Charles Perrault Fairy Tales
Fashioned Cinderella

The Charles Perrault fairy tales, much like Cinderella, were mostly folktale adaptations to the fashion and morals of his time...

He built the foundation to a new literary genre known as fairy tales and gained popularity beyond aristocratic circles.

Perrault was a French author and was born in Paris, France, in January 1628. His family was upper-class and Perrault was liked and described as a humorous, lively and indomitable character.

One can scent the wealthy bourgeois lifestyle he had and how it played a role in his writing.

He was the best in the class as a child and later pursued law. At the time, licenses or degree at Orleans were granted with the greatest of ease and in 1651 he and a friend decided, out of chance and amusement, to literally buy and give the most ridiculous answers to get into Law.

Within a month he was admitted to the Bar. However, he grew tired from waiting and took up his career in government services under his brother, who was then, Receiver General of Paris, for taxes.

But the changes in his life fit his mood. He then became subaltern in the superintendence of the Royal buildings in 1663 after having directed the construction of his brother’s house.

He revealed to be quite skillful and with taste in this matter, even though he lacked training in architecture.

He married to Marie Guichon in 1672 but after giving birth to a daughter and three sons, she passed away in 1678.

Prior to Charles Perrault Fairy Tales, he participated in artistic and literary arguments, better known as the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns.

He supported the 'Moderns' literature and art, from the century of Louis XIV, as superior than the literature from Antiquity.

He retired from public service in 1695 and he was 67 years old by then. He devoted his time to his children and published Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals, Tales of Mother Goose (subtitle) and it marked a beginning.

Perrauly Fairy Tales achieved such popularity that a new literary genre came to be, the fairy tale.

Cinderrella or Cendrilon in French became famous through his version 1697.

Giambattista Basile is one of Perrault's sources and examples in earlier folk tale adaptations.

Perrault died May 16, 1703.

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