Histoires ou contes du temps passé

Common card · No. 261760

Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités (English: Stories or Tales from Past Times, with Morals), or Contes de ma mère l'Oye (English: Mother Goose Tales), is a collection of literary fairy tales written by Charles Perrault, published in Paris on 11 January 1697. The work became popular because it was written at a time when fairy tales were fashionable amongst aristocrats in Parisian literary salons. Perrault wrote the work when he retired from court as secretary to Jean-Baptiste Colbert, minister to King Louis XIV. Colbert's death may have forced Perrault's retirement, at which point he turned to writing. Scholars have debated as to the origin of his tales and whether they are original literary fairy tales modified from commonly known stories, or based on stories written by earlier medieval writers such as Boccaccio. Elaborate embellishments were a preferred style at the French court. The simple plots Perrault started with were modified, the language enhanced, and rewritten...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Charles Perrault (author), Antoine Clouzier (illustrator), Public domain