Four and Twenty Fairy Tales: Selected from Those of Perrault, and Other Popular Writers

In Short

Translated and edited by James Robinson Planché, this collection presents twenty-four classic French fairy tales arranged in chronological order, spanning from the seventeenth-century origins of Charles Perrault to the mid-eighteenth-century moral fables of Madame Leprince de Beaumont. Readers follow a dazzling array of traditional and literary plots: mistreated maidens like Cinderella outshine their vain stepsisters; resourceful youths like Little Thumbling outwit flesh-eating ogres; noble captives endure animal transformations; and enchanted lovers navigate magical wildernesses, dismal forests, and undersea domains guarded by mer-men and sirens. Planché preserves the full, unvarnished narratives alongside historical annotations that trace the genre’s evolution from fresh, arch folk tradition to elaborate courtly romance, and ultimately into structured moral tales. The collection has endured because it pairs the timeless magic of folklore—replete with seven-league boots, fairy curses, and talking animals—with a historically conscious presentation that honors both the original sophistication of the French court and the universal appeal of human resilience.

The Story

The volume opens with Planché setting out his ambition to present a faithful, unabridged English version of the classic French Cabinet des Fées. Arranging the stories chronologically, he invites the reader to observe how the literary fairy tale arose, flourished, and gradually changed over sixty years.

The journey begins in the late seventeenth century with Charles Perrault’s foundational tales, where modest virtue and sudden luck reward the downtrodden. In Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper, a gentle young woman is relegated to scrubbing floors and sleeping in a soot-stained loft by her tyrannical stepmother and proud stepsisters. Despite her shabby attire, her inner beauty eclipses her sisters’ grand gowns, and through magical intervention, she attends the royal ball, captures the prince’s heart, and ultimately leaves behind her tiny glass slipper. Similarly, Little Thumbling depicts the smallest child of a poor family who uses his sharp wits to save his brothers. Trapped in the lair of a bloodthirsty Ogre, Thumbling sneaks out in the dark, swaps his brothers’ nightcaps with the golden crowns worn by the Ogre’s seven sleeping daughters, and tricks the villain into slitting the throats of his own offspring before the brothers make their escape into the night.

As the collection moves into the elaborate, multi-volume courtly romances of writers like Madame d’Aulnoy and the Count de Caylus, the narratives grow more sprawling and visually luxurious. High-stakes royal jealousies and fairy curses plunge lovers into extraordinary trials. Prince Parcin Parcinet and Princess Irolite flee the wrath of the furious Queen Azire, who imprisons their court and pursues them with magic-backed cavalry; when Ormond’s forces corner the lovers, the earth opens under the direction of a misshapen fairy, swallowing them into safety. Elsewhere, Princess Hebe wanders to the banks of the river Anguilette, seeking counsel from a fish-morphed fairy who warns her that wishing for love brings unavoidable suffering. Hebe soon experiences this pain when Prince Atimir, bound by past infidelities and court intrigue, accidentally drops a heartbroken love note into her pocket, rekindling a passion that tore her peace apart.

In other tales, shepherd life hides royal blood and fairy tests. The handsome shepherd Alidor resists the temptings of magical visions; presented with a breathtaking portrait of a divine woman, he casts it aside to remain true to his shepherdess, unaware that the fairy Young and Handsome is testing his fidelity through clever illusions. In contrasting realms, heroes must navigate terrifying environments. Prince Philax finds himself abandoned in the gloomy Dismal Forest, living on wild fruit and carving his beloved Imis’s name into tree trunks with his sword, until he discovers a ruined green-marble courtyard housing a mysterious dark pedestal. In the tale of Princess Aimée, an outcast princess travels along a magical river where flowers spring up to form her couch, encountering a floating boat made of solid amethyst, equipped with grey-and-silver rowers who present her portrait on an altar of topaz. Meanwhile, Fairer is banished into the Wood of Wonders with only a silken noose, fruitlessly pursuing the elusive Silver-footed Hind while losing her way in the perpetual silence.

The mid-eighteenth century brings Madame Leprince de Beaumont’s iconic narratives, such as Beauty and the Beast. When a desperate father accidentally offends a monstrous creature by plucking a rose, he faces a horrific choice between his own death or surrendering one of his daughters. His selfless daughter Beauty steps forward, entering the Beast’s enchanted palace. Though initially unsettled by his monstrous form and his daily proposal of marriage, she grows to value his gentle disposition over his hideous appearance. Discovering through a vision that the Beast lies dying in a cavern from her long absence, Beauty rushes to his side, weeping and confessing her love, which breaks the curse and restores him to a handsome prince, who explains that a cruel fairy had condemned him to hide his intellect and bear a monstrous form until a maiden freely loved him.

The collection concludes with satirical and allegorical works, including the Count de Caylus’s tales of bizarre transformations and sea creatures, where young princes must teach crayfish refined speech or face being pounded in a giant mortar, before Planché closes with historical notes highlighting the real-world theatrical and literary inspirations behind the collection.

How It Unfolds

The archivist sets the stage Planché introduces his curated selection of twenty-four French fairy tales, explaining that he ordered them chronologically from Perrault to Beaumont so adult readers can observe the genre's rise, peak, and moral transformation.

Perrault’s classic trials In Cinderella, a gentle daughter endures her stepmother's cruelty and sits among the hearth ashes, yet outshines her pampered stepsisters before winning a prince with a glass slipper.

Wits against the monster In Little Thumbling, a tiny, clever boy exchanges his brothers' nightcaps for the golden crowns of an Ogre’s sleeping daughters, tricking the Ogre into slaying his own children while the boys escape.

Fights and earth-shattering escapes Prince Parcin Parcinet and Princess Irolite flee the vengeful Queen Azire; when pursued by Ormond's troops, the earth splits open to swallow the lovers into a magical underground refuge.

The hazard of romantic desire Princess Hebe consults the fish-shaped Fairy Anguilette about her inner emptiness, receiving a stern warning that asking for love will bring inescapable sorrow, a prophecy fulfilled when Prince Atimir's written confession reaches her hands.

Illusion tests true affection The fairy Young and Handsome tests her shepherd lover Alidor by giving him a magnificent portrait of a divine beauty, rejoicing when he sets it aside to remain faithful to his humble shepherdess.

Exile in the dismal forest Prince Philax is dropped by winged monsters into a sunless, uninhabited forest, where he survives on wild fruit, carves his lover's name into tree trunks, and stumbles upon a ruined castle made of green marble.

Enchanted waters and golden vessels Princess Aimée wanders along a riverbank as flowers bloom under her feet, eventually sighting a floating amethyst boat driven by silver-clad rowers carrying a topaz altar bearing her image.

The perilous deer hunt Condemned to the Wood of Wonders, Fairer attempts to track the Silver-footed Hind using only a silken cord, wandering deeper into the trackless, silent forest as night falls.

The monster's daily plea Beauty resides in an enchanted palace where the Beast treats her with docility and asks her every evening to marry him, leaving her torn between horror at his looks and affection for his soft heart.

Tears break the cruel spell Finding the Beast motionless in a moonlit cavern, Beauty weeps over his body and confesses her affection, breaking a fairy’s curse that required a maiden to choose a monster of her own free will.

Absurd trials in underwater courts In the Count de Caylus’s eccentric tales, Prince Zirphil is forced by the villainous Marmotte to instruct thousands of crayfish in refined speech and shell them under the orders of the King of the Whiting.

The People

• Cinderella wants nothing more than to endure her stepmother's abuse with patience, but her natural grace and goodness lead her from the ash-heap to the royal palace.
• Little Thumbling is the smallest and most vulnerable of seven brothers, yet his quick thinking and keen observation allow him to outsmart a murderous Ogre and lead his family to safety.
• Prince Parcin Parcinet seeks to protect his beloved Irolite from royal vengeance, battling fatigue and pursuing armies until magical allies intervene to hide them.
• Queen Azire is a proud and naturally furious ruler whose wounded self-love drives her to throw whole courts into prison and pursue fleeing lovers across kingdoms.
• Princess Hebe desires a deep emotional connection to make others happy, but her pursuit of romantic love exposes her to intense grief, regret, and the return of a past lover.
• Prince Atimir is torn between past infidelities and his reignited passion for Hebe, suffering bitter remorse as he tries to recapture her heart through secret notes.
• Alidor is a handsome shepherd whose steadfast devotion is tested by fairy illusions, proving his sincerity by rejecting a portrait of supreme beauty in favor of his shepherdess.
• Prince Philax is a brave lover who endures a year of solitary exile in a sunless forest, maintaining his devotion to Princess Imis by carving her name into the trees.
• Princess Aimée travels along enchanted riverbanks, guarded by fairy magic, while remaining steadfast in her devotion to her chosen prince despite tempting luxury.
• Fairer is an innocent maiden sentenced by hostile fairies to perish in the Wood of Wonders, armed only with a silken cord to catch an uncatchable hind.
• Beauty desires to protect her father's life, voluntarily surrendering herself to an unknown fate with a terrifying Beast, only to discover that her empathy and willingness to look past ugly exteriors can break an ancient curse.
• The Beast is a cursed prince stripped of his handsome form and forced to appear stupid and terrifying until a beautiful woman freely consents to marry him despite his appearance.
• Marmotte is a wicked, spiteful fairy who delights in transforming herself into animals—such as a giant crayfish—to torment princes with absurd and cruel tasks.

In Its Own Voice

When describing Cinderella’s mistreatment at the hands of her proud stepmother and stepsisters, the narrator emphasizes her uncomplaining patience despite her grim living conditions:

"She slept at the top of the house, in a loft, on a wretched straw mattress, while her sisters occupied rooms, beautifully floored, in which were the most fashionable beds, and mirrors wherein they could see themselves from head to foot."

In Little Thumbling, the Ogre’s sudden midnight decision to murder his young guests illustrates the dark, direct stakes of the earliest tales:

"Matters turned out exactly as he anticipated, for the Ogre awaking at midnight, regretted having deferred till the morning what he might have done the evening before."

In Madame Leprince de Beaumont’s story, the tragic condition imposed upon the Beast reveals the emotional depth and moral core of the later period:

"And as sense is not required when one is so handsome, I command thee to appear as stupid as thou art horrible, and to remain in this state until a young and beautiful girl shall, of her own accord, come to seek thee, although fully persuaded thou wilt devour her."

What It's Really About

Beneath their vibrant magic, these stories explore how character is tested by adversity, power, and illusion. The collection serves as an informal chronicle of shifting social values in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France. The earliest stories, such as Perrault’s, argue that practical ingenuity, humility, and cheerful composure are a poor person’s best defense against arbitrary power. Wit allows the tiny Thumbling to survive the Ogre, just as quiet dignity elevates Cinderella above her pampered, superficial family.

As the collection progresses into the courtly fables of aristocratic women writers, the focus shifts to the psychological dangers of desire and pride. Tales like those of Hebe, Atimir, and Parcin Parcinet examine how ungoverned passions—whether furious jealousy or romantic obsession—disrupt social order and inflict real suffering. Magic in these middle tales often acts as a metaphor for internal emotional states, creating dismal forests out of loneliness or enchanted sanctuaries out of true devotion.

Finally, the later tales of Madame Leprince de Beaumont present an explicit argument for moral discernment over physical appearance. In Beauty and the Beast, the narrative challenges the courtly obsession with outward charm, insisting that genuine goodness, empathy, and willingness to self-sacrifice are the true measures of human worth.

Why Read It Today

Planché’s anthology offers a fascinating, unblemished window into the true roots of modern fairy tales. Readers accustomed to polished, sanitized modern adaptations will find a richer, darker, and far more inventive literary landscape. The prose moves with a crisp, confident cadence that balances playful arch humor with genuine suspense, capturing everything from the raw terror of an ogre’s knife to the whimsical extravagance of amethyst boats and talking crayfish.

The primary difficulty for modern readers lies in the book's period structure and sheer variety. Because it is an unedited collection of eighteenth-century literary traditions, the narrative pacing varies wildly between authors. Perrault’s tales are brisk, direct, and punchy, while the mid-period romances by authors like the Count de Caylus dive into lengthy courtly dialogue, intricate fairy politics, and decorative descriptions that require a patient reader. Additionally, the casual darkness of older folklore—where ogres slit throats and cruel fairies inflict lifelong deformities without hesitation—reflects seventeenth-century sensibilities rather than gentle modern nursery rhymes.

Yet this variety is precisely what makes the collection so rewarding to read today. Planché’s scholarly context elevates the text from a simple storybook into a guided tour of French literary history. Seeing Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast side-by-side with forgotten masterpieces of romance and satire allows the reader to appreciate how fairy tales evolved to reflect the anxieties, fashions, and philosophical debates of their eras. It is an essential, highly entertaining collection for folklore enthusiasts, literary historians, and anyone who delights in watching unpretentious virtue defeat grand magic.