

Probably not. It might be nice to stay for awhile, but it would probably get pretty miserable at times.

Goldilocks broke into the Three Bears’ house. Why did she break in in the first place?

I have always wondered this. What was that little girl's deal? Is she the hero of the piece, or the villain? She broke in, stole and vandalized, and because she's a cute little ringletted girl, it's cool? And what was the deal with Jack? He nearly bankrupts his family, breaks into a giants home, steals from him, and when the giant pursues him, cuts down the beanstalk and murders the giant. How is that okay? These are the types of things that I dwell on and that eat at me. I want to fix it. Instant karma, baby.

Many fairy tales have much darker origins than Disnified viewers realize: the queen wants to eat Snow White's heart, the wolf intends to rape and eat Little Red, etc. Why do you make of the fact that these tales are so popular still, and that a lot of retellings and adaptations dive back into these darker roots?

I did a paper on this (hence the question). The tales were never really meant for kids, they were more fireside stories. When they were for kids, they were meant as warnings. When the Grimms started collecting them, they found popularity as family stories, but they had to be heavily edited (ironically, the sex was the main issue, so the Grimms edited that out but through in violence to keep things entertaining. Priorities, huh?). And of course, Walt came along and further whitewashed them. But if you think about it, the dark elements are still there. Snow White's step-mom still wants her heart, Ursula wants Ariel's soul -- there's still some creepy. I think modern authors go back to it because it's rich. There's so much more depth and psychology to play with in a dark story than a flat kiddie tale.
And I think the tales are popular because they are personal: they've been passed down orally and now written and orally, and they have this group factor. You say Cinderella, and it immediately conjures up the same images in the entire group, and that is powerful. Also, I think they resonate within us (for whatever myriad reasons) the same way folklore and myths and religion do. (how many people did I just piss off for putting religion with the rest of that list? It was meant well)

How do you feel about women's roles in fairy tales? It seems that the only way a woman can be strong in a fairy tale is if she is the villain (evil queen, cannibalistic witch, etc). Are there any notable exceptions for you?

Again, this was a subject in the paper. I started off so sure there was something really wrong here, but when I got down to it, no one really comes out smelling of roses. Women are wicked in tales, yes, but they are also often powerful. They are queens and feared witches or sorceresses, etc. Men tend to not come into the story except to save the day, yes, but what are they really doing? They kiss someone? That's the hero thing to do? Come by and assault a comatose woman? Or take advantage of a girl in a tower? And then one can only assume that they become the men in the other stories, the ones who leave their children in the woods or try to marry their daughters when their wives die.
As for good exceptions, I think Beauty (Belle) is a good one: she's smart, courageous and pretty, not just pretty. Rapunzel is good, too, because she uses things to her advantage, gets what she wants, and is strong the whole way through, even though she's been raised solely by a deranged witch and kept in a tower. Talk about resilience.


Awesome interview, huh? Be sure to visit Misty's blog for her interview with me. We swapped some questions, so you may see repeats.



Any thoughts on Misty's answers? What would some of your answers be?

Continue reading Once Upon a Week: Interview with Misty of The Book Rat

Review: Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst (review copy) - When Cassie was little her grandmother would tell her stories about the Arctic... about snow and ice, about a beautiful castle made of ice, and about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth to become a prisoner of the trolls. Cassie is older now and has no time for fairytales and talking animals, or lies about her dead mother.

Living with her father at the Arctic research centre, she is determined to become a leading scientist and researcher. But when Cassie comes face to face with a mysterious polar bear, one that defies all scientific fact or knowledge, she begins realise that the fairytales could actually be true. Armed with the knowledge that her mother might be alive, Cassie makes a deal with the Polar Bear King, and embarks on a dangerous journey against time to save her. But her agreement with the Polar Bear King comes with consequences she never bargained for, and before her journey's end Cassie will discover the true meaning of love and family, and loss.

A compelling romantic fantasy set in the beautiful frozen Arctic. From Amazon UK.

I really liked Ice! An updated version of the fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon, it was different from what I expected, but I’m not entirely sure what I expected. A girl who falls for a polar bear? Yeah, right, there’s going to be a twist there somewhere. And yes, there is a twist, but it does happen; a girl falls for a polar bear.

There is a whole lot more to this polar bear than meets the eye though. His magic abilities, for instance; how he can make food appear on a whim, how he can travel super fast, and his actual reason for being – to transfer souls from the dead to the newly born. He really is a great guy, is ol’ Bear, as he is called.

Then there’s Cassie, who just wants her Mum, who was taken away from her when she was very small. Bargains are made to save her life, but after a while, life happens, and things don’t go according to plan. Cassie’s life is turned upside down, and she finds herself on an unimaginable journey.

I cannot believe the strength of this girl. Seriously, first she has to accet fairy tales are real, and get used to that idea, and then when things go pear shaped, she has to go through so much, emotionally and physically. Her strength and determination are awe-inspiring. This is one tough chick!

As I said, I really liked Ice! At first, it reminded me a lot of Beauty and the Beast, where Beast is actually really nice. The novel is separated into three parts, but for me, it seems more like two; the first where deals are made regarding Cassie’s mother and then her time with Bear, and then the second part when things end up not so great. What happens? You’ll just have to read!

The book feels a lot like a fairy tale, even though it’s written to seem like this could actually happen. This is no bad thing, but it’s just not as urban fantasy as I thought it may have been. I equated a fairy tale that has been updated and modernised with urban fantasy. I suppose Ice could be in a way, the fairy tale elements are still there which make the story more like a cozy read that will leave you smiling than a story that will have you buzzing. It’s a nice cup of tea to urban fantasy’s glass of pop.

It really was a beautiful story, and at times, so much goes on, and it really does leave you wondering how on earth the story is ever going to get round to an end – you’ll understand when you read it. I highly recommend this book, it’s lovely, and such an great page turner. I’ll definitely be picking up more of Sarah Beth Durst’s novels.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK for sending me a review copy

Published: 29th Oct 2009 in the UK, 6th Oct 1009 in the US
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Sarah Beth Durst’s Website

Other Reviews
The Epic Rat
My Fluttering Heart
Angieville

Continue reading Review: Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

Once Upon a Week Begins!

Today is the first day of Once Upon a Week, the week devoted to fairy tales in all forms, whether re-told, modernised, fractured or updated. Vanessa of Today's Adventure came up with this wonderful idea, and you should keep an eye on her blog throughout the next week as she will be posting some awesome fairy tale themed posts, and you will find links to the other participants posts from her blog.

If you've been reading my blog over the last few weeks, and have seen that I have bought some books particularly to read for this week, unfortunately, you won't be seeing reviews for most of them. Life has been making itself a priority over the last few weeks, and I've struggled with reading a fair few books. So there is only one review, but there are several other pretty cool posts lined up for this week.

Today I'll be posting my review of Ice by Sarah Beth Durst, so keep an eye out for it.

I hope you enjoy the posts throughout this week. Have a great time!

Continue reading Once Upon a Week Begins!