Tales of Passed Times
Tales of Passed Times by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Charles Robinson
Tales of Passed Times was published in the collection The Temple Classics for Young People by J. M. Dent & Company, London, in 1900.
Contents:
- The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
- Little Red Riding-Hood
- Blue Beard
- Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots
- The Fairies
- Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper
- Riquet with the Tuft
- Little Thumbling
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Benevolent Frog
- Princess Rosette
We'll go through the whole book with short summaries and some links with additional info, keeping the illustrations by Charles Robinson as our main focus.
The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
The King and the Queen celebrate the birth of their daughter by inviting fairies. But one is not invited and she cursed the baby. She will pierce her hand and die. Luckily, one of the other fairies had enough powers to alleviate the curse. The princess will just fall into a deep sleep, which will last for one hundred years.
When the princess is fifteen or sixteen years old, she finds a spindle, pricks her finger, and falls asleep.
A dwarf with seven-league boots is sent to the good fairy, who helped alleviate the curse, and she arrives at the castle where she puts everybody but the King and the Queen to sleep.
Parents left the castle and a few minutes later trees and bushes surrounded it to prevent anybody from entering. When a century passes, a Prince finds the sleeping beauty and awakes her. They marry and everybody in the castle joins the party.
But the Prince returns home alone, without telling anybody about his new wife. He manages to keep his marriage a secret until he gets two kids and his father dies. Only then, did he tell about his family. His mother, who is a cannibal, waits until he leaves the castle for a war, and orders the cook to make the young Queen and her children for dinner.
The cook deceives her, hides the family, and makes dinner from different meat. Not much later the old cannibal realizes what happened and prepares everything to kill the new Queen and her children. They were supposed to be thrown in a large copper full of snakes and toads. Luckily, her son, the young King, returned just in time to save his wife and kids. His mother ended in the very same copper she prepared for others.
(bonus on Charles Robinson's Sleeping Beauty)
Little Red Riding-Hood
A little girl gets a red riding hood from her grandmother and everybody starts calling her Little Red Riding Hood. One day, her mother hears that granny is ill, bakes some cakes, and sends the girl to her granny's house with a basket of cakes and some butter.
On her way, Little Red Riding Hood meets a wolf in the woods. He asks where she is going, and she tells him where her grandmother lives. The wolf who wants to eat the girl decides to kill two birds with one stone. First, he runs to the granny's house and eats the old lady. Then he puts on her clothes and waits for the girl.
She is surprised by the looks of her grandmother. She asks about her legs, arms, ears, eyes, and finally teeth. Then, the wolf eats her.
(bonus on Charles Robinson's Little Red Riding Hood)
Blue Beard
A very rich man has a blue beard. He wants to marry but young single women around are reluctant. Not only does he have a blue beard, but he was also married several times and nobody knows what happened to his wives. Then, one girl decides to marry him. There is a great party and her family is quite happy.
A month later, Blue Beard tells his young wife he has to leave the castle for a few weeks. He gives her all the keys and warns her not to use one of them. Other keys open every door in the castle but the closet which is locked with the small key she must not use.
Of course, not much later, she opens the closet. She finds it full of blood. Several dead bodies are hanging inside. Now she knows what happened to Blue Beard's wives. A key drops on the floor and gets stained with blood. She can't clear the stains. It's a magical key.
The same evening Blue Beard returns. He wants the keys. He notices the blood stains and knows that his wife broke her promise. He wants to kill her. Blue Beard's wife asks for a short delay and manages to inform her sister about the danger. Her sister tells her brothers who arrive just when Blue Beard raises his sword to cut his young wife's head.
Instead, her brothers kill him. Blue Beard's widow inherits all his fortune. She splits it into four parts and all the siblings live happily ever after.
(bonus on Charles Robinson's Blue Beard)
Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots
Miller's sons divide the miller's properties: the eldest gets a mill, the middle a donkey, and the youngest a cat. The youngest is disappointed with the situation. He wants to eat the cat and make gloves from the skin. But the cat tells him not to worry. He just needs a pair of boots and will make both rich.
Then, the cat catches a few rabbits and takes them to the King. He tells the King he brings gifts from his Lord the Marquis of Carabas. The King is happy and the cat constantly brings him gifts in the next weeks. The King wants to meet the Marquis of Carabas.
The cat finds out when the King will take a ride with his daughter near the river and sends his master into the water right before the King's carriage passes. Then, the cat stops the coach and tells them his master was robbed. He lost everything, even his clothes. The King happily gives him some fine clothes, and the miller's boy suddenly looks like a nobleman. The Princess likes the boy, too.
The carriage continues with the King, his daughter, and the cat's master. The cat runs in front and tells everybody to lie about the ownership of the land, the fields, and the woods. If the King asks, everything supposedly belongs to the Marquis of Carabas.
The cat reaches the castle where the true owner lives. He is an ogre who can turn into any animal. The cat flatters him so long that the ogre changes into a mouse. Then, the cat ate him. The castle is ready for a new owner - the Marquis of Carabas. The King is impressed and marries his daughter with the miller's son. The Cat becomes a great lord. From then on he catches mice just for fun.
(bonus on Charles Robinson's Puss in Boots)
The Fairies
A mother has two daughters, the older one is rude like her mother and the younger one is kind. Mother prefers the older one, who becomes a spoiled brat, while the younger one does all the hard work, including bringing water from the brook, which is a mile away.
One day she is filling her jug with water when an old lady stops by and asks her for a drink. The girl gives her water, and the old woman tells her she is a fairy and gives her a gift: for every word she speaks, a flower or a precious stone will fall out of her mouth.
Not much later the younger daughter married the King's son and her older sister is driven from home by her mother.
Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper
A gentleman marries for the second time. He has a daughter from before. His new wife has two daughters from before, as well. Right after the wedding, the new ladies in the house start treating badly the gentleman's daughter. She must do all the hard work and sleep at the heath, so she is always dirty. Everybody starts calling her Cinderella.
One day a King throws a dancing party. He wants all young women to attend so his son can find a wife for him. Cinderella and her stepsisters want to go, too. While her stepsisters are allowed, she is not. When she stays home alone, she starts crying. An old lady appears and tells her she will go to the King's ball. She just needs to bring her a pumpkin, six live mice, a live rat, and six live lizards.
Without a problem, Cinderella provided everything to the lady and she turned the pumpkin into a splendid coach, mice into horses, the rat into coachman, and lizards into footmen. She gave her a dress made of silver and gold and a pair of glass slippers. Then she warned her to return before midnight when the magic ends.
Cinderella went to the ball and the King's son was enchanted with her appearance. Everybody was astonished at her look and nobody recognized dirty Cinderella. She returns home as she was told and the Prince is disappointed. He wants to see her again but doesn't even know her name!
Another dance is thrown and everything repeats. But this time Cinderella leaves a bit late and while running out of the castle, she loses one of her glass slippers. She returns home on foot, in dirty clothes, with just one slipper.
The Prince organizes a search party. Every girl in the kingdom shall try the lost slipper. The one whose foot fits in will become his wife. His men go door to door and every girl tries the slipper. None of them manages to put in on. This includes Cinderella's stepsisters. Then, Cinderella puts her foot inside without a problem. She also provides the second glass slipper to prove she has a pair.
The Prince marries her and her stepsisters apologize. Cinderella forgives them and finds two nice gentlemen to marry them as well.
(bonus on Charles Robinson's Cinderella)
Riquet with the Tuft
A Queen gives birth to a very ugly baby boy. He was born with a tuft of hair on his head and his family name was Riquet. That's why everybody starts calling him Riquet with the Tuft. A fairy promises the desperate mother that her son will be as smart as he is ugly. If he finds a person who will love him enough he will become handsome as well.
Later, a Queen of a neighboring kingdom gives birth to two daughters. The older is very beautiful and the younger is very witty. Again, the fairy interferes. The beautiful daughter will be as stupid as she looks great, but she may get intelligence if she is capable of loving a very ugly person.
Years later, when Prince Riquet with the Tuft, and the princesses from the neighboring kingdom are already young grown-ups, Riquet with the Tuft meets the beautiful but stupid girl in the woods. He is impressed with her looks and doesn't care about her intelligence. He promises she will become much smarter if she marries him. She is repulsed by his ugliness, so he gives her a year to decide.
Not much later, she decides that marriage with Riquet with the Tuft would probably not be a bad idea. Due to her stupidity, nobody likes her anyway, and if she gets intelligence by the way, even better. Right after that decision, she becomes much smarter. Soon, the word about her wittiness gets around, and the princes from everywhere start coming to her castle asking her to marry them.
She takes time before she finds a very handsome candidate, but before she agrees to the marriage, she gets to the woods, where she meets Riquet with the Tuft again. He reminds her of their promise. She says she is not very excited about the idea of marrying a so ugly being. Then he asks her if there is another reason not to marry him and she says no.
Little Thumbling
A woodcutter and his wife have seven children, all boys, all between ten and seven years old. The youngest is so small they call him Little Thumbling. The family is very poor. One evening the woodcutter proposes to his wife to take the kids into the woods and leave them there. They will die of hunger anyway and he doesn't want to see them dying. The mother of the kids is reluctant but eventually agrees.Little Thumbling overhears this conversation and fills his pockets with white pebbles. He throws them one by one when they are leaving home and going through the forest. The parents abandon the kids as they said, but the pebbles show them way back.
But the money runs out and the misery returns. Again, parents decide to take the kids to the woods. Little Thumbling hears the plan and wants to fill his pockets with pebbles again. But the door is locked. He decides to mark the way with breadcrumbs. The kids are left alone, and the crumbs are eaten by birds. The boys are lost and scared.
They wander through the forest and find a house. A woman opens and they ask for food. She tells them to better run away because the house belongs to an ogre who eats children. They insist on entering because they believe they will be eaten by wolves anyway. Children enter and get some food, the ogre returns home, finds them, and plans to eat them. The woman convinces him to spare their lives for another day because his dinner is already made.
The ogre agrees. The kids are sent to the bedroom, where the ogre's seven daughters already slept. Each of them wears a golden crown on her head. Little Thumbling gets up in the middle of the night, takes their crowns, and puts them on the heads of the boys. The ogre comes later to the bedroom, feels the crowns on the boy's heads, and believes they are his daughters. So he cuts the throats of the girls, instead.
Little Thumbling awakes his brothers and they run out. In the morning, the ogre realizes his mistake and runs after them. He is fast thanks to his seven-league boots. He nearly catches the kids, who hide under the rock, where he takes a break. The seven-league boots are very tiring, so he needs a nap. Little Thumbling takes the boots off his legs and puts them on. His brothers return home. Little Thumbling runs to the ogre's house.
He tells his wife that the ogre is kidnapped and needs to pay a ransom. The woman gives him all the gold and silver from the house. Little Thumbling returns home with a treasure, and everybody is happy. Little Thumbling gets a job as a messenger for the king and their future is secured.
Beauty and the Beast
A merchant has three sons and three daughters. The youngest daughter is so pretty everybody calls her Beauty. He loses all his fortune and the family has to move to the country. They live there for about a year when the news comes that one of his ships may be back. He leaves on business and asks his children which presents they wish from his trip.
While her sisters wish for fancy clothes, Beauty asks only for a rose. The merchant's trip is a failure. On his way back, he goes through the woods. He is forced to spend the night in. Unexpectedly he finds a castle. It's empty but warm and full of food.
He sleeps in the castle, where everything seems to be there just to indulge him. He never sees a living being. In the morning, he leaves the castle and sees a bush of roses in the garden. He remembers his promise to his daughter and takes one. Suddenly, a Beast appears in front of him. Is this how he repays for hospitality? Food and bed are not enough? Does he want to steal a rose?
The Beast demands his life. Merchant asks for mercy. He wishes to return to his home at least to say goodbye to his children. The Beast agrees. He gives the merchant a chance to stay alive if one of his daughters is willing to get to the castle and stay there. He also gives him a chest full of treasures.
The merchant returns home and tells his story. His children are very sad. Beauty is willing to go to the castle and save her father's life. She goes to the castle and lives there for some time. She is lonely. Eventually, the Beast's company makes her happy. They talk a lot and she is not afraid of his appearance anymore.
However, when he asks her to be his wife, she can't imagine marrying him. He repeats his question several times and her answer is always the same. Days pass and she is missing her father. One day she sees in her mirror that he is ill. Beauty asks the Beast if she can visit her father.
The Beast gives her his permission. She must promise to return in a week. Then, she is magically transported to her father's home.
Her father is very happy to see her and immediately feels much better. Her sisters are jealous of her beauty. They decide to keep her from the Beast for as long as they can to make the Beast angry and possibly tear her apart. The sisters make her stay for ten days. On the tenth night, she dreams about the Beast. He is dying.
She wakes up and wishes to return. When she is back in the castle, she can't find him. Only after hours of searching, she finds him lying in the garden. He looks dead. She tries to get him up. He opens his eyes and tells her he is dying. Beauty says he must not die because she wants to marry him. At the very same moment, the Beast transformed into a handsome young Prince. Her love broke a spell by which he was turned into a beast.
They marry and her jealous sisters are turned into stone statues.
(bonus on Charles Robinson's Beauty and the Beast)
The Benevolent Frog
A kingdom is at war. The King decides to send his wife to a remote castle for her safety. She is not happy with that and soon tries to return. Her horses go wild and her coach overturns. When she regains consciousness, she is a prisoner by the Fairy Lioness.
The frog is small and reaches the king only when the princess is almost ten years old, but just in time to prevent his new marriage. The King is very happy with the news and follows the frog to the underworld. But he can't get to the Queen and their daughter who live in a crystal castle on the island in the middle of the acid lake. The lake and the castle are guarded by numerous monsters, faithful to the Fairy Lioness.
The King unsuccessfully tries to find a way to his loved ones for several years. One day, a dragon comes to him and offers his help. The King has to promise him a reward - a very special kind of fruit. The King gives his word. The dragon takes the King on his back and they attack the monsters who guard the lake and the castle. They win and the King saves his wife and his daughter.
When the royal family returns to their kingdom, the Princess soon falls in love with a Prince. But the happiness doesn't last long. A giant brings a message from the dragon who helped them. He demands his reward. The special fruit is the Princess. He wants to make a pie of her. Everybody is devastated. The Princess is lost. The dragon is coming.
The talking frog suddenly appears in front of the Prince, provides him with a horse with three heads and twelve legs, and sends him into a fight. The dragon and the Prince fight for some time. There is a lot of blood and the Prince wins. When he kills the monster, a well-dressed Prince steps out of his dead body. The dragon was actually an enchanted royalty. And the same was true with the talking frog. She turns into a queen.
Everybody is happy again and wedding preparations can continue.
Princess Rosette
The King and the Queen have two sons. When a daughter is born, she is named Rosette. A prophecy is given that she might put her brothers in grave danger. The royal couple decides to lock her in a tower but her brothers visit her and they become dear friends.
The King and the Queen die and the Princes free the Princess, who is enchanted with the world outside. When she sees a peacock, she declares it the most beautiful bird and she can marry nobody else but the King of Peacocks. Her brothers order a portrait of Rosette and go out of their kingdom to find the King of Peacocks.
They spend a lot of time inquiring and eventually find a Kingdom of Peacocks, where everybody is dressed in peacocks' feathers. They meet the King and show him the portrait of their sister. The King of Peacocks is impressed with her beauty but is skeptical. Is the portrait faithful to the Princess Beauty?
Her brothers claim that Rosette is even more
beautiful than her portrait. They are willing to die if this is not
true. The King of Peacocks accepts the challenge and the brothers send
for Rosette. She is excited with the news. She takes her dog, her nanny,
and nanny's daughter and they sail to the Kingdom of Peacocks.
On
the way, her nanny decides to use the opportunity and throws Rosette
into the sea together with her bed and dog. Nanny's daughter takes
Rosette's place and is introduced to the King of Peacocks. He is
disappointed with her ugliness and plans to execution of Rosette's
brothers in a week.
In the meantime, Princess Rosette is found by
an old poor man who offers her help but can hardly provide her with any
food. Princess Rosette sends her dog for food and the dog goes to the
King's kitchen, where he steals the best pieces. The King of Peacocks is
angry for staying without his dinners and suppers. His men find the dog
with the Princess and the old man. Everybody is taken to the court.
The
King of Peacocks recognizes her. She is really more beautiful than her
portrait. He pardons her brothers. They are so happy, they pardon the
treacherous nanny and her daughter as well.
That's all about this book. To explore more, visit a website dedicated to Charles Perrault!
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