Adult fairy tales saw a rebirth of interest starting about forty years ago and still remain popular today, reminding readers that the original stories that they were based upon were initially meant for grownups not young children. Because of their original audience, many of these tales were often dark and melancholic and dealt with topics such as life, death, jealousy, violence, vengeance, and sex to name only a few.
Contemporary adult fairy tales reflect these same themes as can be seen in the following Snow White based novels.
Snow White by Donald Barthelme (Touchstone, 1996)
Originally written in 1967, the book is set in modern New York City and presents Snow White as a tall, dark complexioned, and somewhat promiscuous woman who often sleeps with her seven attendant dwarfs. The dwarfs, themselves, earn their living by washing buildings and tending to the vats in which they make Chinese baby food. Of course, there is a Prince Charming named Paul who spends most of the book either “trying to find himself” or protecting Snow White from the evil Jane.
If this sounds off-the-wall, it’s because it’s meant to be. Barthelme was one of the pioneers of the postmodern literary style. His book is irreverent (he mocks both the Grimm Brothers and Walt Disney versions of the story) and is laced with satire, parody, and irony.
White as Snow by Tanith Lee (Tor Books, 2001)
Horror, fantasy, and science fiction writer Lee relies heavily on the sex and violence implied in the original Grimm Brothers’ version of Snow White. In Medieval Europe, Arpazia is an innocent princess of fourteen who is savagely raped and taken away by a brutal warlord to be his queen. When she later gives birth to a girl, Coira, she immediately shuns the baby and later refuses to accept her love. After Arpazia falls in love with a huntsman and becomes involved in pagan rites, the queen plans to have her daughter slain.
Mixing in elements of the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, White as Snow is a very dark and moody book with neither entirely good or evil characters. The book has had both many fans and many detractors.
The Serpent’s Shadow by Mercedes Lackey (DAW, 2001)
In 1909, young Dr. Maya Witherspoon, an Indian half-caste whose father was English and mother Brahmin, arrives in London with two servants and seven animal companions. She has arrived ostensibly to set up medical practice, but the major reason is to escape her Aunt Shivani, who believes that her Maya's mother's marriage to an Englishman was an insult to her high-caste family. Because of this, Maya fears that the older woman may intend possible harm to her.
Both women possess magical powers and when Shivani arrives in London it becomes apparent that they will soon engage in battle. Fortunately, Maya has the aid of her seven pets, who are actually avatars of various Hindu gods and goddesses, and Peter Scott, an English sorcerer.
Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire (Regan Books, 2003)
When seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada’s father is sent on a years-long journey by Cesare Borgia, the girl comes under the care of Borgia’s beautiful, vain, and evil sister, Lucrezia. As Bianca grows and becomes more beautiful, Caesar becomes enamored with her which does not set well with the jealous Lucrezia. She plots a tragic end for Nevada in the nearby dark forests. Instead, it is there that the young girl meets seven (or is it eight?) unusual dwarfs.
Set in 16th century Tuscany, Mirror Mirror, despite a slow start, is a well crafted blend of historical and fictional characters told with decidedly adult themes, such as incest, and sometimes bawdy humor.
Related Articles: Modern Versions of Snow White, Early Versions of Snow White, The Story Behind Snow White
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