Charles Perrault
French author who recorded fairy tales in the late 17th century.
Charles Perrault, born in Paris in 1628 to a wealthy bourgeois family, was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for the literary fairy tale with his 1697 collection *Histoires ou contes du temps passé*, which adapted earlier folk tales. His best-known stories include "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Puss in Boots," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Bluebeard." These versions later influenced the Brothers Grimm’s German collections by more than a century. Perrault was a leading figure in the 17th-century French literary scene and headed the Modern faction during the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns. He studied law before entering government service, following his father and brother. He helped establish the Academy of Sciences and restore the Academy of Painting. In 1663, he became secretary of the newly founded Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, serving under finance minister Jean Baptiste Colbert. Using his influence, he secured his brother Claude’s place on the committee that designed the Louvre’s Colonnade, a project overseen by Colbert and chosen over designs by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with whom Perrault had stormy relations. Perrault wrote *La Peinture* (1668) to honor the king’s painter Charles Le Brun, and *Courses de tetes et de bague* (1670) commemorating Louis XIV’s celebrations. He was elected to the Académie Française in 1671 at Colbert’s instigation. He married Marie Guichon in 1672; she died in 1678. In 1669, he advised the king to include thirty-nine fountains representing Aesop’s fables in the Versailles labyrinth, later producing a guidebook for it. His treatise *Critique de l’Opéra* (1674) defended Philippe Quinault’s opera *Alceste* and sparked the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns. He argued for the superiority of modern literature in *Le Siècle de Louis le Grand* (1687) and *Parallèle des Anciens et des Modernes* (1688–1692). Colbert forced Perrault into retirement in 1682, and his successor removed him from his remaining posts.
- field
- Literature, fairy tales, government service
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- Author of 'Histoires ou contes du temps passé' (1697)
Lore & Background
Charles Perrault was a French author and a member of the Académie Française who established the fairy tale as a distinct literary genre. He drew upon earlier folk tales for his 1697 collection *Histoires ou contes du temps passé*, which includes enduring stories such as "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Puss in Boots," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Bluebeard." His versions of these old stories later influenced the German adaptations published by the Brothers Grimm more than a century afterward. Perrault was a leading figure in the 17th-century French literary scene and headed the Modern faction during the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns. Born in Paris on 12 January 1628 to a wealthy bourgeois family, he studied law before serving in government, aiding in the creation of the Academy of Sciences and the restoration of the Academy of Painting. He served as secretary of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres under finance minister Jean Baptiste Colbert. Using his influence, he helped his brother Claude gain a position on the committee that designed the Louvre’s Colonnade. Perrault wrote works such as *La Peinture* and *Courses de tetes et de bague*, and he produced the guidebook for the labyrinth of Versailles. He married Marie Guichon in 1672; she died in 1678. After Colbert forced him into retirement in 1682, Perrault turned to epic poetry, writing *Saint Paulin, évêque de Nôle*.
Reader's Guide
Charles Perrault's 1697 collection 'Histoires ou contes du temps passé' (also known as 'Tales of Mother Goose') is a key early work in children's literature. These tales were originally adapted from earlier folk traditions. Perrault's work, along with the fables of Aesop and Jean de la Fontaine, became famous as classroom reading texts in the nineteenth century. Their popularity helped inspire later nineteenth-century fantasy and fairy tales for children that featured magic objects and talking animals.
Did You Know?
- Charles Perrault published his first collection of fairy tales in 1697.
- Perrault's tales were not well received among French literary society, who considered them only fit for old people and children.
- His 'Tales of Mother Goose' became a famous classroom reading text in the nineteenth century.
- Perrault's work helped inspire later nineteenth-century fantasy and fairy tales for children.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Charles Perrault?
Charles Perrault was a French writer and government official in the late 17th century, best remembered for gathering and recording traditional folk tales for a wider reading public.
What is Perrault's most famous publication?
His landmark collection, 'Histoires ou contes du temps passé,' was published in 1697 and is widely regarded as one of the first major printed anthologies of fairy tales.
Which well-known stories did Perrault write?
His 1697 volume includes adapted versions of tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty, and Bluebeard.
Why was Perrault's work criticized in France?
The French literary establishment of his day dismissed his fairy tales as stories fit only for children and the elderly, rather than treating them as legitimate literature.
Why is Perrault important to children's and YA literature?
By taking oral folk traditions and shaping them into written narratives, he helped establish the fairy tale as a recognized literary form that would influence generations of young readers.
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