Literary fairy tale

A literary fairy tale is a fairy tale that differs from an oral folktale in that it is written by "a single identifiable author", as defined by Jens Tismar's monograph.^[1] They also differ from oral folk tales, which can be characterized as "simple and anonymous", and exist in a mutable and difficult to define genre with a close relationship to oral tradition.^[2]

One of the earliest stories of this type is that of Cupid and Psyche, a story originally from Metamorphoses (also called The Golden Ass), written in the 2nd century AD by Apuleius.^[3]

Notable authors of literary fairy tales

• Hans Christian Andersen
• Godfried Bomans
• Italo Calvino
• Madame d'Aulnoy
• Fabiola of Belgium

See also

• Fairytale fantasy