Those of you who already know that the fairytales written by 19th Century folklore masters the Brothers Grimm were originally pretty gory, rejoice! The Brothers Grimm tales have finally been printed in all of their uncensored glory.
The first edition of the Grimm fairytales was published in 1812. They contained blood, gore, filicide, matricide, cannibalism, and even (gasp) teenage pregnancy. The Grimms later chose to downplay the violence and make their stories a bit more kid-friendly, adding Christian elements and removing some of the more pagan influences. The sanitized Grimms was published in 1857, and that’s the one we’ve all read in English — the only one we know.
But now, you’ll get to read the unaltered first edition Grimms for the very first time ever in English. You can thank Jack Zipes, professor emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota, who essentially woke up one day and asked why the first edition had never had an English translation.
In an interview with The Guardian, the professor said:
“Though the Grimms kept about 100 of the tales from the first edition, they changed them a good deal. So, the versions with which most English-speaking (and German-speaking) readers are familiar are quite different from the tales in the first edition.”
He said that the changes between the sanitized edition and the director’s cut are “immense,” with anywhere between 40 and 50 fairytales dramatically altered in the first edition.
Though he admitted that the original Grimms were not necessarily meant for children, parents shouldn’t be afraid of reading the unaltered Grimms, gore and all, to their children.
“It is time for parents and publishers to stop dumbing down the Grimms’ tales for children,” he said. He continued that he “believed that these tales emanated naturally from the people, and the tales can be enjoyed by both adults and children. If there is anything offensive, readers can decide what to read for themselves. We do not need puritanical censors to tell us what is good or bad for us.”
The Brothers Grimm gory first edition is now available through Princeton University Press. It is illustrated by Andrea Dezsö. Get ’em while they’re hot!