Who is Charles Perrault?
Charles Perrault was a French author of the late 17th century credited with the invention of the fairy tale as a literary genre. The fairy tales that he wrote were rooted in the folklore of the peasantry, but transformed into witty tales with morals told in the fashionable salons of the day. Some of Perrault’s most well known fairy tales include “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Cinderella.” His work paved the way for such later authors and folklorists as the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Anderson, and Italo Calvino. Charles Perrault was born in Paris on 12 January 1628. Though he was not of the nobility, his family was wealthy and able to send him to the finest schools of Paris. Perrault studied law and eventually began to work in government. He helped found the Academy of Sciences and restore the Academy of Painting, and he also acted as the first secretary of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres. Perrault’s entree into the literary world was two tre
Charles Perrault was a French author of the late 17th century credited with the invention of the fairy tale as a literary genre. The fairy tales that he wrote were rooted in the folklore of the peasantry, but transformed into witty tales with morals told in the fashionable salons of the day. Some of Perrault’s most well known fairy tales include “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Cinderella.” His work paved the way for such later authors and folklorists as the Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Anderson, and Italo Calvino. Charles Perrault was born in Paris on 12 January 1628. Though he was not of the nobility, his family was wealthy and able to send him to the finest schools of Paris. Perrault studied law and eventually began to work in government. He helped found the Academy of Sciences and restore the Academy of Painting, and he also acted as the first secretary of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres.
