Tales for Willful Readers A column by Cate Fricke on the lasting power of folk and fairy tales, how they have influenced us individually and collectively, and the lessons they offer for modern life.

On Fairy Tales and the Ghostliness of Early Motherhood

What saves these lost mothers is different in every fairy tale; often they’re brought back simply by virtue of being recognized. For me, coming back to life took time.

Sep 03, 2019
Seizing the Means of Enchantment: What Fairy Tales Can Teach Us About Class and Wealth in the Age of the Mega-Corporation

Class systems are not fixed in fairy tales—in fact, fairy tales would almost seem to argue for the redistribution of wealth.

Aug 05, 2019
When Male Fairy Tale Archetypes Are Used to Promote Harmful Sexual Ideologies

The long and fluid history of fairy tales shows us that men who want to control, dehumanize, and violate women have always existed.

Sep 26, 2018
Dreaming Machines: Fairy Tales in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

What, exactly, are the building blocks that make a fairy tale a fairy tale? And who—or what—might be making them in the future?

Jul 24, 2018
How Fairy Tales Teach Us to Love the Unknowable

Love is born in the quiet ways we reveal ourselves; how we notice and love our partners when they take on new, surprising forms.

May 02, 2018
We Have Always Lived in the Woods: On Fairy Tales and the Monsters You Know

On the thin line between fairy tales and real-life horror stories, and how we survive.

Apr 03, 2018
The Virtues of Willfulness: How Fairy Tales Teach Us to Look for Truths Beyond the Simple Stories

Too many people are fed one version of a story, a false one, and do not interrogate it. But the world of fairy tales is rife with opportunities to practice critical thinking, if only we look closer.

Mar 01, 2018
Point the Finger: Listening to Women and Seeking Justice in the Violent World of Fairy Tales

We’ve all had to reckon with the burden of untold stories. Every woman has one, and every woman carries around with her the stories of others.

Jan 10, 2018